Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht

The urban plan for the VINEX suburb Leidsche Rijn, which will provide homes for 80,000 new Utrecht residents, is one of the most extensive in Dutch history. One of the greatest challenges was to physically and mentally link the new district with the “mother city” of Utrecht.

In accordance with the “compact city” concept, VINEX suburbs were designed to be closely connected to existing cities and structures. However, restrictions around motorway noise have often led to new residential areas feeling isolated and monotonous. We worked to solve underlying technical and organisational issues in order to break free of the VINEX straitjacket and create a city based on opportunities, not obligations.

A groundbreaking example of this approach is the innovative solution we came up with for the A2 motorway, which runs through the planning area. Rather than accepting Leidsche Rijn’s isolation from the rest of Utrecht, we opted to strengthen its continuity with the overall urban fabric. We designed the A2 as a “hollow dyke”, with public space on the roadway’s roof and high-quality developments – including the city centre – on either side.

“Taming” the A2 in this way created space for a new 300-hectare park, Maximapark, at the heart of the new urban neighbourhood. It was named the Netherlands’ favourite city park in 2014.

Binckhorst, The Hague

The Binckhorst is a dynamic section of The Hague that contains a broad mix of industrial functions, urban activities, start-ups and creative businesses. The area has plenty of potential to become a key part of the city and enrich the urban fabric with new living and working environments.

If the Binckhorst is to succeed as a mixed live-work area, its links to the rest of the city will be crucial. On behalf of the municipality of The Hague, we are therefore working on the area’s spatial-economic positioning and a design for a robust network of public spaces. We are conducting studies looking at desired spatial typologies and at visual quality of building blocks. We are also working on specific “area passports” to be produced for the Binckhorst by the private sector and the municipality.

On one hand, improving links between the Binckhorst and the city has to do with transport. While access to The Hague is generally limited because of the city’s coastal location, the Binckhorst presents excellent infrastructural opportunities. It is situated between The Hague’s HS, CS, Laan van NOI and Voorburg railway stations. Furthermore, the major new traffic artery Rotterdamsebaan will pass through the area from 2020. In light of these features, we are looking into ways of making the Binckhorst even more reachable, for instance through better public transport. On the other hand, accessibility involves more than mobility, and hence we are looking into which types of sport and social facilities the area requires. All the plans start with the area’s existing identity, aim at healthy urbanisation, and take sustainable energy as an urban development opportunity.

Antwerp's Groene Singel

PosadMaxwan devised a visual quality plan for the Groene Singel Strategic Space in Antwerp. The plan sets out the rules pertaining to the landscape, public space, infrastructure and buildings on the land around the city’s inner ring road with the aim of improving unity. It defines subprojects that proactively aim to improve use of the space and serves as a handbook of guidelines for designers.

The road, known as the Singel and made up of a section of the E19 motorway, Slachthuislaan, Noordersingel, Binnensingel and Zuidersingel, is one of five strategic spaces key to Antwerp’s development. The surrounding land covers 625 hectares between the city centre and the suburbs. The Groene Singel project is transforming it from an underused, fragmented expanse into a central part of the city. Along with open green spaces, the project will provide room for new construction programmes.

Green space functions as a guiding constant; the goal is to create a strong, coherent ecological system by linking five large urban parks in and around the area. The plan develops three landscapes (in north, south and central Antwerp) into distinctly unified entities of high aesthetic quality. Beauty, conservation and ecology go hand in hand.

Healthy Urbanization Toolbox

Healthy cities are made up of healthy residents. So how can public space exert a positive influence on the health of the people in a city? To answer that question, we developed a generic toolbox of spatial design interventions for creating healthy cities. The interventions encourage a salutary lifestyle, helping to prevent physical problems.

They are based on our findings from extensive research conducted with GGD, RIVM and TNO on the direct relationship between physical well-being, lifestyle, and urban design. The study yielded a number of design interventions for making cities healthier. They can be grouped in four categories:

1. Healthy movement through the city.
2. Public spaces designed for exercise, recreation, socialising and sport.
3. Synergy between public and private spaces (work, school, health care, amenities).
4. Healthy basic facilities (drinking water, health care, information, food).

The toolbox has put healthy cities on the national agenda as a priority within urban development. Its principles have been successfully applied in the city of Utrecht around the main rail station on the Jaarbeurs side. The municipality now evaluates all spatial development projects on how much they do to help keep citizens healthy.

A37: The solar way

Motorways offer great potential for generating solar electricity, but it is not yet an integral part of their design. We conducted design research for Rijkswaterstaat and the province of Drenthe on the possibility of integrating solar panels along the A37 between Emmen and Hoogeveen.

We began by unravelling the DNA of Dutch motorways, analysing the local landscape, and surveying energy applications. Taking our findings as a basis, the proposed system attaches solar panels to linear elements along the A37, making them part of a coherent, recognisable road design. The proposal takes into account the different types of landscape around the road by including a range of components designed to foster optimal integration of the energy system. We used GIS to calculate the motorway’s energy generation potential. The proposal demonstrates how solar power can become a natural, safe, efficient element in the Dutch motorway network.

So that this transition can begin soon, we are drafting a version of the system that can be implemented in the short term. We are also outlining opportunities for the future – a future in which transport will be different, motorways and energy networks will be more intertwined and mutually enhancing, and local stakeholders will profit from solar energy in new ways.

Leiden Station Area

The redevelopment of Leiden Centraal railway station presented an opportunity for the formulation of an urban planning vision for the surrounding area. A focal point of the plan was to create a smooth transition between the density of the old city centre and the large scale of Leiden Bio Science Park. To this end, a new network of public spaces is being built. A combination of low frontages and set-back high-rises will create a lively, diverse, sustainable city district of attractive, slow traffic streets, squares and neighbourhood parks.

The plan is made up of blocks, each containing compact above-ground parking at its heart. A new roofed bus station will bring the transport hub up to date. Improved bicycle links will allow cyclists to cross the railway lines while avoiding difficult intersections with car, bus and pedestrian flows.

The plan has been under implementation since 2012 under the supervision of Rients Dijkstra. Step by step, Leiden’s main station area is becoming a lively urban district where visitors, residents and other users share newly designed public space.

IJmeer line

By 2030, the city of Almere, part of the Amsterdam metropolitan region, will be more than double its current size. PosadMaxwan has worked on various plans for Almere’s expansion since 2007. With Jacobs Engineering and APPM, we developed a design and business case for the IJmeer line, a new light rail link between Almere and Amsterdam.

Besides envisioning a new modern transport line, the plan suggests inventive improvements in several other directions. For instance, the construction of three islands in the IJmeer lake – overarched by a bridge spanning the lake – would create space for recreational and natural areas. Building a fourth island and a spit of land at Almere Pampus for 26,000 new homes would yield unique waterside residential environments while improving the lake’s ecological quality. Finally, connecting the light rail link seamlessly to other transport and cycle networks would result in an integrated mobility system.

Thanks to the clever connections outlined in the business case, the plan would yield a €2.5 billion cost savings on the government’s €4.5 billion estimated project cost. With the aid of GIS, we produced an integrated design incorporating aspects such as transport value (number of passengers, economic profits, etc.), property development and construction costs.

Mechelen Boulevard

PosadMaxwan’s design for Mechelen Boulevard strengthens the links between the city’s central station and its market square. The more than 1km-long shopping, pedestrian and cycle zone forms a central axis running through the city centre and is designed largely as shared space.

Mechelen Boulevard links a chain of five important squares. A deliberate decision was made to provide maximum space for pedestrians and to finish the street furniture and walking surface to a high standard, supporting the retail functions. We opted for an understated design with accents, integrating bicycle facilities, greenery, water and art. The project interweaves Mechelen’s historic character with pleasant, contemporary public space.

The project is the result of close collaboration by the city, local residents and other stakeholders. In 2018 the city of Mechelen received the Prijs Publieke Ruimte (Public Space Award) for the boulevard, which was deemed Belgium’s most attractive pedestrian shopping street.

Labo XX

The city of Antwerp is expected to grow in the coming years by an area equivalent in size to the city of Mechelen. An additional 15,000 to 30,000 new homes will be needed, along with facilities for their residents. Most of this growth will take place in the city's 20th-century belt, a highly diverse section that can be classified as an organic hotchpotch or programs and structures. The original layout offers space for growth as an opportunity to develop the areas still young, unfinished urban character.

With Maat Designers, 3E and Shinsekai Analysis, PosadMaxwan has produced a densification strategy for Antwerp's 20th-century belt. We have the assignment as an opportunity to reassess the spatial quality of the neighborhoods and the availability of services. By deploying the concept of "microcentrality", we aim to improve the local development of existing and new service centers, turning monofunctional residential districts into recognizable city districts with a diverse selection of facilities. In this way, densification can serve as a high-quality urban renewal.

Park Groot Schijn, Antwerp

Park Groot Schijn is situated just outside the city of Antwerp, yet it has an extraordinarily scenic character, with the meandering stream Koude Beek as a striking, atmospheric feature. PosadMaxwan redesigned Park Groot Schijn as part of a larger master plan. We have preserved and enhanced the landscape’s existing qualities as much as possible. 

To combat drainage issues, we subtly altered terrain levels and incorporated four wadis into the landscape. The existing buildings, allotment gardens, lawns  and stream valley were integrated to form a coherent whole. The allotment clusters are clearly recognisable elements in the landscape, inviting people to engage in active recreation and a healthy lifestyle. A network of paths provides access to the park at five points, connecting important spots and offering varied views. As a result the landscape now alternates between wet and dry, hosting the appropriate flora and fauna. 

The design fulfils the stated ambitions of solving the drainage problem through a unified spatial design, developing the park’s natural features, and making it attractive to a broad group of users. All the ingredients for an ecologically and socially valuable, accessible, inviting and atmospheric park are in place.

Voorburg transport hub

The Voorburg multimodal transport hub, serving trains, trams, buses, cars, bicycles and pedestrians, is one of the busiest in The Hague metropolitan area. We set out to bring things back down to the human scale and create a safe, pleasant environment where people can get around in an intuitive manner.

We worked on the redevelopment of the Voorburg station zone for four years. The biggest design challenge in bringing about a successful transformation was to strike a balance among multiple historical layers, from an adjacent 17th-century estate and gardens to modern infrastructural elements. The design unites these contrasting features within a coherent whole that serves to enhance the old and the new.

The new station district comprises various subareas, each with its own main function. These are linked by a wide footpath that runs from the historic centre of The Hague to the Binckhorst district. We believe the spatial details – materials, dimensions, proportions, routing and street furniture – have played an essential part in the project’s success. Completed in 2013, it was subsequently nominated for several architecture and planning awards.

Rotterdam Central District

The new Rotterdam Central Station opened in 2014, offering fast rail links to Amsterdam, Paris and London and to the other Randstad cities as well as a new metro station and bus terminal. Maxwan created an urban development plan for the 20-hectare area surrounding the station. Every day, nearly 100,000 people pass through or linger here.

Design is the key to transforming this formerly isolated, unattractive business district into a well-connected, vibrant part of the city centre. The plan emphasises the importance of a coherent and well-managed development of a large number of new projects in the area (housing, commercial premises and municipal facilities covering 560,000m2). We also drew up a flexible aesthetic quality plan for the projects as well as the public spaces, which serves as a guide for the high-quality transformation and development of the public areas and the new and existing buildings.

As part of the redevelopment, PosadMaxwan overhauled the new bus terminal at the side of the station. Working with a limited budget and using innovative methods, we designed a series of distinctive canopies, each measuring five by 10 metres and made from wafer-thin sheet steel strong enough to bear its five-tonne weight.

Following delivery of the master plan and aesthetic quality plan, Rients Dijkstra was appointed supervisor of lot development, architecture and public space.

De Omgang, Nazareth

De Omgang is the winning entry in an open call by the Flemish Government Architect. The design tackles creeping clutter in the central church square of Nazareth, Belgium, and restores its former identity as a focal point for the village and surrounding area. Deeply rooted in layers of history, the design has been created to serve residents, visitors, commerce, and various functions in and around the square.

Buildings with different functions adjoin the square but previously were somewhat segregated. Improved connections now enhance the look and use of the square. The public areas have been redesigned as a harmonious, integrated group, with plenty of space available for temporary use. Parking spaces are subtly interwoven with the public areas and restored historical features through a deliberate use of detail and materials.

The first phases of the project – De Omgang and the surrounding pavements – were delivered in 2018. Landscaping has been carried out in the church cemetery, which is to be converted into a park.

Kids Park, Moscow

Kids Park comprises part of Skolkovo Gardens, a 50-hectare green area designed by PosadMaxwan, Arteza and MASA Architects for residents and employees at Skolkovo Innovation Centre in Moscow. The 400-hectare centre was planned in 2010 as a special economic zone for high-tech companies in spheres including the biomedical, space, IT, energy and nuclear industries.

Skolkovo Gardens boasts a wide range of public areas, including a forest, a kite-flying field, a market hall, a swimming pool, ponds, and Kids Park. This “play park” adjoins a residential neighbourhood and has several adventurous play areas. A raised, bright yellow footpath guides visitors through the woods and past fields of flowers. With its interwoven mix of nature and challenging objects, Kids Park stimulates children’s imaginations.

Rotterdam 2040

What kind of city does Rotterdam want to be in the future? How will it handle issues like climate change, the transport transition, and differences between groups of residents? With a new Dutch environmental law set to come into force, it’s time to turn the city’s ambitions into a vision for the future. The law, which goes into effect in 2021, will bring together previously separate rules relating to the human environment. Every municipality will have its own plan concerning the places where people live, work, study and play. The municipality of Rotterdam and PosadMaxwan have conducted a study in preparation for the city’s formulation of its environmental plan. We have outlined five scenarios that will help to guide Rotterdam into the future as, respectively,

• A compact city where densification and greening go hand in hand,
• An inclusive city of mixed neighbourhoods with space for meeting others and participating in activities,
• A productive city that responds to international economic trends and provides room for innovative manufacturing businesses,
• A healthy city with cleaner air, smart climate adaptation solutions, and spatial interventions that invite people to get moving,
• A circular city with room for recycling and sustainable electricity generation.

These scenarios are not intended as mutually exclusive choices; rather, they derive their power from the way they work together. They will inform officials’ actions and help to guide councillors and project initiators. They are flexible enough to help steer new ideas and developments and to assist in the creation of environmental plan.

Barking Riverside, London

Barking Riverside London is a new district of East London that will house 25,000 residents. It boasts a breathtaking setting on the north bank of the Thames, near Canary Wharf and the 2012 Olympic Games site. The plan features a clear, ingenious layout, with recognisable neighbourhoods set in peaceful surroundings.

A key aspect of the plan is a is a range of facilities serving families, young people and elderly residents; these vary from local shops and schools to care institutions and recreational facilities on the Thames, which will provide 2,000 new jobs. The restoration of access to the river is a unique element that makes the plan special for new residents as well as people across greater London.

Great care has been taken over the design of public space and the transition between the natural landscape and the city (a linear park will run along the riverbank). The master plan and accompanying aesthetic quality plan describe in detail the layout and design of this urban area and outline how the project will take shape over 25 years.

Mirakelsteeg, Leiden

The Mirakelsteeg plan was the national winner of the New Elan competition, which explored the future of 1970s and 1980s neighbourhoods characterised by uniform streets, badly insulated roof structures, insufficient parking and poorly defined public spaces. It approached the neighbourhood as a spatial enterprise, capitalising on those things the inner city lacks most: parking spaces and green public space.

We therefore proposed that new parking spaces be built in the inner courtyard of the residential block beneath a raised deck area, along with diversified, better insulated, higher-value homes, on a car-free residential street with vibrant public space. It all adds up to a dynamic plan that provides direction for the spatial organisation of the neighbourhood.

Project A101, Moscow

In 2007, PosadMaxwan completed the 6000 ha master plan, dubbed Project A101, after having won an international competition in 2005. This new town for 230.000 inhabitants southwest of Moscow is arguably one of Europe's largest urban projects. Working closely with the client, engineers, landscape architects and a host of local consultants, the masterplan was approved by the regional planning authorities.

The project features 116'000 homes of varying size and type, 13 mixed-use centres, a business park (500'000 m2 office floor space), a new university and an entirely new network of roads and public transport. Establishing a high level of social infrastructure, the development will include 2 hospitals, 20 health clinics, 60 schools, and 150 kindergartens. Our first priority was to develop a socially sustainable city where the inhabitants have all the necessary public amenities within an accessible distance.