On Saturday, June 15, 2024, Maastricht celebrates Architecture Day. The day opens at 10 AM, and from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, architects, developers, and builders will offer you a behind-the-scenes look, showcase the latest buildings, and share the most beautiful architecture stories. This year's national theme for Architecture Day is "Ruimte maken" ("Making Space").
The growth of Dutch cities will continue in the coming years. The presence of public space is crucial to the quality of the urban living environment. It holds a city with all its different identities together. Architects can make a valuable contribution to the quality of public space within a built environment. During this national 'Architecture Day,' the 'Groene Loper' and 'Blauwe Loper' are central. The redevelopment of both projects shows that the enjoyment of living in a city is enhanced by both building and not building.
On this page, you will find an overview of activities and participating projects and architects. All these buildings are open to the public. The involved architects or clients will be present to provide explanations. Additionally, there are two guided tours along the Groene Loper, and there is a festive opening (at Restobar Mama) and closing (at Bureau Europa). The entire program is also available in the flyer, which you can download here and will soon be physically available at various locations.
The organisation of Architecture Day is a collaboration between TOPOS, the Municipality of Maastricht, and Bureau Europa.
10:00 uur: Opening
The opening is at 10 AM by Alderman Johan Pas at Restobar Mama, Oranjeplein 200 on the Groene Loper.
10:00-13:00 uur: Restobar Mama (KettingHuls)
The omnidirectional pavilion consists of a round concrete terrace, a square building volume, and a round steel canopy. The concrete benches in the brick facade are the starting point for a boot camp or running training. Trees grow from round holes in the terrace, through the steel beams of the canopy. The steel structure of the canopy continues inside into a construction of laminated wooden beams with a concrete column in the center of the building. (photo above: Stijn Bollaert)
11:00-16:00 uur: Residential building Jolie on the Groene Loper (Artesk van Royen Architecten)
Residential building Jolie provides 34 owner-occupied apartments in 12 different types, such as maisonettes, (through-apartments), corner apartments, and penthouses. The diversity in floor plans is reflected in the facades, giving the building a rich and varied appearance. The facade adjacent to the residential area is detailed in refined brick architecture. In this car-free area, passersby can appreciate the precision of the building. In contrast, the facade on the Kennedysingel, where cars pass by at 70 km/h, is designed more abstractly. From the beginning, there was close collaboration between the design firms to give the new urban wall a cohesive atmosphere.
11:00-16:00 uur: Le Sud Amélie on the groene loper (Jo Janssen Architecten)
The Amélie apartment complex is part of a homogeneous wall formed by an ensemble of three residential buildings and a future residential tower. The ensemble forms an urban and architectural unity and marks the southern end of the Le Sud Groene Loper planning area (Kennedysingel). The Amélie apartment complex has 36 apartments, built in eight different sizes. The building is designed with different expressions: the northwest side features an articulated brick facade to connect with the developing residential area, while the side facing the Kennedysingel has a subdued facade image consisting of brickwork, prefab concrete frames, and folding-sliding shutters.
11:00-16:00 uur: Gasthuis Le Sud (Martens Willems & Humblé Architecten)
In the Le Sud area on the south side of the Groene Loper, this building forms the head of a series of residential buildings for people with dementia. The end facade with profiled brickwork, inspired by Kay Fisker, marks the beginning of the Groene Loper as a counterpart to the large residential tower in this series. The building gains its expression through the volumetric manipulations and the interplay with the massive stair tower next to the solid end. With the application of a sustainable design and installations, the focus is on sustainability, making this building almost energy-neutral. As part of broader sustainability measures on the Groene Loper, attention is given to biodiversity, heat stress, and water buffering.
11:30 en 14:00 uur: Guided tour Groene Loper (IN DUTCH) (Fred humblé en Thomas Bedaux)
In addition to the Le Sud Amélie and Jolie residential buildings, there are also two walking tours along buildings on the Groene Loper. At 11:30 AM led by architect Fred Humblé and at 2:00 PM by architect Thomas Bedaux. The start is at Gasthuis 'Le Sud' and will then pass various projects up to the south side of the Groene Loper, including houses by Bedaux de Brouwer architects, Lourdesplein, and Kolonel Millerstraat.
11:00-16:00 uur: Blauwe loper (urban planning) (Ziegler | Branderhorst stedenbouw en architectuur)
Creating space in the dense city. Blauwdorp is an early 20th-century urban expansion of Maastricht. From an initially strong urban planning setup, this neighborhood has grown organically and densified. It lacked orientation and spatial hierarchy. To improve livability, space is literally created in the stony labyrinthine garden village fabric. The 'missing link' in a long line of city neighborhoods to the city center has been realized. The main intervention is the demolition of 138 outdated ground-level houses and their replacement with 138 lifetime apartments and a neighborhood park. Due to aging and rehousing, there has been a flow of people. Together with neighborhood residents, the design of the neighborhood park has been created, making it the new spatial and social focal point for Blauwdorp.
11:00-16:00 uur: Blauwe loper (architecture) (Jo Janssen Architecten - ArCharis Architecture, Maastricht)
The 138 social and care-suitable houses are divided over four residential blocks, which define the boundaries of the public space and are oriented towards the park. The architectural task required redefining this new area using a contemporary language, taking into account the historical character of the neighborhood and the current multi-generational character of the neighborhood. Within the residential blocks, ground-level houses are implemented (living on the street) to connect with the heart of Blauwdorp. The continuity continues in the architecture, including the reuse of existing materials. The main entrances are designed as urban planning accents and developed into qualitative meeting places.
11:00-16:00 uur: dsm-firmenich (Broekbakema)
The former Euroscoop and national monument De Ambachtsschool have been redeveloped into the new, sustainable headquarters of DSM-Firmenich. The ensemble of two buildings, designed by architect Broekbakema, meets the highest standards of well-being and sustainability. The historic Ambachtsschool, a monument from 1912, has been completely renovated and set up as a meeting location, and the energy-neutral new building serves as a flexible office for about 600 DSM-Firmenich employees. The buildings are connected by an atrium where employees can meet. The starting point: a healthy, light, green, and sustainable working environment with plenty of room for collaboration.
16:00-17:30 uur: Closing at Bureau Europa
The exhibition In Vitro shows modern Limburg architecture in designs and models in relation to the use of glass. Including Wiel Arets, Jo Coenen, Teske van Royen, Mathieu Bruls, and Francine Houben. You can also take a walk: [https://www.bureau-europa.nl/over-gevels-en-glazeniers/](https://www.bureau-europa.nl/over-gevels-en-glazeniers/).