On Friday October 8th, the Grotius Towers, two residential towers of 120 and 100 metres in height designed by MVRDV, topped out. This was celebrated with an event in the presence of the MVRDV design team and developer Provast. Together, the towers form a link between the station area and the rest of the city where the Dutch government is located. The arrival of the two apartment buildings marks a new step in the transformation of the station area.

With their “crown” of stacked terraces and greenery – a village in the sky –the two towers are recognisable from afar, and give the residents the feeling of living on the ground floor, but with a spectacular view over dunes, the sea, and the city. The design was created using intensive research to guarantee sight lines. The towers are narrower and more refined at ground level to ensure that pedestrian routes are created between the station area and the city centre.

The design pays special attention to sustainability and the resulting quality of life for the residents. The construction of the residential towers is related to the capping of the adjacent highway, which will be covered with a park. Special attention was also paid to good insulation and heat recovery installations that will not only contribute to a more comfortable environment but will also reduce energy consumption.

“I think the great thing about this project is that it ensures the covering of the Utrechtsebaan with a park. In addition, the 655 flats contain a mixture of market-rate and social-rented apartments, so you get a good mix of different types of people to suit the city,” says MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas. “There's a lot of talk about high-rise buildings in The Hague, but I think that if you do it with towers like Grotius, with a ‘village in the sky’, an open and green ‘top’, it can lead to successful densification that makes the city greener and more liveable.”

The two towers will have large windows for optimal views, and a high-quality and durable façade of Portuguese natural stone. These façades vary in colour from beige to anthracite, giving the towers a soft “landing” at street level. By creating new streets and squares, the Grotius Towers further facilitate the development of this area into a residential neighbourhood. The completion of the Grotius Towers is expected in 2022.

Main image © Provast.