On one of the most outstanding locations of the Netherlands, where the rare hills of the Veluwe touch the river Rhine by Arnhem, you’ll find the renewed 16th century estate Klingelbeek.
This derelict estate is being transformed into a 21st century estate where architecture and nature go hand in hand. The gently sloping landscape embraces three formal clusters, as cultivated islands in a shared, semi-public landscape.
The remains of the former estate were the starting point. Some wonderful big trees, an overgrown pond, an old wall between the domain and the outside world, the old and partly demolished villa-house and a former front wall of another building were the still remaining features that we cherished, along with the splendid view.
Another starting point in the Masterplan was to open up this estate to the neighborhood by creating a community that shares the landscape instead of completely privatizing it again.
In time the design of the domain changed according to the fashion of time.
Inspired by 17th century sketches of the layout of the domain we re-introduced a straight formal axis towards the villa that connects with the neighborhood – to the newly renewed public path outside the domain.
Two new white building blocks accompany the historic villa -one behind the one remaining wall- create a new formal square of this villa-cluster that was and again is the main focus point of the estate. The white facades, the materialization, planting and shapes give it a bit of an exotic touch – as the former owners a century ago loved as well. Views alongside the old villa are the sneak previews of the river landscape behind it.
On top of the straight formal axis highlighting the Villa another layer of paths meander over the domain in a contemporary landscape style, guided by lush flower borders, contrasting with the straight axis and connecting the other 2 building clusters and the landscape with each other.
These other 2 clusters refer to the features that were still in a way present: an allotment garden that used to be there for centuries and some beautiful big trees alongside the pond.
The allotment cluster is a red-painted brick cluster of 4 buildings enclosing the renewed shared allotment garden in the middle. A new small one-story restaurant with green roof next to the old domain-wall can use the products of the garden, attracting people from outside the estate, while -because of the way we used the topography of the terrain- can still be overlooked by the surrounding residents.
The third cluster on the domain is one modern concrete and glass building, twisted in between existing and new trees, overlooking the lower pond – the forest building. With its glass facades and generous balconies, it provides inhabitants light and contact with nature that really touches the building. Even the parking underneath the building that was carefully designed in the slope of the terrain provides a great view over the landscape. The space in-between domain-wall and lowered landscapes gives spaces for more parking, underneath the trees. Invisible from the outside, a pleasant way to come home or start a visit for those who come by car.
All the houses and apartments on the domain only have their terraces, big balconies and patios as their exclusive private area – the rest of the landscape is shared – including the final feature of the landscape: the natural swimming pool overlooking the floodplains of the river Rhine, towards the city-center of Arnhem.
A new creek (the spring water used to flush in the river by a sewage system!) that starts from the renewed and reshaped pond flows into the river Rhine and connects this wet features with each other. A lushy green part of the pond filters the water of the swimming pool.
The landscape is a continuous lush vegetation, gradually changing from place to place, from high to low, dry to wet, sunny to shady. Some lawns parts are ‘mowed out of this colorful carpet of vegetation, as places to sit, relax and play.
Sharing is multiplying. A 21th century estate, where people share the landscape, with each other, with their neighborhood and with nature makes it possible everybody owns more than they actually own, respecting the historic place and boosting biodiversity.
Masterplan: Buro Harro & Dyvik Kahlen.
Landscape Architect: Buro Harro: Harro de Jong, Jan Eiting, René van Seumeren.
Architect: Dyvik Kahlen
Architect poolhouse: Studio Nauta
Planting advisor: Frank Heijligers
Client: Schipper Bosch
Location: Arnhem, the Netherlands
Design year: 2019
Year Completed: 2023
