LEVS architecten and flux create nature-inclusive residential tower in the hague

in collaboration with developer VORM and flux landscape architecture, LEVS architecten has won the tender to design a new residential tower located in the hague. the new 377ft (115m) ‘binck blocks’ intends to become the entrance point to the district of binckhorst and a landmark within the city. the concept uses the idea of stacking volumes, which together make six vertical ‘neighborhoods’, each featuring a different housing typology. the building aims to provide a pleasant and sustainable living environment for residents.

the tower will reach a total height of 115 meters
image by WAX architectural visualizations (also main image)

the building is divided by LEVS into recognizable volumes, with specific places in each of them, such as a roof park, a play street and city balcony. this creates vertical neighborhoods with a wide variety of housing typologies and a distinguished identity, targeting different groups. a measure of approximately thirty houses per neighbourhood was the starting point to divide the tower into spatial units. in addition, every block has it’s own character. this combination ensures close and small-scale living communities.

urban farming onto the adjacent parking garage
image by WAX architectural visualizations

LEVS has designed a modular system for all the façades with a rational grid of aluminum profiles. as a result of a different housing typology, the filling with glass and bronze solar panels or aluminum panels differs per neighborhood, making them recognizable from the outside. windows down to the floor allow a glimpse at the street and provide a metropolitan quality of living. the transition between the neighborhoods is emphasized by the doubling of the façade profiles and the offset of the volumes, creating a dynamic building with playful openings.

a stacked city district with six vertical ‘neighborhoods’
image by WAX architectural visualizations

‘binck blocks’ is designed as a hub of greenery by offering space for flora and fauna in the collective spaces, façades and balconies. as a result, nature is literally drawn within the building. one aspect of the nature-inclusive design is the ‘landscape as a machine’. for example, rainwater is collected and used to maintain the vegetation. the green spaces also improves the air quality and lowers the heat stress in the summer. regarding biodiversity, the building is considered as an ecosystem. birds, butterflies and insects nest in green shelters up to a maximum height of fifty meters. the strategic design of this vertical landscape turns the tower into a biodiversity hub, a green element in an otherwise urban environment. 

vegetation integrated into the lower balconies
image by WAX architectural visualizations

the façade, with reflecting strips that light up without using electricity
image by WAX architectural visualizations

the three-storey high inner street where children can play outside
image by WAX architectural visualizations

a vertical city
image by LEVS architecten

a tower fitting its surroundings
image by LEVS architecten

a hub for biodiversity
image by flux landscape architecture

animal species and their nestings
image by flux landscape architecture

plant species and where they are integrated into the tower
image by flux landscape architecture

project info:

name: ‘binck blocks’

location: binckhorst, the hague, the netherlands

program: residential tower of 377ft (115m) for approximately 200 apartments in 6 different vertical neighbourhoods

client: VORM

architectural design: LEVS architecten

nature-inclusive concept: flux landscape architecture

planned start of construction: second half of 2020

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