Study for the area surrounding a former Stadium

Since 1936, Zuiderpark in The Hague meets the recreational needs of many inhabitants of The Hague and its suburbs. Many colourful, large-scale events take place in the park every year, for example Parkpop, the biggest popfestival in the Netherlands. The Zuiderpark constitutes the heart of the city, especially for sports fans. Architects ZJA drew up the plan for the future of this area, since the stadium of footballclub ADO Den Haag will be relocated.

The Zuiderpark offers promenade walks, sunbathing areas and ponds, there is a huge variety of facilities, such as a football stadium, a swimming pool and bowling centre, sports fields, athletics tracks, school and children’s gardens, botanical gardens, a deer park, a children’s farm, riding stables, a rose garden and a miniature steam train.

The park is laid out in English country style. The current football stadium will lose its function and disappear from Zuiderpark. This involves a complete rearrangement of the sports cluster, as well as the construction of a multi-purpose sports hall. Apart from accommodations for amateur sports clubs, this hall will also include a complex of facility halls, attuned to the specific wishes and needs of the multicultural population of the surrounding neighbourhoods. In the urban development planning, the multi-purpose sports hall will form a unity with the existing swimming pool and multifunctional complex. The sports fields will be rearranged and possibly expanded with an added base- and softball field.

In order to improve the integration of the use of the park and the sports cluster, a multifunctional square will take the place of the former stadium. This square is the link between the sports cluster and the rest of the park, and is especially suitable as an accommodation for larger events. This way, the natural heart of the park is no longer burdened with these activities. New parking facilities will be built underneath and partly adjacent to the new sports hall, resolving the inconvenience of parked cars in the park.

As a part of the urban development plan, the area along Moerweg, from Veluweplein to Melis Stokelaan will obtain new functions. Along Moerweg, a series of slender, tower blocks will be built within the green area, forming a unity with the existing architecture in the park. The expansion of the residential function will increase the social control of the park. Opposite Veluweplein a higher tower block will be built, marking one of the main entrances of the park. A ‘swamp-like’ water garden is laid out between the residential buildings and the sports cluster. This area is intended for recreation and water storage. Thus, the adjoining sports fields remain drier and trees will benefit from a lower level of underground water. The car parks for the houses will be constructed underneath the tower blocks; therefore, they do not affect the peacefulness of the park.

These proposals complete the revitalisation of the park and broaden the functionality and the attraction of the entire area; not just for the inhabitants of the immediate vicinity, but for the city of The Hague as a whole. The characteristic style of Zuiderpark is preserved, its diversity is expanded.