Tender Gouda Awarded: Building Plot 15

26-12-2025

Together with Radix & Veerman from Woerden and LOF Landschapsarchitecten, Kokon Architecture & Urbanism has won the tender for building plot B15 in Gouda. The plan consists of two distinctive residential buildings with a total of 30 apartments, located on Eiland II in the Westergouwe district.

The competition was intense and stood out because the Municipality of Gouda explicitly chose quality over price. A refreshing approach in a time when spreadsheets often dominate decision-making. Compliments to Gouda for this clear ambition.

In the design, we deliberately reintroduced beauty as an explicit design criterion. We are not alone in this; it reflects a broader movement in which architecture once again becomes more than efficiency alone. For this competition, we closely studied Gouda’s City Hall along the principles of the Golden Ratio. The results were surprising — as if we were briefly seeing the building through the eyes of its original master builder. A working method we intend to apply more often. The Goudse roof, frequently used in our work, with a slope of 58 degrees, has also been incorporated once again.

The ensemble addresses the neighbourhood with a more traditional façade, fitting the residential context, while the water side adopts a contemporary architectural expression. The landscape design reinforces this dual orientation and plays a key role in enhancing the experience of the water from within the neighbourhood.

This creates a carefully balanced transition — a true shake hands — between the modernist ideas of Willem van Tijen (Kokon) and the more traditional urban design principles of Marinus Granpré Molière, as applied by KuiperCompagnons, urban designers of Westergouwe.

More info about the project coming soon.