{"id":1191,"date":"2025-05-14T19:45:22","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T19:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/?p=1191"},"modified":"2025-05-21T15:31:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T15:31:34","slug":"playful-geometries-dot-monadnocks-colorful-volante-social-housing-in-the-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/14\/playful-geometries-dot-monadnocks-colorful-volante-social-housing-in-the-netherlands\/","title":{"rendered":"playful geometries dot monadnock\u2019s colorful \u2018volante\u2019 social housing in the netherlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Subtle Insertion within a Lush Grid<\/h2>\n

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Monadnock Architects<\/a><\/strong> unveils Volante, a social housing<\/strong><\/a> building which occupies a slender footprint within the Nieuw-Zuid redevelopment in the Dutch<\/strong><\/a> city of Hilversum. Here, porch flats and generous greenery shape a legacy of postwar urban planning. On a site previously occupied by a residential-care facility, this new social housing project completes an ensemble of five structures, introducing density while honoring the open qualities of the neighborhood. The structure\u2019s position atop a parking garage required precision in planning, resulting in a carefully calibrated relationship between height, massing, and light.<\/p>\n

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Volante is designed as two joined volumes, aligned lengthwise to nestle between existing buildings while preserving access to daylight and sightlines. At the center, a circular atrium provides orientation and light, anchoring the corridors that lead to each unit. Though compact, the apartments benefit from this shared interior rhythm, with circulation treated as an architectural space rather than a means to an end.<\/p>\n

\"Volante
images \u00a9 Stijn Bollaert<\/a><\/p>\n

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playful geometries mark volante\u2019s entrance<\/h2>\n

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With the design of its Volante project, Monadnock Architects takes a pragmatic yet expressive approach to facade design. Long elevations are animated by a steady cadence of vertical piers and horizontal bands, realized in brickwork that feels both familiar and carefully wrought. Rather than apply decorative treatments, the architects<\/strong><\/a> embedded richness into the construction itself. Shaped bricks form junctions with a quiet attention to detail, creating shadows and texture that reward close observation.<\/p>\n

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The main entrance distinguishes itself through a palette of glazed bricks in deep, contrasting tones. Openings shift in scale and shape, inviting movement through a slightly abstracted gateway. This deliberate formal variation signals a break from the repetitive housing block, asserting the address as a shared front door and a marker of arrival within the neighborhood\u2019s internal rhythm.<\/p>\n

\"Volante
Volante is part of a densification effort in the Dutch city of Hilversum<\/p>\n

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Monadnock Architects\u2019 Optimistic Details<\/h2>\n

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Monadnock Architects use the terminal walls of Volante to define its urban role beyond the immediate site. These gable-like end facades are more than closures \u2014 they operate as signals, visible from afar, and carry a subtle figuration that punctuates the building\u2019s linear volume. In a district that balances visual openness with increasing density, these gestures give character without demanding attention.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a distinct clarity to Volante\u2019s expression that reflects a belief in the dignity of housing. Materials are robust, but their assembly conveys levity. The ochres and reds of the brickwork catch changing light with warmth, while the building\u2019s quiet symmetry offers a sense of order amid the trees and neighboring facades. It is a structure that looks settled, yet quietly ambitious.<\/p>\n

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The architecture resists the urge to impose a singular identity. Instead, its strength lies in how fluently it completes a larger composition. Densification here does not compete with the inherited character of Hilversum\u2019s greenery or mid-century fabric. The building draws on these cues, integrating new residents into a context with care and continuity.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Volante
the main entrance is marked by glazed bricks and geometric openings that establish identity<\/p>\n

\"Volante
the brick facade features vertical piers and horizontal bands that create depth and rhythm<\/p>\n

\"Volante
end facades are designed as urban markers visible from a distance<\/p>\n

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the use of color and tactility brings warmth and optimism to the residential experience<\/p>\n

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\"Volante
specially-shaped bricks add texture and refinement throughout building<\/p>\n

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a circular atrium serves as the central organizing space for the compact apartments<\/p>\n

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project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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name:\u00a0<\/strong>Volante<\/p>\n

architecture:\u00a0<\/strong>Monadnock Architects<\/a> | @monadnock.architects<\/a><\/p>\n

location:<\/strong> Nieuw-Zuid, Hilversum, The Netherlands<\/p>\n

floor area:<\/strong> 8,032 square meters
\ncompletion:<\/strong> December 2024<\/p>\n

photography:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a9 Stijn Bollaert<\/a> | @stijn_bollaert<\/a><\/p>\n

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lead architects:<\/strong> Job Floris, Sandor Naus
\nteam:<\/strong> Marta Cendra, Michael Maminski, Filippo Gallone, Mat\u00e9o White, Blanka Major
\nproject architect:<\/strong> Sandor Naus<\/p>\n

client:<\/strong> Dudok Wonen<\/a> | @dudokwonen<\/a>
\ncontractor:<\/strong> Hegeman<\/a> | @hegemanbv<\/a>
\nconstruction engineer:<\/strong> IAA Architects<\/a>
\nstructural engineer:<\/strong> Schreuders<\/a>
\nMEP engineer:<\/strong> InnQ Installations<\/a>
\nbuilding physics engineer:<\/strong> Alcedo<\/a>
\nlandscape architect:<\/strong> Hosper Landscape Architecture<\/a> | @hosper_landschapsarchitectuur<\/a>
\nurban planner:<\/strong> Moke Architecten<\/a> | @moke_architecten<\/a><\/p>\n

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prefab concrete stairs:<\/strong> Hop prefab<\/a>
\nsteel stairs and balustrades:<\/strong> Krepla<\/a>
\nelevators:<\/strong> Schindler Elevators<\/a>
\nmain entrance floor, walls:<\/strong> Winckelmans<\/a>
\ncommon area floor:<\/strong> Marmoleum, Forbo Flooring<\/a>
\nwindowframes manufacturer:<\/strong> Kawneer<\/a>
\nwindowframes balustrades facades, supplier:<\/strong> Rollecate<\/a>
\ninterior frames, doors:<\/strong> Berkvens
\nfacade cladding, brick:<\/strong> Klinkerwerk Iking<\/a> | @klinkerwerk_iking<\/a>
\nfacade cladding, glazed bricks:<\/strong> Dijkstra Frisian Earthenware<\/a> | @dijkstrakleiwaren<\/a>
\naluminium cladding:<\/strong> Voskamp<\/a><\/p>\n

The post playful geometries dot monadnock\u2019s colorful \u2018volante\u2019 social housing in the netherlands<\/a> appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Subtle Insertion within a Lush Grid \u00a0 Monadnock Architects unveils Volante, a social housing building which occupies a slender footprint within the Nieuw-Zuid redevelopment in the Dutch city of Hilversum. Here, porch flats and generous greenery shape a legacy of postwar urban planning. On a site previously occupied by a residential-care facility, this new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1191"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1200,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191\/revisions\/1200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}