![Mercado Groningen](https://az-media.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/awards/2024/06/12112119/Azure-2-Mercado-Groningen_photo-Sebastian-van-Damme-1600x900.jpg)
This dynamic multi-use building in Groningen, the Netherlands, is a central element in that city’s pedestrianization scheme. Its 41 apartments are arranged on a stepped and terraced volume above a large glass plinth. The ground floor, which is enclosed by six-metre-high windows, is dedicated to public spaces; by pushing stairs and elevators to the sides, the architects produced a flexible multi-purpose layout. The apartments above are distinguished by a vertical garden composed of 3,800 plants and a facade decorated with 1,400 square metres of green glazed terracotta whose hue subtly shifts according to the light. The five species of plants, which were selected for year-round greenery, reside in custom planters made to match the shade of the terracotta cladding and are maintained by a computerized watering system and a gardener.
![Mercado Groningen](https://az-media.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/awards/2024/06/12112127/Azure-4-Mercado-Groningen_photo-Sebastian-van-Damme.jpg)
Team: Henk Stadens (De Zwarte Hond) and Frank Loer (Loer Architecten) with Jurjen van der Meer and Bas Frieling (DZH); Jesús Macias, Tijs Niessen, Jan Loerakker and Rianne Vossen (LA)
A vertical garden and a green glazed terracotta facade characterize this striking Dutch apartment building.