Caland Tower
The Caland Tower is part of the new Laakhaven district in The Hague, an inner-city former port area with a pleasantly rugged atmosphere. The 52-meter-high tower stands at the intersection of Neherkade and Calandstraat, marking the entrance to this new residential and work area. The design connects the old industrial buildings, petrol stations, and wide, busy streets in the neighbourhood with a gentle ambiance of living, shopping, and enjoying a drink in the new community square—while strongly referencing the original port area. Robust and honest.
Programme
104 residential units and commercial space
Surface
11,500 m² GFA
Architect
Ludo Grooteman
Team
Ieke Koning
Year
2009 – 2015
Status
Completed
Location
The Hague
Client
Ballast Nedam
Construction
CAE
Building physics
Cauberg Huygen
Installations
Huygen
Photographer
Thijs Wolzak
Proud and robust
The building features commercial spaces in the plinth and residential units above. The tower's façade showcases a clean rhythm of floor-to-ceiling windows. The brick façade is playful, with recessed frames crafted in textured red-brown bricks. The staggered rhythm of the balconies adds further character—some are shallow and wide, while others are narrower and exceptionally deep.
Here and along Calandstraat, the building is robust, reflecting the world across the street. On the neighborhood side, however, it is more finely woven. The city square here serves as the new urban heart of the area, offering a transparent connection to the street. The tower represents the first phase of a larger building, which will be realised in stages.
Although the block forms a unified whole, it appears as four smaller-scale buildings, each with its own distinct expression, reflected in the rhythm of the façade, colour, varied window frames, richly textured brickwork, and diverse balconies.
The apartments each have their own entrance, lift, and hallway leading to the front doors. They are arranged with gardens and terraces surrounding four small courtyards. The residential entrances, the gate, and a rooftop structure are finished in glossy red. The gate is strikingly illuminated, creating an ecstatic red welcome in the evening as you return home from a bite to eat at the new neighbourhood square at the rear.
Phase 1 consists of social rental housing. The homes were developed by Ballast Nedam and are owned by the housing association Arcade Mensen en Wonen.