18.10.2016
Today, the underground parking garage Kustwerk Katwijk has won the international WAN infrastructure Award 2016 given by the World Architecture News (WAN). The winner was announced during the UK Construction week in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Naming the Kustwerk Katwijk project as their winner was a unanimous decision by the jury; with the panel all agreeing the project was a worthy winner. There are many elements to the design, which the jury discussed, in-depth. Huw Thomas acknowledged the way in which the project had created a place for the public to visit, commenting: “This project celebrates the fact that we have to build infrastructure and it can be joyous and a real addition. It’s simple and elegant and arguably this project has potential for extraordinary legacy.” Colin Bennie, also shared his views, saying: “There is a complexity to this project which is almost hidden. There’s a real romance to this project.”
The special parking garage in the Dutch town of Katwijk is an integral part of the town’s new water defence system, protecting the town against the North Sea. The garage is situated behind a new dike and is located underneath a natural dune landscape. Integrating the parking garage with the water defence system not only protects Katwijk from the Sea, but also offers the tourists an opportunity to park directly near the beach.
Commissioned by the city of Katwijk, Royal HaskoningDHV drafted the architectural design of the parking garage and translated this into a thorough master plan. Based on this master plan, Ballast Nedam and ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects drafted the integral design (architectural, functional, structural and building services) for the realization of the parking garage. Special attention was given to the integration and materialisation of the entrances in the dune landscape, as one of the main principles of the architectural masterplan and the public domain, which was designed by OKRA Landscape Architects.
The inaugural WAN Infrastructure Award 2016 is an international competition being part of WAN’s 'Excellence in Design' series for 2016. The award seeks to identify and reward ideas that bring elegant solutions to vital infrastructure schemes.
