A former business park near the railway station in Zwolle is set to become a vibrant innovation district, featuring around 850 homes, educational institutions, workspaces for creative industries, catering, and neighbourhood facilities.
The district's centrepiece will be the transformed factory and warehouse of the Wartsila hall, with its characteristic undulating roof topped by a hovering timber apartment block.
The design by MVRDV will allow the Wartsila hall to host innovative startups, creative companies, and educational and research institutions. The project, named WartZ, covers a total area of 9.5ha and comprises three distinct areas designed by Orange Architects and MVRDV. The district aims to provide a counterpoint to the historic city centre of Zwolle, reinforced by the addition of a hovering wooden apartment block and a statue on the roof of the Wartsila hall.
“I consider WartZ as the daring sister of the historic city centre”, said Doeschka Bos, development manager at AM. “The mix of housing typologies, education, facilities, and functions ensures a strong social fabric and opportunities for everyone. Entrepreneurs, educational institutions, the Spoorzone Zwolle Innovation District Foundation and new Zwolle initiatives have all been involved in the planning process from the outset. We therefore ensure that the innovative ecosystem that was intended gets off the ground and comes to life immediately.”
WartZ is a sustainable innovation district located near Zwolle's station. Its mix of housing, education, facilities, and functions ensures a strong social fabric and opportunities for everyone.
The plan includes three mixed-use buildings and a green landscape designed by LOLA Architects, which returns parts of the public space to nature. The district prioritizes walkers, cyclists, and public transport users with slow-traffic routes, multi-functional parking hubs, and a Bicycle Innovation Centre.
WartZ aims to be a standard-bearer for sustainable "station zones" nationwide and will be realized in phases, starting in 2025.
Image provided by MVRDV. © AM, LOLA, MVRDV, Orange, Vivid Vision
