In Deventer’s Havenkwartier, where old harbor DNA and creativity come together, stands the sturdy residential building STAAL. Inspired by harbor installations full of steel and pipes, Buro Duck designed an industrial “living machine” with 42 apartments, offices, studios, a car garage and an automatic parking system. The most prominent space on the first floor is filled by the workshop of car garage Bella Macchina, one of the pioneers in this location that established itself in the Havenkwartier.

The building has a central clear entrance for all apartments, from which everyone can fan out across the floors. The facades are clad with visibly attached flat and expanded metal sheets, which reinforce the raw harbor character. Two steel frames adorn the top of the building, a nod to harbor cranes of yesteryear.

All traffic and outdoor spaces are located outside the buildings and connected by a network of steel galleries and landings. This access structure uses lightweight micro-concrete floor elements on steel and was linked to a central, freestanding stairwell. The structure required complex logistical planning, especially during the completion phase when not all the galleries were in place.