Wisselspoor is a redevelopment of the former NS Central Workshop into a distinctive green residential and work area on the outskirts of Utrecht. The industrial heritage, consisting of buildings and public spaces, forms the basis for this flexible ‘Cityplot’ plan. The ‘Cityplot’ concept does not operate from a meticulously planned overall blueprint but from flexible and individual development. Various types of housing, each with its own aesthetic quality, nestle among four major green structures: the inner worlds, the Daalsedijk zone, the pocket parks, and the Spoorpark.
The inner worlds are created by traffic-calmed streets and squares. Here, water management and greening go hand in hand: rainwater from the sidewalks is collected in urban swales planted with various tree groups, bringing greenery right up to the doorstep. The greenery in the existing Daalsedijk is enhanced and made accessible through a semi-paved path. The plan includes three pocket parks, each with its own complementary identity centered around the existing sports field, the water feature, and the mature poplars. The existing rugged urban nature forms the basis for the planting vision of the Spoorpark.
The Spoorpark serves as a generous green buffer between the railway and the buildings. This elongated park expands towards the city center and gains the scale of a full-fledged city park. A new regional bike route runs from east to west, alleviating the busy bicycle traffic on the Amsterdamsestraatweg between the northern neighborhoods of Utrecht and Utrecht Central Station. The existing rugged nature that has flourished here over the years now forms the basis for the further development of the Spoorpark. Narrower, natural zones link strongly programmed areas, such as the sports zone in the former workshop building or a naturally purified swimming pond at the end of the plan. Utrecht gains a robust, industrially tinged city park.
People are looking for places with character and want to have a say in the appearance of their living environment. Additionally, the future is unpredictable, which calls for a new kind of urban planning—or rather, a return to the way cities originally developed. Cityplot does not start with a predetermined end product but with flexibility and individual development. The model does not exclude or include developments in advance but is open to initiatives presented when transformation begins. Various building forms and functions are possible from a ‘plot’ perspective, allowing for flexible and sustainable responses to current demands and creating a pleasant, diverse environment with its own identity.
Urban life in Cityplot is not confined to ground level but extends to elevated collective gardens and surrounding roofs. Public, semi-public, collective, and private spaces alternate on different levels, contributing to the creation of a circular city. Height differences are exploited to shape transitions. Property boundaries are not hard lines but are embraced as identity-defining elements of the plan. Walls and elevations contribute to exciting contrasts between open and closed spaces.
The main parks of Utrecht form a ring about 1.5 kilometers around the planning area. We see a unique opportunity to add a ‘letter’ to this existing alphabet of parks. In the easternmost point of the planning area, one of the most centrally located parks in the city can be developed. A cultural park, together with the new program, will be a high-quality addition to the city.
The green spaces offering is completed by the green pocket parks along a linear park running with the Daalsedijk. In the southern part, a rugged green railway zone has its own unique quality. Together with the squares, four entirely unique atmospheres are created where people can live and work.
How do you seamlessly integrate a concept like Cityplot with the specific character and environment of a former NS site? We do this by implementing the four urban atmospheres that collectively convey the unique identity of this area. These four atmospheres ensure complexity and layering of public spaces in Wisselspoor, making the area so alluring. The contrast between the urban park and intimate streets, courtyards, and inner squares. The robust character of the Spoorpark versus the soft, green edge around the 2nd Daalsedijk, which includes small ‘pocket parks’. All these contrasts add excitement and surprise to the area, creating a fitting atmosphere.
Architecture offices involved in the design: Studioninedots, Blauw, Zecc, Space Encounters, MEESVISSER, RHAW
Location: 2e Daalsedijk 14a, Utrecht, Netherlands
Design year: 2016
Year Completed: 2023
