Leisure park design, the flemish ardennes

119 holiday homes / 1 hotel / Support services and commercial functions

The Flemish Ardennes exert a special appeal by virtue of their traditional landscape with wooded hills, river and brook valleys, delightful panoramic vistas and different microelements. Cycling enthusiasts enjoy coming to the region where the Tour of Flanders made its ‘Flandriens’ famous, to unwind in their own country. The site is ideally located to cater for this cycling culture and regional tourism and has the potential to contribute to it.

The decision to respectfully deal with the biologically valuable areas was a purposive one. The interventions are limited and the ecologically valuable areas are left untouched as far as possible. The destination given to the grounds is focused on cycling equipment, cross-country cycle racing tracks, educational bike parks,… intended for recreational and professional cyclists alike.

A differentiated accommodation gradient

The site offers a wide range of temporary accommodation types  which will attract a more diversified audience to spend time here. The differences in accommodations on offer are in the size of the entity, the conveniences and amenities provided, the cachet of the entity and the price category.

The various temporary accommodation types are all clustered in areas where the leisure seekers with similar needs can enjoy their stay accordingly. The concatenation of clusters is defined by a gradient in matching atmosphere per area which acts to avoid potential tensions. This produces a diversified destination for the estate which in turn brings a great quality of experience for visitors.

Sweeping integration into the landscape

So as to preserve the cultivated landscape nature of the area, the temporary new build entities to be constructed are integrated into the landscape to the utmost. The interwovenness with the landscape space is crucial to the quality of the way in which  visitors experience the area.

Fisherman’s cottages

The fisherman’s cottages act as the transition from forest to water. They are subsumed in the average surrounding surface level in a landscape design that seeks to tie in with the pond structure. They central element here is enabling people to be in touch with the water. The entities look out onto the pond by way of large glass window sections and each have a terrace that reaches as far as the water.

Tree lounges

These entities are inspired by tree huts and are aimed at providing the best possible transition between the average surrounding surface level and the tree structures. They are to be put in place at three different heights that follow the profile of a natural forest structure.

Hotel

A hotel with additional sports and recreational accommodation will attract a broader audience and ensure continuous occupancy of the estate  The hotel is to be sited at Minderbroederstraat, which allows for a separate entrance to the camping ground and the hotel. To design the building in as compact a way as possible, functions that do not require daylight such as a sports hall, storage spaces, etc. are recessed into the sound diffracting roadside verge on the grounds. In doing so, the hotel is seen to integrate into the landscape same as the other new accommodation units, whilst averting a disruption of scale with the smaller entities around the estate. For the local environs, it acts as a landmark which above the verge is infilled with functions that draw on the vista and that are accessible to all.