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Three facades, one identity

A residential building answering its urban setting

With Prisma, a residential building has been created in the new Nieuw Delft neighbourhood that responds to three distinct spatial situations. Instead of a uniform building envelope, the structure develops three independent facades – towards the canal, the square and the garden. Each side relates to its own context and mediates between public and private space.

Despite this differentiation, the building remains legible as one coherent architectural entity.

Unity through material

lthough the three facades differ considerably, Prisma remains readable as a single building. The decisive factor is the consistent use of the same facade material across every side of the building.

The project shows how material can become the unifying design element: different facade characters arise not from changing materials, but from applying one material in different ways.

  • Former railway viaduct in Delft with a train, before the line was rerouted into a tunnel

    Part of the transformation of Nieuw Delft
    When the railway line was rerouted into a tunnel, space was created for a new neighbourhood in the centre of Delft. Nieuw Delft reconnects previously separated parts of the city and provides housing, public amenities and new open spaces.
    Photo: © Steven Lek über Wikimedia

  • Aerial view of the Nieuw Delft neighbourhood with the Prisma residential building under construction

    A connecting building block
    Prisma forms part of the comprehensive Nieuw Delft urban development. On the land that became available, a varied neighbourhood of housing, culture and public open space has emerged. Within it, Prisma plays an important role as a connecting element between differing urban situations.
    The pentagonal footprint spans canal, square and garden – hence the name Prisma.
    Photo: © OPEN architects + planners,
    Amsterdam, NL

  • Exterior wall system structure with the StoTherm Vario facade insulation system and prefabricated StoEcoshape render elements

    Identity without uniformity
    Prisma is an important building block in this development. It responds to the differing urban spaces and shows how architecture can create identity without giving up variety.
    Photo: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL

  • Detail of a window reveal at the Prisma residential building with insulation, reinforcement and Sto render elements

    From structure to surface
    The shell is built from calcium silicate brick walls and solid concrete slabs. These are followed by the insulation layer, a layer of mortar-reinforced fabric and, as the outer layer, the prefabricated StoEcoshape render elements.

  • Detail of the stepped building corner of Prisma with pale Sto render elements

    Design freedom down to the detail
    The prefabricated StoEcoshape render elements were manufactured specifically for the project and could be adapted precisely to the unusual pentagonal volume. Cutting, shortening and adjusting allow for accurate junctions, continuous surfaces and a consistent treatment of reveals, lintels and parapets.
    Even complex facade geometries can be developed architecturally without a rigid grid.
    Photo: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL

  • Freedom for complex geometries
    The pentagonal floor plan places particular demands on the design and installation of the building envelope. The result is precise detailing, clean junctions and a continuous materiality, even at demanding transitions and edges.
    Photo: © Sebastian van Damme, Rotterdam, NL

  • Installation of the prefabricated Sto render elements on the facade insulation system at the Prisma residential building

    Design meets building performance
    The building envelope combines architectural ambition with high building-physics performance. With the StoTherm Vario facade insulation system, the facade build-up achieves a U value of around 0.213 W/m²K. The concept is complemented by a heat pump, photovoltaics, ventilation with heat recovery and a heat and cold storage system.
    Key figures
    The building achieves an MPG value of 0.55 and the Dutch energy standard A+++. The project shows that demanding design and high sustainability standards need not be at odds.
    Photo: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL

  • Installation of the prefabricated Sto render elements on the facade of the Prisma residential building

    “The material is so flexible that it can be adapted to the situation […]. You cut it, shorten it, fold it – and that allows you to detail extremely well.”
    Joost Mulders, OPEN architects + planners
    Photo: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL

Collage of cover and inside pages of the [ark] case study on the Prisma residential building in Delft

Get your free Case Study now!

19 valuable project [insights] pages about the development of this residential building with its three facades! Find out everything – from design to construction, to comprehensive detailed solutions.

Three facades for three urban spaces

Each side of the building takes on its own urban role. The canal facade appears open and urban, with generous glazing and deep loggias. Towards the square, the building picks up the scale of the neighbouring townhouses and creates an appropriate transition between public space and residential quarter. The garden facade is calmer and more private, with reduced building height and smaller openings.
The result is architecture that takes its cue from each place rather than levelling it out.

  • Canal facade of the Prisma residential building in Delft with pale render elements and deep loggias

    Canal
    Towards the Nieuwe Gracht, Prisma appears open and urban – bay windows and recessed loggias sit between the horizontal bands. Photo: © Sebastian van Damme, Rotterdam, NL

  • Square facade of the Prisma residential building in Delft with full-height double-leaf French doors

    Square
    Towards the square, the building picks up the scale of the neighbouring houses and mediates towards the quieter residential quarter. Photo: © Sebastian van Damme, Rotterdam, NL

  • Garden facade of the Prisma residential building with loggias and copper-coloured balustrades

    Garden
    Towards the garden, the building becomes calmer and more private – stepping back from seven storeys to three. Photo: © Sebastian van Damme, Rotterdam, NL

  • Facade detail of the Prisma residential building with bands of render elements and copper-coloured window frames

    Two materials, one image
    All window profiles, parapets and window sills are finished in the same shade of copper. Only two materials therefore define the facade – the pale render and the copper. Photo: © Sebastian van Damme, Rotterdam, NL

“Each facade has a different orientation and therefore a different expression as well. But we used one main material to bring it all together, so that it remains one building.”
Joost Mulders, OPEN architects + planners

Clinker reinterpreted

The facade draws on the clinker tradition of Delft without copying it. Instead of conventional bricks, the prefabricated mineral StoEcoshape render elements in a 58 × 3 cm format are used. Pale colours, broad joints and alternating laying directions give the building envelope a precise, contemporary appearance.
The result is architecture that quotes its surroundings while developing a materiality of its own.

  • Depth through shadow

    Close-up of the facade of prefabricated StoEcoshape render elements at the Prisma residential building in Delft
    Photo: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL
  • Sample area of StoEcoshape render elements with the natural stone slab that served as the colour reference
    Reference and result side by side: the natural stone set the colour that the render elements take up. StoEcoshape, colour shade S9.12283. Photo: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL
    Loggias and horizontal facade bands at the Prisma residential building in Delft
    The emphasised floor slab edges give the building a clear horizontal orientation. Photo: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL
  • Visualisation of the canal facade of the Prisma residential building with pale render elements and copper-coloured window framesVisualisation: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL
    Photo: © OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL

Construction sign

Country
Netherlands
City
Delft
Year Completed
2025
Architect
OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL
Owner
VanValentijn, Amsterdam, NL
Applicator
’t Huis B.V., Zierikzee, NL
Products
Facade insulation system (StoTherm Vario), prefabricated render elements (StoEcoshape)
Photos
Sebastian van Damme, Rotterdam, NL; Dirk Verwoerd, Amersfoort, NL; OPEN architects + planners, Amsterdam, NL

Get your free Case Study now!

19 valuable project [insights] pages about the development of this residential building with its three facades! Find out everything – from design to construction, to comprehensive detailed solutions.

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