Bygg was commissioned to redesign the former Hopmans terrain in Tilburg as the final piece in the transformation of the Piushaven area. The new development, called De Mersjant, includes 67 new apartments and the restoration of four townhouses.

The buildings at the street side have a different treatment from the buildings on the back of the plot. The architecture at the front fits in with the existing building line; the back has its own materialization and a cascading volume to provide daylight and privacy for the neighbors.

To embed the project in the complex urban context, the plan was developed with a ‘quality team’, which included urban planners and residents. As a result of these sessions, we introduced a vertical garden at the back of the plot, that follows the contour of the demolished buildings.

A publicly accessible pocket park guides the pedestrian from the busy street to a  sheltered, green courtyard.