Hof van Holland is a new district of Nijmegen, being developed across the Waal River next to the village of Lent. In 2018, Diederendirrix was selected to design the urban plan for the new station quarter. The station quarter will accommodate new residential developments—most of which will be in the social and mid-range segments—as well as office spaces.

Hidden between dike embankments

The site, located on the west side of Lent Station, faces significant challenges. The area is squeezed between the elevated railway embankment and a bridge carrying an important urban cycling route, which cuts through the site in two directions. In addition, the location is heavily affected by noise from both trains and road traffic.

However, the context also offers attractive opportunities. Opposite the station, the site borders an old cherry orchard, which will be transformed into an urban park. The location is further surrounded by shard-shaped, composite building blocks featuring a mix of low-rise structures and towers.

With patience and perseverance

At the Hof van Holland station quarter, Diederendirrix is involved in all phases of urban design, from vision development and framework planning to the design and technical detailing of several buildings. In coordination with the municipality of Nijmegen, we designed the urban structure for the area, established spatial guidelines, and prepared a visual management plan for the buildings. In collaboration with MTD landscape architects, we also designed the landscape integration.

During the development of the various buildings—some of which are already under construction—Diederendirrix acted as the coordinating architect. In design workshops, we oversaw the alignment between the different architects—Moke, WE Architecten, and HilberinkBosch.

Square, vestibule, and garden

The morphological structure consists of six distinctive residential (and mixed-use) buildings and a parking facility running parallel to the railway. The buildings establish a spatial relationship with the surrounding shards, which together form continuous street edges. The building ensembles define three subareas in the public realm: the station square, a vestibule, and a shared urban garden for the residents.

By allowing the long cycling embankment to meander, we create space for a direct connection between the station, the cherry orchard, and the route to the heart of the Waalsprong. A secondary network of walking paths through the urban garden links the residential buildings, the office, the parking structure, and the station. These paths are part of a large circuit, the “fit track,” running across the Waalsprong.

A striking ensemble in the greenery

The stepped buildings are positioned to shield the residences from surrounding noise while ensuring that, despite the high density, the apartments enjoy optimal views of the green surroundings. The transitions between buildings and the public realm are designed as collective outdoor spaces, framed by vegetated pergolas. This motif is repeated on the rooftops, with elevated gardens and terraces surrounding the station square. The new parking facility forms a green wall that screens the urban garden from the railway. The landscape and morphological cohesion is reinforced by using related colors and materials across all façades in the ensemble.

The result of intensive collaboration

Setting ambitions through an urban plan and visual management is only the first step, but the best way to ensure the cohesion and quality of a complex project like the station quarter is through close collaboration from start to finish. An open attitude from the municipality, housing associations, developers, and designers is crucial for this iterative process. Each building development progresses at its own pace within a structured dialogue between all parties. Rather than negotiating over individual “plots,” we engage in conversation to transform challenges into synergies.