Mid July 2019 recreational park Qurios Zandvoort opened its doors. The park is situated between the Formula 1 track, the national park Kennemerland and the beach of the town of Zandvoort. It’s also conveniently close to the cities of Haarlem and Amsterdam. Because of its unique location the park will attract a very diverse group of guests. From city dwellers to beachgoers and from nature lovers to race fanatics. For the design of the park this meant that it couldn’t be a ‘1 size fits all’ concept and should be able to accommodate this diverse group of guests. The architecture of the park plays a key role in giving meaning and expression to this diversity.
Project: Qurios Zandvoort
Firm: 2by4-architects
Website: www.2by4.nl
Mail: remijnse@2by4.nl
Year: 2019
Area: 32.150 m2
Location: Zandvoort, The Netherlands
Photographer: 2by4-architects
Team: Remko Remijnse, Agnese Argenti, Emanuele Saracino, Manfredi Guidi di Bagno
Client: Qurios
Landscape: Snoek Puur Groen
Interior: RH Interieurs
Contractor: Barli and Peter Peters
Floor:Forbo
Façade: Thermowood and Royal Dekker Board and Batten
The park accommodates 100 cottages and 2 public pavilions and is designed like a dune park where the sand literally flows against the building. The cottages are situated on plateaus on different heights and all have a different orientation. This creates different atmospheres, sight lines and spatial experiences throughout the compact designed park.
The park feels very natural because of the rough dune landscape and unpolished wooden facades of the buildings. The buildings feel like they have always been there and, despite of their contrasting appearance, have become one with the landscape. The buildings don’t have a fenced off private space. The idea is that people are free to explore the park and kids can play in the sand where they want. To emphasize this wild natural appearance all cars are parked outside of the park.
Guests enter the park from the Zandvoort boulevard. The first building they’ll see it the visitor center. With its floating roof this pavilion like building provides a panoramic view over the whole park. Inside guests can check in at the reception and there’s a mini shop. The shape of the visitor center is a clear volume made of black wood with vertical planks. The vertical planks give different expression to the façade based on the position and intensity of the sun. In the back there is a patio with bikes for rent. In contrast with the black façade the basement floor is made out of light concrete. The basement is houses bedrooms for the staff and a common living room. The concrete volume has sharp edges that cut into the dune like a knife.
Coming from the visitor center guests make their way down to the main building that is in the middle of the park. This building has all the social functions like restaurant and animation space. The appearance is similar to the visitor center, but instead of having a solid concrete basement this building has a corten steel volume on the roof. Inside this closed volume there is the keeper’s house. The volume gives the sense that it has been there for ages and that the nearby sea has had a corroding effect on the material. The keeper’s house is only open towards the seaside, giving a magnificent view. From this side the keeper can access a roof terrace that runs around the whole volume providing views to the park, the dunes and the Formula 1 race track. In the heart of the house there is a patio that provides daylight for all the rooms. The social programs are located in glass volumes on ground floor that can be opened to create a strong inside-outside connection.
Inside the park guests find 5 different types of cottages. Each designed with a specific experience and theme in mind. The themes each attract their own kind of guests. The floor plan, interiors and facades of the cottages give expression to these themes. The adventure cottage is designed as a compact shed where people are stimulated to be outside most of the time. The family cottage provides a spacious living and dining room which can be completely opened to the outside. The Royal cottages are all about luxury and comfort. They are made of 2 floors where upstairs there are comfortable bedrooms and downstairs has a lounge like kitchen and dining room. The XL cottage is all about maximum space for large groups. Furthermore the interiors are designed with the themes ‘Denim’, ‘Clear Nature’, ‘Racing’ and ‘Coffee’ in mind. Although all the buildings are very different they do share the design language making them part of a bigger family.
2by4-architects
2by4-architects is a socially involved office that uses architecture as a tool to improve the quality of existing. Our work is not about the sensation, but about the essence. We design powerful sustainable buildings that can stand the test of time. The focus in our design has always been to relate to the human scale and strongly connect the building to its context. We see every design as a new challenge where together with the client we can develop new ideas and customize a project in every phase of the design: from the first concept sketches and urban layout to the selection of materials and the designing of details. With our own interdisciplinary team of experts and professional external consultants we work on different projects in the field of housing, healthcare, recreation, urban planning, landscape design, education, public buildings, cultural buildings, sports buildings and transport HUBs.
2by4-architects was founded in 2005 in Rotterdam and since 2016 is being run co-founder Remko Remijnse. After graduating cum laude from TU Delft in 2001, Remijnse worked for Kaan Architects in Rotterdam. After 3 years of being an entrepreneur he co-founded 2by4-architects. Remijnse’s interest in social themes extends outside of the company. Since 2002 he has been teaching at the IGO in Rotterdam, the TU Delft and the Academy of Architecture in Rotterdam. Remijnse gave lectures and guest lectures internationally at the University of San Salvador and was involved in NGO work on the Cape Verde island of Sal. From 2011 until 2019 Remijnse was head of the Architecture Bachelor program at the IGO in Rotterdam.
