Monnikhof
GroningenS333 Architecture + ArchitectureIn 1994, S333 won the Europan 3 competition for the so-called Circus site to the north of Groningen city centre. The office was then commissioned to design a master plan for the entire Circus, Boden and Gasfabriek site. The city of Groningen wanted ‘openness’ for this 14-hectare CiBoGa site through a balance between development and landscape. An urban design with routes and sight lines was already on the table and stipulated a car-free zone. In order to meet these preconditions, S333 introduced the so-called schotsen concept, which defined a schots as a compact building framing a semi-public space. The plan consists of a total of 13 schotsen that form a transitional zone between the city centre and the 19th-century suburbs. The site was badly contaminated by the gas factory and required such deep excavation that it can now accommodate underground car parking…