Highnote is defined by its triangular base, which contains a series of gardens. These communal and flexible green spaces are designed for meeting, working, relaxing or studying in a natural setting. The colonnade serves as a connecting element throughout, linking the spaces together. The green spaces consist of three gardens, where semi-paving and concrete are applied in various ways, giving each garden its own character and function. Each garden offers a distinct experience, categorized into public, semi-public, and collective spaces aligned with the program taking place in the building. The gardens are designed to be as green as possible, with a planting scheme including an herb layer, shrub layer, and trees planted both in open soil and integrated into the rooftop landscape. In this way diverse habitats are created which are an important layer in the plan to boost biodiversity within the city of Almere.
At ground level, the areas known as the Hof and the Werf connect directly to the public space. Both are publicly accessible and function as collective garden façades. The Hof is a lush “jungle” with floating pathways and a sitting element in the heart of the garden. This sunken garden offers a cool, shaded environment and, together with a large rainwater retention basin (wadi), creates a dynamic habitat with both dry and wet conditions. A robust mix of adaptive vegetation boosts local biodiversity and supports a variety of birds, insects, and small animals.
The Werf is a plaza-like extension of Highnote’s workspaces and studios. Large doors can be opened to blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Characterized by mature trees planted in open soil and climbing plants that define the space and provide shade, the Werf serves as a natural continuation of the interior. A continuous colonnade wraps around the triangular base of the tower and is adorned with green façades of flowering and evergreen climbing plants rooted in the ground.
On the first floor, a collective green roof. The Rooftop Garden offers residents an exclusive retreat. As the green heart of the building, it provides a quiet space for residents to meet, relax, play or exercise, sheltered from the urban hustle. Seating edges and open areas are surrounded by dense vegetation. The garden is equipped with deep soil layers, allowing shrubs and small trees to thrive.
In addition to enhancing biodiversity, the rooftop and façade gardens work in tandem with the outdoor rooms to collect rainwater and cool the surrounding environment, making Highnote a resilient and nature-inclusive part of the city.
Highnote Almere
Location: Almere, The Netherlands
Design: Flux landscape architecture
In collaboration with: Studioninedots (architecture)
Commissioned by: AM
Image and photography credits: Flux landscape architecture