New CIRcular and COllective housing is coming to Nieuwegein! With hybrid timber construction, reused brick, green façades, roof gardens and integrated solar panels, Circo integrates nature, climate adaptation and collective living into everyday urban life.
Together with Heutink Groep, DS Landschapsarchitecten, DGMR & Pieters bouwtechniek, Circo has won the tender for City Block C1 in Nieuwegein. Located along the Spoorstede—the district’s main east–west axis—and directly adjacent to a large park, the U-shaped form deliberately opens towards this green heart, ensuring optimal daylight, views and a strong connection between living spaces and landscape. Acting as a transition between the urban scale of the Spoorstede and the finer-grained residential areas of Borgstede and Hagestede, the building is carefully tuned in height, materiality and façade articulation to integrate seamlessly into its surroundings.
The architecture draws inspiration from the fine-grain structure of Nieuwegein’s historic village centre, reinterpreted with the density and urban presence of the contemporary city. Robust, individually legible volumes break down the overall mass and create a lively, human-scaled streetscape. Warm, earthy materials provide tactility and depth, while fresh pink accents add character, recognisability and a distinct contemporary identity. Galleries, loggias and roof gardens form a clear architectural framework that allows flexible use over time, echoing the structuralist legacy of Nieuwegein in a contemporary way.
Circo comprises 92 dwellings ranging from studios to family apartments, maisonettes and penthouses, spanning social, mid-market and free-sector housing. All homes are designed to be flexible and Wmo-compliant, supporting lifelong living and adaptability to changing needs. The stepped massing—rising to 36 metres on the north side and descending towards the south—improves wind comfort and guarantees sunlight in the green courtyard.
A fully planted inner courtyard with mature trees rooted in open ground forms the social and ecological heart of the project, contributing to cooling, shade and biodiversity. Green façades, planted roofs and roof gardens—combined with vertical, bifacial solar panels—transform Circo into a layered urban landscape. Up to 60% of the plot is greened, integrating nature, climate adaptation and wellbeing into everyday urban living.
The name Circo refers to CIRcular and COllective. The building is largely constructed in a ten-storey hybrid timber structure, with biobased façades and more than 70% reused brick in the plinth. Elevated walkways connect the ends of the U-shaped building, forming a continuous circular route through the project. Along the park-facing side, this route widens into collective balconies, while the communal kitchen and roof gardens are directly connected to the circulation loop. Together, these spaces encourage movement, encounter and shared use, reinforcing Circo as a future-proof residential building at the heart of Nieuwegein.
