3,000 Delft Blue tiles are forming gates at PoortMeesters

PoortMeesters has 59 town houses and 55 flats, developed by BPD and Ballast Nedam Development, based on a design by Vera Yanovshtchinsky Architects. The flats are situated around the courtyard garden, on top of a car park with a buffer for rainwater collection.

The Delft Blue tiles which were used for the gates are about 40 by 30 centimetres in size and each is unique. Together, they form a work of art assembled like a giant puzzle. All the ceramic tiles were 3D printed by Studio RAP and glazed by Koninklijke Tichelaar. A digital algorithm was used in the design.

A building with a story

'It is important for a building to have a story,' says Onno Dwars, ceo of Ballast Nedam Development. 'I studied and lived in Delft myself. I loved and still love walking through the old town and seeing how each building has its own identity. This is something we can also achieve now.'

The residential building is part of urban development Nieuw Delft. Alderman Frank van Vliet is thrilled: "The gates give the building a real Delfish character. And with the climate-neutral inner garden, PoortMeesters is proof that it is possible to create green, beautiful and climate-adaptive buildings in the city."

Green living environment

PoortMeesters has a green, climate-adaptive roof garden and the largest water-neutral roof in the Netherlands. The entire plan is energy-neutral. No fossil fuel is used for heating, hot tap water, cooling and ventilation. PVT panels provide electricity for the houses, as well as for the electricity supply.