Horizontal sculpture
In the Bewegingshuis, the proverbial solidity of a house coincides with energetic exercise. The building, which takes its name from the ‘movement house’ or sports and health complex it incorporates, is in the middle of the new Stadshagen estate in Zwolle. A plinth of business spaces form the base of the building. Above it are various dwelling types and the 1,700 m2 sports complex, which includes a sports hall, fitness rooms and gyms. The apartments are intended for elderly residents. Storage spaces for residents are sited in the courtyard. Car parking is available in the grounds under a green roof, which also functions as a collective garden.
The sports complex dominates the facade of the project. An upward sweep of the massive brickwork volume gives the bottom layer in the northeast corner a transparent character. It is here that the sports centre and the business spaces make contact with the surrounding neighbourhood. The cantilevered volume of the sports hall projects by ten metres, floating above the public space. This strongly horizontal gesture accentuates the adjacent plaza. The northwest corner rises as a ten-storey residential tower block, which acts as a counterweight to the massive cantilever.