Following the closure of the coal mines in South Limburg in the 1960s, Heerlen has been a city in search of a new identity. Mecanoo took on the commission to design two tall apartment towers at the city’s main square, providing Heerlen with a contemporary emblem.
The city’s new icon takes its name from the chimneys of the state mines that once dominated the skyline: Lange Jan and Lange Lies (Tall John and Tall Liz). The loss of these mines has been incorporated in the design of the apartment towers.
The tall couple seems to be dancing a spirited paso doble, forming a shape that is reminiscent of a cooling tower. Where both towers touch, the lift shaft switches from one tower to the other. This forms the basis for a lucid and logical floorplan layout.
There are two types of apartments, which can be made larger or smaller by shifting the floor plan in relation to the lift shaft. Lange Lies is a hundred and eight metres tall with thirty-one storeys, and Lange Jan is ninety metres tall with twenty-five storeys.