Van Campenvaart Playground

Landscape Architecture: Carve
Location: the Hague, Netherlands
Construction: 2010

This new playground is located on an existing lawn and shaped as a folded red blanket with a strong graphic character. By constructing creases between a ramp, several angles are created. The undefined possibilities of the field challenges the boundaries of both (partially)disabled and non-disabled children. Intersecting routes allow children with different abilities to meet and help each other. In the playing-field, different climbing grips and tactile elements have been added, as well as a moving rubber mat. Whisper tubes, a wide slide, a ‘concave’ revolving disc and a hammock create additional play elements

This entry was written by admin, posted on June 24, 2010 at 1:26 pm, filed under Playscapes and tagged Hague, Netherlands. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Melis Stokepark

Landscape Architects: Carve
Location: the Hague, Netherlands
Construction: 2010
Client: stadsdeel Escamp, gemeente Den Haag

The playground consists of an ascending ring that is both a curving route to the slide, as a two-sided climbable boundary. The vertical outer wall is made of strips of wood with perforations and round climbing holds. The ring encloses an inner area with blue undulating playing slopes and a sandpit. Several passages lead to and from this inner area and offer their own seating and playing possibilities. The privacy of this inner play area offers a secluded spot for children who have difficulties keeping up in the big open spaces. The wooden wall with horizontal climbing routes and steep slopes create playing possibilities that each child, depending on his own skills, can use in different ways. Inside, around and on the ring is wide space for challenging active games, repetitive movement games (turning, sliding, jumping and swinging), construction play (sand) and for fantasy games (tunnels, platforms, shelters).

This entry was written by admin, posted on June 22, 2010 at 1:26 pm, filed under Playscapes and tagged Hague, Netherlands. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Wikado - Recycled Playground

Playground design: 2012architecten
Recycled: windmill wings
Construction: 2008
Location: Netherlands
Photos: Allard van der Hoek, Jos de Krieger/2012Architecten
Check out: Wikado video

This entry was written by admin, posted on June 7, 2010 at 1:54 pm, filed under Playscapes, Post-Industrial and tagged Netherlands. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Afrikaanderplein

Landscape Architecture: OKRA
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Design: 1999 – 2002
Construction: 2003-2005
Costs : € 8,1 milj. (incl. VAT)
Photos: Ben ter Mull
Text: Okra

Central to the master plan are the public function, accessibility and park usage. The Afrikaanderplein is characterized on the one hand by greenery - the park - and on the other by the diversity of cultures in the neighbourhood that meet here. It is the basis for the functional approach of the park; a free central area surrounded by a framework of specific functions that require a specific layout, such as the market, playground and aviary. Three sides of this zone are intensely used. One side is quiet, the green oasis, where the botanical gardens and mosque are located. A water feature with a single bridge ensures that this area stays quiet.

The parkland is the most open and green area. A raised wedge bisects the parkland. On the edge of the wedge is the stage, which is surrounded by diagonal lines, which criss-cross one another. The orbital path of nature stone forms a transitional area to the specific functions in the outer skin. The outer skin, with a roof of plane trees, forms the transition to the city life in the streets surrounding the Afrikaanderplein. The inner part of the park is surrounded by a park fence, which delineates the core of the park and ensures safety, sustainability and quality of use. During the day huge parts of the special designed fence are opened over 30 meter to make the park very accessible.

This entry was written by admin, posted on May 13, 2010 at 6:03 pm, filed under Parks and tagged Netherlands, Rotterdam. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Domplein, Utrecht

Project: Domplein / Utrecht
Landscape Architecture: Okra
Client: Stichting Domplein 2013
Area: Length of castellum wall 160 m1
Costs: Euro 800.000,- exclusive VAT
Realization: End 2010
Photografer: Ben ter Mull

The heart of the city of Utrecht is built on top of a castellum. The potential of the Domplein is to revitalize the significance of the origin of the city. The Castellum wall, at 4 metres underground, acquires a reference in the street and on the square. The dramatic potential of the Domplein is intensified with a clearly recognisable and mysterious dividing line. The marking is just as silent as the quiet archaeological witness underground. The line of light is only interrupted at the Castellum gates. Fragments of smoke come out of the gutter in the metal plates and reveal the presence of the ray of light. The line is even more visible during rain or mist and after darkness has set in.

This entry was written by admin, posted on May 5, 2010 at 4:34 pm, filed under Details, Exstalations, Outdoor furniture and tagged Netherlands, Utrecht. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

The Nieuwe Ooster

Landscape Architecture: KARRES en BRANDS
Client: The Nieuwe Ooster cemetery, garden of remembrance for crematorium
Location: Watergraafsmeer, Amsterdam
Area: cemetery total 33 hectares, garden of remembrance 1 hectare
Budget: € 1,600,000
Design: 2004
Construction: 2005 - 2007
Team: Sylvia Karres, Bart Brands, Lieneke van Campen, Joost de Natris, James Melsom, Alejandro Noe, Marc Springer, Jim Navarro, Julien Merle, Pierre-Alexandre Marchevet
Specifications and direction: Rod’or Technical Advice Bureau
Construction by: Van der Toll
Charon design: Maria van Kesteren

Cemeteries have always been, and still are, reflections of society: they provide an image of the relationship between the collective and the individual, the social relations of the time, the overall natural scene, the funerary culture and developments in the field of design and landscape architecture.

Karres and Brands created a design for the garden of remembrance of the Nieuwe Ooster cemetery in Amsterdam, the largest cemetery (in terms of numbers of graves) in the Netherlands. The Nieuwe Ooster was laid out in three phases: in 1889, 1915 and 1928. The first and second phases were designed by Leonard Springer. These sections have a clear spatial quality all of their own, but the third phase does not share this quality. It bears a resemblance to the style of Springer, but is not the same. Adaptations and expansions have left it devoid of structure and identity. The garden of remembrance lies within this phase.

Instead of spatially linking the three zones, we found it necessary to give each area its own separate identity. By increasing the contrasts, a clear triple division of the cemetery is brought about, so that the qualities of each individual zone are brought into relief. A new identity has been created for the third phase. A robust but simple intervention was called for here. The basis is a zone with parallel strips of varying widths, each with its own design principle. Within this unambiguous structure, choices are made possible for individual wishes. Some of the strips include hedges that divide the zone into spatial compartments. The existing graveyards and the garden of remembrance are incorporated into the zone like rooms with green edges. Birch trees are loosely spread throughout the zone as a whole. An elongated pond and an urn wall form spatial accents, and a special destination for cremation ashes.

This entry was written by admin, posted on January 30, 2010 at 12:06 am, filed under Cemeteries / Memorials and tagged Amsterdam, Netherlands. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Pond in Hageveld Estate

Landscape Architecture: Bureau Alle Hosper, NL
Project: Ontwerp vijver
Location: Landgoed Hageveld, Heemstede, NL
Area: 730 m²
Design period: 2002-2005

Construction: 2007
Photo credits: Pieter Kers

Hageveld estate has been reprogrammed into a residential building and according to characteristics of modern living, a garage took place on the estate. The only possible location was directly in front of the building which is a bit inappropriate in a sense of spatial relation to the old building and cultural heritage preservation objectives.  Landscape Architects designed the roof of garage to be a water pond and elegantly solved the problem.

This entry was written by admin, posted on July 15, 2009 at 9:28 pm, filed under Gardens, Green roofs & walls, Parks, Squares and tagged Heemstede, Netherlands, Water. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Van Heekplein Market Square

Landscape Architecture: Okra

Client: city council Enschede

Period: 1999 - 2004

Designer’s description:
Van Heekplein is a key project in the transformation Enschede’s city centre, a redevelopment with new commercial and office buildings, rerouting of traffic and an underground car park. The new market square creates a flexible space that emphasizes the constantly changing dynamic of use.

Contrasts en dynamics
Series of elements can be added or taken away, turned on or off, or moved from one position to another. On market days the square is bustling and full of the vibrancy of a regional market. On quieter days the moveable seating and wind triggered mist fountain create a completely different atmosphere. Living in the city these contrasts and dynamics make this into a space which people really want to visit.

This entry was written by admin, posted on July 14, 2009 at 8:21 pm, filed under Parks, Squares and tagged Market, Netherlands, Square. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lace Fence

Designer: Demakersvan / Rotterdam / Netherlands

material: metal fabric, coated steel wire.
photo: Bas Helbers

This entry was written by admin, posted on July 12, 2009 at 12:15 pm, filed under Details, Outdoor furniture, Parks and tagged Fence, Netherlands, Rotterdam. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.