Luxurious play of lines gives neighbourhood renewal in Lelystad a boost

Making a difference by smart material choices

De Wadloper is divided into three parts that differ in height. Each part has its own orientation and height. The U-shaped building encloses a private inner garden that continues into a park area. Large windows in combination with white brickwork give the building an attractive horizontal articulation, with brickwork bands continuing into the balconies.

"We try to make a difference in the neighbourhood", says van Grootheest. "You can do that by investing just a little bit more in the architecture. The Zuiderzeewijk is not the most modern district in Lelystad; many of the original buildings are now outdated. By creating a building that stands out in terms of colour, use of materials and level of finish, we upgrade the entire area."

Architect Niels de Vries of ZAAK VAN NN based the materials of the outer facade on the surroundings. "In the middle of the park area in the Zuiderzeewijk, there are striking buildings with white or ochre-coloured brickwork. It was important to us that De Wadloper would fit in here. We therefore used a combination of these materials, accompanied by an anthracite accent colour for the window frames. In this way, all the buildings are part of the same family and form a peaceful addition to the park."

Rockpanel facade cladding with a false joint

The construction team of De Wadloper chose the durable Rockpanel cladding for the gallery facade. "This cladding combines very well with other materials such as brickwork and aluminium", says de Vries. " In addition, the easy workability of Rockpanel facade panels makes extra processing possible. You can, for example, engrave entire panels if you want to, without compromising the strength of the panel. For this project, we milled a vertical false joint in the grey-white Rockpanel panels in the factory. In this way, we create a vertical interplay of lines with the facade panels and the superimposed windows, which beautifully balances the horizontal character of the galleries and the stratification of the building components."

"Fortunately, thanks to its weather-resistant character and insensitivity to moisture, it was not necessary to protect the board edges," explains team leader Amko de Groot of Ter Steege Bouw Vastgoed. "Rockpanel can be processed like wood but is also as durable as stone. That saves a lot of time and therefore costs during processing."

Easy to handle on the building site

"I have been in the construction business for quite a while and have worked with Rockpanel cladding many times. I find it a clever and interesting material. The panels are lightweight and therefore easy for a carpenter to handle. Our team also liked the fact that they could be used on the building site without special tools. In order to ensure that the vertical false joints run smoothly, we occasionally had to do some sawing. It really makes a difference if you can use a normal sawing machine for this. With Rockpanel that was no problem."

Building the future sustainably

Lastly, the sustainability of the panels played a role, says project leader van Grootheest. "At Centrada, we build to last. What we have built here should be a solid basis for the next fifty years. That is one of the reasons why we have not chosen a standard facade here, but have made a real statement. The material must be in line with this vision and perform optimally for many years. Rockpanel facade panels, even with a false joint milled into them, are low-maintenance and extremely resistant to the elements. Therefore, we can offer our tenants a wonderful home to live in for decades."