Buurt | Back at Schilderswijk, The Hague, The Netherlands

In the 80s, after visiting the Schilderswijk neighbourhood and listening to the inhabitants’ wishes – together with a team of local architects, social workers and translators - Álvaro Siza designed the first construction phase, in the district’s south area: the Punt Komma blocks, carried out between 1986 and 1989. On that area, Siza has recreated the morphology of the historic city blocks, using its dominant cladding - brick - and recreating a traditional space of access to the buildings from the street - the Haagse Portiek. This portico allowed him, through a wide exterior staircase, to have access to a common landing for the new apartments’ entrances.