Architect：Common Affairs

Location：Alphen, Netherlands

Project Year：2020

Category：Car Parks Libraries

Library and parking garage, Alphen aan den Rijn (2016>2020)

A green meeting place in the city.

Designing an above-ground parking garage at a prominent location in the city center of Alphen aan den Rijn is not an easy task. The combination with the library and a public bicycle storage facility resulted in a mix of programs that made it possible to create a dynamic place in the city.

Connection with the environment

It is a large volume that seeks to connect to the small scale of the rest of the renewed city center of Alphen. Yet we deliberately chose not to divide the building into smaller premises. Library and garage are large-scale programs that deserve a place in the city center. We were inspired by the large stations, market halls and museums that have been given a place in historic inner cities. Despite their larger size, they still fit into the cityscape.

The design for the library ultimately became a kind of mix of a station and a market hall. It is significantly larger in scale than the other buildings in the center. Through the choice of warm orange brick, the vertical rhythm, the richness of detailing and the many embellishments, we ensure the connection with the environment.

Green and sustainable

The assignment was also to create a sustainable building with a green facade in the stony environment of the inner city. The building is equipped with PV panels on the sun-exposed facades. The parking garage remains open for good ventilation. These facades are equipped with planting. At the heart of the garage is the void with a green courtyard garden. In collaboration with aatvos and MARS Interieurarchitecten, the interior of the library has taken shape. The combination building is the green meeting place for everyone in the city.

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