Duivendaal
Greening and compacting a monumental park
Duivendaal
Monumental agricultural school
The site was purchased by the state in 1878 and was home to the State Agricultural College, today's WUR, for many years. Some seven buildings from that time have been granted monumental status. The buildings will be incorporated into the new urban development vision.
One park, two zones
Our urban planning vision distinguishes two zones: an extensive zone with monumental buildings and small-scale new buildings on the one hand, and an intensive zone with robust higher buildings on the other. The planning area will soon provide space for 240 new dwellings and 13 homes in the existing buildings. There will also be care units, student accommodation and a hospitality pavilion.
Greening by compacting
We make a seemingly paradoxical intervention: precisely by densifying, we add greenery to the existing area. We solve the parking problem underground. This creates a car-free and park-like residential area with lots of space for winding footpaths and two programmatic squares: the care square and the culture square. On top of the underground parking section, we provide a 70 cm deep soil layer for maximum above-ground vegetation.
Connecting to the city
We will pull the adjoining park into the new neighbourhood, enlarging the entire green space for the city to use. With an intricate system of paths, we ensure that residents and local residents can stroll around, but also easily connect to the city centre - a connection that is currently not sufficiently present.
Refinement and robustness
Towards the park there will be more pronounced buildings with plenty of room for variation, refinement and detail. Along the canal, we will place more powerful, sturdy buildings. More spacious blocks with height accents of up to seven storeys. These larger buildings are clustered along the western flank. Both within and between the clusters, we provide coherent variation in colour and materialisation.
