The Coendersbuurt project is part of the “Nieuw Delft” plan. This plan includes the redevelopment of the railroad area in Delft. Besides the Coendersbuurt, there are two other neighbourhoods created in the plan: the Van Leeuwenhoekkwartier and the Abtswoudsehof.

Coendersbuurt was the first residential area to be finished in Nieuw Delft. This area is surrounded by water and is located on the Nieuwe Gracht. The canals in this neighbourhood and the car-free environment remind us of Delfts old city centre. The buildings are modern, but almost each house has a different façade. This is due to the “zelfbouwers” initiative, which allows inhabitants to design their own homes with some restrictions, for example to the height. This resulted in a large variety of buildings. Most of these buildings are energy neutral and are nature-inclusive, with the green facade as an example.

Some downsides are the paved quays and streets which leave less space for green. This could cause problems with heat stress in the summer for example. In addition the water in the canals is mostly still, which could increase the heat stress even more.

Brain Teaser
What’s your opinion of this redevelopment plan? Do you think they did enough to make it sustainable and climate adaptive?

Sources
Webdesignbureau Westdesign.nl. (n.d.). Coendersbuurt – Pieters Bouwtechniek. Coendersbuurt – Pieters Bouwtechniek. https://www.pietersbouwtechniek.nl/projecten/coendersbuurt

Tussenwoning met watervaltrap, Coendersbuurt, Delft – 8A Architecten. (2022, January 31). 8A Architecten. https://8aa.nl/project/zelfbouw-tussenwoning-waterval-trap-coendersbuurt-spoorzone-nieuw-delft/