In search of the ultimate countryside, with the aim of developing a recreational refuge there, I ended up at Westerwolde in the east of Groningen province. So as to retain the rural idyll of this unsullied natural and cultivated landscape I opted for attack as the best form of defence against the threatening deluge of distribution centres, intensive agriculture and the like. The scheme gives a glimpse of how Westerwolde might look in the future. The strategy I followed was drawn from the landscape itself. From it I distilled a programme that picks up on the small-scale initiatives already occurring on site such as forestry for timber production and the cultivation of biomass for clean energy. These local initiatives are accordingly fleshed out in grand and compelling fashion. This is done by exploiting the area's social identity, namely collectivity, to the hilt. The plan is premised on hydrological, agricultural, ecological and recreational research. It was water management that prompted me to divide up the area into seven units. Each is marked by its own particular geography and landscape stratification. Next, each unit is given a new layer. The complexity of the landscape is augmented. The existing mono-functional agricultural landscape is transformed into a multifunctional landscape where there is a place for nature development, an ecologically viable production of energy, sustainable organic farming, potable water collection and efficient use of materials. What you then get is a landscape with recreational appeal for a wide variety of users.

Place of education: AvB Amsterdam
Specialization: landschapsarchitectuur
Tutors: Ben Kuipers, Bram Breedveld & Berdie Olthof