Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Concept and shape
‘Baken’ is a dutch word for an important visual point that everyone will recognise from far away, just like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. In this case, het baken is the name of a significantly shaped housing complex in the town of deventer in mid-holland.
The idea of designing such a special shape was a deliberate attempt to create something very different from the surroundings in what was in fact just a normal eight-storeyed apartment project. Something that would be a visual eye-catcher and a conversation topic mainly because of its peculiar shape. As a study-reference, the architects worked with a copy of the swiss mountain matterhorn in a climbing hall in rotterdam. The model was accessible from the outside, but one could also climb on the inside of it.
The design philosophy from that point of view seemed to be the very simple: why not make apartments in such a form?
Being cut out of a monolithic cube, the shape of het baken differs from three stories to eight, which reduces the voluminous character of the building and gradually is absorbed by the form. This also allows daylight to penetrate the building. From a visual point the building has been cantilevered at the ground level which – together with the use of a lot of glass – makes it appear very light and crispy.
Constructions and materials
Looking closer at Het Baken discloses that the diamond-shaped building has actually got very sharp edges. In fact not only the corners are precise and sharp, but the roof is made the same way, which actually makes it a kind of a fifth façade or elevation instead of a traditional roof. Het Baken is a building without a conventional roof; actually the façade covers the entire sculptural building ‘body’.
The material chosen for this purpose was stone slates; a high-quality, waterproof and long-lasting ecological material. These stone slates emphasise and complement the look of the rock-hard diamond-shape even stronger. On top of the ‘roof’, elevators and some roof terraces are placed. As a contrast to the complexity of the shape, and for clear economical reasons, just one type of windows have been used in the building on every elevation, again demanding high-quality and waterproof characteristics.
VELUX windows have been chosen because of their waterproof qualities and high demands on every elevation of the building, despite the architect’s original idea of windows protruding from the elevator towers. The windows and the balconies create an abstract pattern on the facades, which could be compared with a Swiss cheese if it hadn’t been for the black colour. On the ground floor on the south-west side, the building has been designed entirely in glass.
A landmark in the middle of nowhere
On the outskirts of Deventer, the Netherlands, a black, solid building gradually rises against the skyline of the suburban monotony, as closer you get. And suddenly the diamond-shaped building stands in front of you as a rocky meteor from out of space.
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