INFILL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN OVERMERE - LAUREATE

Competition winner / 11 homes, 2 apartments, 8 apartments purpose-adapted to suit senior citizens

The project is located in the town centre of Overmere, in an inner area located in a small-scale residential quarter.

Typical of the current situation of the village centre is that the way in which the green areas have deeply penetrated the centre remains palpable to this day.  The various farmsteads or farm fragments that have become woven into the village centre are testimony to this rural element.  This and the need to maintain the peace and tranquillity in the inner area  are the first major cornerstones of the concept. The principles of an inner courtyard act to produce a safe and comfortable unit within the existing fabric. The aim of the design is to put in place a quality living environment, in responsible densities, whilst preserving the identity of the existing environs.

The existing slow link with the park and the sports hall is included in the plan as an easily identifiable entity and highlighted as an important link with the village centre. This road will be reserved for vulnerable road users, and as such acts to deliver an optimum link between the site, the adjoining quarter and the infrastructures on the other side of Molenstraat.

Following on from this, we have opted for limited car access. There will be no through traffic to Molenstraat to ensure tranquillity around the quarter and to avoid rat run traffic from the adjoining quarter.  The green areas also act as space for peace and quiet,  space for rainwater buffering and landscape structure.

The road meanders through the area, which causes this axis to slow down, thereby contributing to the intended peace and quiet of the inner area. Cars are allowed to use the road but are not given any kind of priority as a means of transport.  The typology of the road is interspersed with other visual elements (square, vegetation, …). The visual suggestion of a cul de sac dissuades motorists who are unfamiliar with the site from entering the area.

At the end of the road, we are planning a square, a ‘peaceful oasis’ which is linked with the park via the slow road. The square is designed as a home zone. It does not have any elevations or thresholds and is linked with the flats for senior citizens.