5Tracks
The Right Connections
Our competition-winning design for a mixed-use complex next to Breda’s revamped central station interweaves several diverse functions or ‘tracks’ – offices, homes, retail, hospitality and leisure – and houses them in a harmonious trio of pastel-colored, triangular buildings. It also adds new and inviting public spaces to the mix: lively plinths with attractive amenities and, best of all, a lush green rooftop park that ties the buildings, the city and other nature areas together.
Our 5Tracks is a trio of sharp, solid, attractive and functional buildings with beautifully expressed public functions.’
Color
Coded
Coded
Color
Coded
Coded
Our design for 5Tracks, completed with Shift Architecture Urbanism, combines low- and mid-rise elements. The three layered forms combine triangular bases of 16 meters high (echoing the usual height of buildings in the neighborhood), with L-shaped upper sections rising to 35 meters. These taller elements add some urban dynamism to the neighborhood, while the lower bases maintain close contact with the old town with their street-height plinths and intricate brick detailing. Using a single pastel color for each building, and a limited materials palette throughout, ensures the coherence of these diverse elements and gives each building its own clear identity.
5Tracks takes a big-city concept and aesthetic – with a varied program, urban greenery and loft-style apartments and offices – and adapts it for mid-sized Breda.’
Facade Fascination
Facade Fascination
We lightened the appearance of our buildings by using a single color and a restrained materials palette – principally brick and tinted concrete. To add interest, and give the buildings a friendly, human touch, we devised a range of intricate patterns in brick which are used in varying ‘patches’ to bring the facades to life. To make this brickwork sustainable, we used artisan bricks sawn into slips – obtaining four from each brick. Applied to the façade, the bricks achieve a nuanced effect that is subtle yet endlessly interesting, with a warm, textural appeal.
Brick used in intricate patterns unifies our design. We’re very proud of this brickwork, which is crisp, rich and thoroughly sustainable.’
Going Up in the World
Going Up in the World
In Platform B and Platform C, stairs invite you to explore a dramatic atrium space which brings daylight, greenery and energy into the building. Each atrium features a full-sized mature tree, connecting it with the park outside, which is on the same level. The atrium acts as a social space and place to relax – ideal for coffee drinking, informal meetings and accidental encounters. It also provides interesting interior views for the three surrounding floors of office tenants. Industrial materials like brick and concrete, as used on the facades and in the same monochrome palette, make the atriums feel like part of the outside world.
