Metiushof: A Green Space Blending Seamlessly Into Community Life

Metiushof is a landscaped courtyard at the heart of Kade Noord, a residential urban block in the Noorderhaven district of Zutphen, the Netherlands. Designed by KCAP, the courtyard reimagines the characteristic landscape of the IJssel River floodplains as an intimate, shared green space — built entirely on top of an underground parking garage. Private terraces blend seamlessly into collective gardens, creating an informal outdoor living room that fosters everyday interaction and community life.

Project Highlights

The bigger picture: Kade Noord in the Masterplan

Designed within KCAP’s urban plan for Noorderhaven, Kade Noord is a key component of the wider area development. The masterplan guides the transformation of the former De Mars industrial area into a high-quality, mixed-use urban district along the IJssel riverfront. Within this plan, the residential block Kade Noord was designed by KCAP and Zecc Architecten, commissioned by developer Heijmans Vastgoed. The ensemble comprises 134 dwellings, including 116 apartments and 18 single-family homes, along with commercial space and a half-sunken parking garage. KCAP designed the corner block with 53 apartments, the underground parking, and the Metiushof courtyard landscape.

A courtyard inspired by Zutphen’s landscape

The design of Metiushof is rooted in Zutphen’s distinctive landscape. The IJssel River, the dike, the floodplains, the fortifications, and the hawthorn hedges are elements that define the identity of the area while serving as direct inspiration for the design. A raised ‘infinite dyke’ in the shape of a fortification runs through the garden, defining the spatial organisation of the courtyard. This elevated landform serves a dual purpose: it creates a clear yet gentle distinction between private and collective zones, while also providing sufficient soil depth to support mature trees and diverse planting on top of the parking structure below.

“Inspired by the local landscape, the ‘infinite dyke’ structures the courtyard as a cohesive space for collective use.” – Pieter Theuws, Landscape Architect

An outdoor living room, designed for togetherness

Metiushof is conceived as an outdoor extension of the home, a place where the boundary between private and shared is deliberately soft. Private terraces open onto and blend into larger collective green spaces, creating a gradient from intimacy to community. Three lawns accommodate a wide range of uses: an informal game of football, a summer picnic, a neighbourhood movie night, or even ice skating in winter. The central plaza occupies the sunniest spot in the courtyard and functions as a natural meeting point for gatherings and barbecues. Rather than an ornamental garden to be admired from a distance, Metiushof is designed as a living landscape that invites active, everyday use.

Integrating climate resilience and biodiversity into the design

Beyond its social qualities, Metiushof is designed to foster climate resilience, support biodiversity, and improve the courtyard’s microclimate. A water retention layer on top of the parking garage temporarily holds rainwater and redistributes it to irrigate planting during dry periods. Mature trees, planted along the elevated dyke, provide shade and natural cooling on hot summer days, improving comfort throughout the courtyard.

The planting palette draws directly from the local ecology. Flower- and herb-rich grassland and a diversity of native tree species bring a piece of the IJssel floodplains into the courtyard. Hawthorn hedges, a reference to Zutphen’s traditional woven hedges or ‘vlechtheggen’, appear throughout the garden, connecting the design to a distinctive local custom. To celebrate this tradition, the hawthorn motif is also applied as a pattern in the steel entrance gates to the courtyard.

Project Photography

Project Drawings

Project Details

Location: Zutphen, the Netherlands

Client: Heijmans Vastgoed

KCAP: Urban Design, Architecture (corner block, 53 apartments) & Landscape Architecture

Collaborators

Architecture: Zecc Architecten

Landscape Contractor: Koninklijke Ginkel Groep

Total Area: 21,000 m²

Programme: 4,000 m² landscaped courtyard within a 21,000 m² residential block (134 dwellings, 250 m² commercial, 5,000 m² underground parking)

Construction: 2017 - 2021

Photography: Aiste Rakauskaite

About KCAP

KCAP is a leading international design practice specializing in architecture, urbanism, and landscape architecture. Founded in 1989 by Kees Christiaanse, the firm is today led by seven partners — Xavier Blaringhem, Jeroen Dirckx, Ruurd Gietema, Anouk Kuitenbrouwer, Irma van Oort, Ute Schneider, and Edward Schuurmans. From its offices in Rotterdam, Zurich, and Paris, KCAP’s team of over 100 international professionals works on a diverse portfolio of projects across Europe and Asia, shaping sustainable, human-centered environments at every scale.

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