Residence 'The Green' Nieuwpoort: Radiant White Pearl on the Coast

Nieuwpoort, and by extension the entire Belgian coastline, has gained an architectural pearl with residence ‘The Green’. The building was designed by Arcas Architects on behalf of Christiaens Projects and the construction was erected by Christiaens bouwbedrijf. Enjoy Concrete was responsible for the prefab elements in architectural concrete. Most of these elements are bright white, due to the application of Aalborg White Cement.

Example of sustainability and integration

In many ways, The Green is unique for Nieuwpoort, because of its prime location, its sustainable and distinctly green character and its trendy architectural style. Thanks to its horizontal lines, the building radiates a peaceful holiday feeling and could be perfectly integrated into its surroundings.

At The Green, nature is given full play. The greenery on the terraces, which can even support trees, the greenery on the roof and in the large inner garden create a living environment of exceptional quality, where tranquillity and a sense of space prevail. Only sustainable materials were used. The energy performance is also outstanding, with an excellent S31/E40 rating. 

Contemporary architecture with fresh look

The Green is characterised by a playful, horizontal structure with receding volumes, roof gardens and exposed corners. It is characterised by horizontal lines with elements in white concrete contrasting with dark concrete walls. The strikingly fresh and white appearance of the building was achieved by working with Aalborg White Cement during concrete production. A Norwegian glacier aggregate was added to the concrete, providing a subtle extra sparkle. 

The calming appearance of the building is further enhanced through thoughtful, consistent use of materials and a uniform colour palette. The Green exudes solidity, calm and simplicity thanks to a consistent use of materials and uniform colour palette. The prefabricated architectural white façade elements with marble aggregates, anthracite aluminium exterior joinery and glass balustrades define the characterful appearance.

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Concrete terraces with exceptional load-bearing capacity

Maarten Durnez, sales engineer at Enjoy Concrete: ‘Not only aesthetically but also structurally, the production of the concrete elements presented us with the necessary challenges. For instance, the spacious terraces are designed to support trees and tall plants. Here, the advantage of architectural concrete makes itself clearly felt as a strong structural material with distinct aesthetic appeal.

Through judicious application of BIM during the design and production process of the façade emplacements, we even managed to shorten the originally planned construction period by as much as 8 months. 

For several reasons, this was an important assignment for us. After all, it was a major project in our own region and with a very sustainable approach. It was also our biggest project ever. Let me clarify this with a few figures: for this project, we made a total of 1,397 elements, representing almost 1,300 m3 of concrete. The bearing capacity of the terraces together is more than 1,500 tonnes, and in certain places we included 1,000kg/m2 of overburden to support a sizeable tree’.

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With this project, Aalborg White is once again making a strong contribution to timeless contemporary architecture. Their white cement gives the concrete a strongly individual and aesthetically unsurpassed character.