For the new construction of Kielzog, a House for Culture and Government in Hoogezand, LAOS landscape urbanism designed a courtyard garden and a sloped garden. In both, there is a practical functionality captured in a poetic image, with grass being the predominant feature. This look best conveyed the vision of the future users.
The courtyard garden was going to be visible from various (work)spaces, so we invited a selection of people to form a focus group to brainstorm with the design team. The design team showed the participants several mood boards: minimalist, natural, and artistic. The “natural” concept received the most positive feedback. The objective was clear: above all, the users wanted a peaceful place. This was evidently more important than any of its potential uses. The focus group also wanted trees. This was quite the challenge, seeing as the courtyard garden was going to be constructed on a concrete slab. This meant the substrate depth would only be half a meter at most.
All wishes are translated into a mini-landscape with a winding pathway. On the edges of the pathways, the granules around the plants are mixed in with the pathway granules, so that the pathway and the garden almost seamlessly blend into one another. It also creates the suggestion that the landscape would simply continue if it weren’t for the surrounding walls. The grass coverage, with its green and white tones, provides a tranquil image. Mounds were created for tree planting. These fluctuations in elevation flow and fit better with the natural landscape than pots or planters do.
The sloped garden is situated on the south side of the building, where it forms a ramp in a large green space, directed towards the underground bicycle storage. In line with a master plan made previously by OKRA Landscape Architects, the old plot structure layout of the area was used as a blueprint. In the sloped garden, this theme is noticeable in the angular rotation and the walls perpendicular to the waterway. Just like in the courtyard garden, there are no hard transitions and there’s plenty of grass coverage. Grass acts as a “green theme” weaving through the plant beds abundant with flowers. Elegantly swaying grass catching sunlight on a beautiful day is a feast for the eyes.
Location:
Kielzog
Gorecht-Oost 157
9603 AE Hoogezand
The Netherlands
Design year: 2018-2021
Year Completed: 2021
