Ceramique Avenue is the central axis of the recent extension along the river that Maastricht is carrying out in an industrial area close to the center of the city which had gradually fallen in disuse. Following the guidelines of the urban plan – that imposed stone plinths, ceramic enclosures and courtyards for public use – the 98 apartments are grouped in a square block that appears recessed with respect to the Bonnefanten Museum, located in the adjacent plot. The project attempts to escape the strict urban regulations by emphasizing on a front and reverse scheme; this is, exterior plain facades that adapt to the street alignments and creased inner walls that define the organic geometry of the atrium.

The vegetal heart comes upon the evenness of the street by means of three gorges where randomly set poplars serve as thresholds which hold up the exposure of the central void with a shadowing veil. The formal and open garden which fills the block courtyard – traditionally a private domain – is incorporated in this way to the urban sequence of public spaces providing alternative pedestrian paths midway between the busy city and the tree-lined promenades which run along the course of the Maas River...
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