After almost three years of building, we've come to a successful ending: on 21 February the first car was parked in the new underground parking Garenmarkt in Leiden, The Netherlands. The car park was opened a few days earlier by councillor Fleur Spijker (responsible for sustainable urbanisation, public space and housing) and Jil Ligterink on behalf of the Dura Vermeer-BESIX consortium.
The new multi-storey car park contains 425 parking spaces, making a visit to Leiden’s inner city even more attractive.
Fleur Spijker: “The Parkeergarage Garenmarkt is a wonderful example of technical architecture and a nice place to start a visit to Leiden. Now that the cars are underground, there’s space for a lovely green city square. I am thrilled about that”.
Jil Ligterink: “I’m extremely proud of the team and all the partners with whom we have built this multi-storey car park. Building in an inner city environment with a construction pit a good 16 metres deep and with historic buildings not far away, was a real challenge. Together with all the partners, we have delivered a high-quality car park in accordance with the planning.
Green city square
A green city square is to be put in place above the car park. At the moment, hard work is going on to restore the Garenmarktplein. The design of the square was drawn up together with the neighbourhood and it will be car-free. The square is expected to be completed in May and all the works will be finished by the summer.
Car park Garenmarkt
The underground parking Garenmarkt, some 16 metres in depth, was implemented by the Parkeergarages Leiden consortium of Dura Vermeer and BESIX. The 425 parking spaces are spread over five storeys.
In connection with the location of the car park in the heart of the inner city, the consortium paid great attention during the build to the design, the way in which the work was implemented and the involvement of local residents. The car park’s entrance and exit are both in Korevaarstraat and the pedestrian access will be on the edge of the square.
The design was created by Leiden-based architectural firm Studio VVKH. Important features of the oval design are road safety, light and transparency.