The new borough named Achter ’t Holthuis stands on the sport fields east of the village of Twello. The new intervention knits together two existing estates into one big ensemble of forests, fields and lanes. Property borders disappear in this new setting and the landscape becomes more continuous. The motor club, the scout center, the table tennis club, the dove club and a center for mentally disabled people remain on the site. All of the existing trees and shrubs have been integrated in the new design.
The development of this part of the larger Twello area borders the Fliert river valley. Step by step the development plan for Achter ’t Holthuis also became a redevelopment scheme for the river valley. We made plans to transform the interstitial farmland into an area for nature and recreation. Paths were drawn leading from the heart of the village, through the new landscape, all the way to the valley. The area became public space for the inhabitants of the entire village. The east side of the neighborhood, the long straight road, will therefore be transformed into a more subtle valley edge which will include some housing.
The hydrology of the area is complex and closely linked to the quality of the landscape. Water from roads and roofs runs into the fields. It infiltrates into the ground, maintaining a humid environment for amphibians among which are some highly protected species.
The individually constructed houses are located on sites in the forests. The forests are planted and cared for by the community. Hedges form a seamless boundary around the housing sites which are cut off from the street by ditches. In order to work on the development of the forest ambiance we made a forest garden booklet, informing the owners about native plants. The plants are for sale in the daycare. Interested owners can visit the forest gardens that have been created at this institute for the handicapped. To stimulate them to make a visit to the institute the newcomers get one tree for free from the plant collections for sale there.
The owners have only two serious architectural rules to follow in the design of their houses: houses on corners must be designed by an architect and all houses must have bricks that are darker than the bricks of the church. Architectural style is free. It is extremely interesting that despite this relative freedom that the first seven houses look alike!
For the design of the three apartment blocks sited on strategic locations competitions have been held for developers and architects.
