Kazerne Zwolle

The project site is located in Kamperpoort, on Harm Smeengekade, in Zwolle’s oldest working-class neighbourhood. This area has been designated by the municipality as a zone where the city centre can expand, incorporating centre amenities and urban housing. With forty new social and private homes, Moke Architecten strengthened the neighbourhood’s fragmented identity and established a connection between the narrow streets and the large buildings on the district’s outskirts.

Programme
35 residences

Architect
Ludo Grooteman

Team
Maarten Kist, Hao Tran

Status
Completed

Year
2015-2021

Location
Zwolle

Client
Delta Wonen

Photographer
Thijs Wolzak

Contractor
Nijhuis Bouw

Restoring cohesion
Kamperpoort lies between the city centre and the A28 motorway, positioned between old, narrow streets with organic curves and bends on one side, and office buildings, the IJsselhallen, and a tall, post-war tower on the other. To restore cohesion in the neighbourhood, we designed a slender, high-rise tower with eight residential floors, flanked by lower homes.

Irregular and organic
The buildings subtly shift along the street profile, giving the street an irregular and organic character. The brickwork varies from building to building and adds a sense of small-scale diversity to the façades. The all-sided brick ornament at the tower’s crown serves as a beacon in the city. The parking facilities are located on the courtyard side of the complex.

Industrial element
The façades have a slightly industrial appearance, featuring simple brick patterns that reference the neighbourhood’s origins.