Alverna

• Date 2008-2012
• Address Boekenroodeweg, 9 – 2111 HJ Aerdenhout (Netherlands)

It was following an international competition that Charles Vandenhove took on this housing scheme located in an ‘upmarket’ village south of Haarlem. The project involves the construction of three apartment blocks and the conversion of a historic building housing a congregation of Franciscan nuns. The congregation is experiencing a gradual decline in its numbers and intends to make use of the land it owns in the surrounding area. The property development, aimed at a wealthy clientele ‘aged 55 and over’, is to comprise 80 flats in the new buildings and 10 flats in the historic building, which the sisters intend to leave in order to move into one of the new developments. With a blank slate of land and no particular constraints, Vandenhove has arranged the new blocks on either side of the old building and around a water feature. Each built over an underground car park, the buildings extend over three storeys. Each level comprises six two-bedroom flats arranged around the circulation spaces. These combine the stairwell with the lift shaft, which is housed in a glass-brick silo – a subtle architectural touch that already hints at the high standard of the homes. Favouring the use of brick, Vandenhove designed façades punctuated by loggias, ensuring attractive outdoor access for the residents. The formal design features solid masonry blocks pierced by arched windows, a style that foreshadows the Terrasses de Saint-Gilles project launched two years later.

• Description of the collection

  Survey records of the historic building, plans, sections and elevations, correspondence…

• Volumetry 16 archive boxes (1.92 m)
• Bibliography

  Archives Fondation Jeanne & Charles Vandenhove

• AUTHOR AND DATE OF THE ENTRY Sébastien Charlier, 2023