BU31 Utrecht

On the Van Esveldstraat in Utrecht, the apartment building BU31 was completed on the site of an old KPN telephone exchange center. In the transition from copper to fber optics, a much smaller exchange center became part of the new design.

The smaller fiber optic plant frst had to be built next to the still functioning copper plant. After the transition, the copper plant had to be demolished vibration-free to make space for the new apartment building. The new fiber optic plant is “embraced” in the canopy above the high-rise entrance and parking garage access.

The all-sided building includes a semi-underground parking garage and 46 two-room apartments, accessed from a bright atrium with waterfall stairs. The atrium is placed asymmetrically in the block; as a result, more apartments are oriented to the south side, with balconies and large terraces on the waterfront, and fewer apartments on the noise-exposed north side.

The homes on the north did receive more facade length and daylight. A load-bearing core and load-bearing facade created the freedom to stagger the houses relative to one another, and the noise-exposed balconies were given extra free height. The bedrooms below the balconies actually receive shade in summer and stay cooler for longer.