This design study anticipates the replacement of the railway viaduct in Delft by a tunnel. Thanks to the tunnel it will be possible to reorganize the ground level in the fault zone between the historic city centre and the 19th / 20th century districts. Through the subtle interaction between the underground infrastructure and the world above the street level, a reminder of the railway route will remain visible in the spatial structure and transform the fault zone into a connector of urban districts. The plan visualizes the way to accommodate a programme of 1.600 houses, 50,000 m2 office space, a new station and 1.8 ha business premises in this new framework of public spaces. The study was commissioned by the Delft Municipality and was carried out in conjunction with R. van Genderen.
The Amsterdam-Utrecht railway line has been modernised. The number of tracks has doubled to four and flyovers have replaced all level crossings. In particular the intersection with the small river Gein nearby the Abcoude station formed a bottleneck in this undertaking. We were commissioned by NS-Railinfrabeheer (currently Prorail) to study a solution that would preserve the railway line as a fully-fledged element of both the landscape around Abcoude and the village. This study excluded in advance the option of a railway tunnel, as the railway track belongs here. In our proposal, the crossing of the railway line and the river Gein took on the shape of a slender and elongated structure. The river passes effortlessly through this structure which, from a distance, conceals itself in the silhouette of Abcoude.
The masterplan shows a prospect for the entire Kanaalzone in Middelburg and has been developed in conjunction with the Bureau BVR with the municipality as the client.
The design transforms the canal through Middelburg into an urban space in the middle of the town. A space that due to its robust scenic scale is able to accommodate new urban programmes. The focal point of the plan is located in the station area. Four sturdy buildings, a new bus station and new public quays introduce rhythm and articulation into the elongated emptiness along the canal. The integration of quay structures, car parks and office buildings has resulted in great cohesion between the design of the public space and of the buildings.
The masterplan shows how an obsolete industrial estate and the railway yard in Roosendaal can be redeveloped. In the plan, the design of the urban structure goes hand in hand with the design of the future railway layout. This integration of urban design and railway engineering demonstrates that the existing barrier formed by the railway line can be taken down. As a result, the SpoorHaven area can be woven into the network of the town. This network of connections enables the development of a new urban area and a new station site. The study was commissioned by the municipality and BPF Bouwinvest and comprises over 1000 houses, a new station, a cinema, a civic building, a hotel, schools, offices and large-scale retail.
On the periphery of Ede hundreds of metres of fencing conceal large areas that are to become accessible in the near future.
The grounds of the former ENKA synthetic fibre factory are already under reconstruction, and four barracks complexes are abandoned by the MoD. This offers Ede a unique opportunity to capitalise on the potential of its location near the Veluwezoom national park. The Masterplan consists of a framework in which historico-cultural relics, landscape qualities and infrastructure have been fused into one coherent whole. This framework allows for the development of a number of different urban enclaves and a new railway station area.
Hilly terrain, interesting historico-cultural buildings and a programme and architectural atmosphere varying per location determine the spatial concept of more or less autonomous living/working areas within a topographical framework.
See also this website.
A fast bus service to Amsterdam Southeast runs along the banks of the River Spaarne in Haarlem. On approaching the river, this service is regularly delayed as the bridges are often open to let inland navigation vessels pass, and there is no bus lane. In conjunction with Grontmij we studied – within the contours of the current route – how to increase the reliability of the bus service in the vicinity of the Langebrug. The area covered by the study is situated on the edge of the historic city centre. In the context of this small-scale townscape, we meticulously studied the way to provide extra bus infrastructure in a spatially respectful way without affecting the integrity of the townscape and the coherence of routes. An equivalent analysis of both tunnel options and an improved bridge was carried out. In the end, we advised, for spatial and traffic-related technical reasons, to replace the existing Langebrug by a new bridge that would provide more space for the bus as well as pedestrian and bicycle traffic.