De Laakse Tuinen

Rows are placed in the central park with prominent transverse roofs. Small gable jumps, changes in roof shape and different bricks make small grains in the urban plan.

Transition from public to private
Much attention has been paid to the transition between public and private. First of all, all the houses are slightly elevated in relation to ground level. Two steps at the front of the house create some stateliness and a nice relationship with the street. An added benefit is that the house can withstand abundant rainfall in the future.

The homes have a shallow front yard with residential features that are strongly oriented to the street. In Laakse Gardens, you won't find narrow kitchen windows with high parapets. Narrow homes even have storefront doors with a platform as an additional outdoor space facing the street. The front yard is bordered with a beech hedge and a brick element is designed with a mailbox. The front door is carefully designed with unusual brickwork, black hardware, lighting and a concrete awning. At corners and at footpaths to the inner courtyards, low garden walls have been designed with special fencing, through which greenery grows.

Gates to the green parking courts
Parking facilities for residents have been created in the green courtyards. These are collective areas owned by a VVE, but they have a public character. To mark the inner courtyards, two narrow houses have been designed in each case. Due to the building height of three layers and the limited distance between them, the two houses form a recognizable gateway to the courtyard. There is room for trees in the courtyard garden and the black wooden storerooms are screened with beech hedges.

Timber frame houses
Some homes in Garden 16 are built entirely in Timber Frame Construction. The Heijmans Woonconcept normally provides a shell of precast concrete, but here the Horizon building system was chosen. Incidentally, no difference is visible on the outside, but in the CO2 footprint of the shell, this is a nice innovation.

Nature-inclusive end walls
Various nesting facilities are included in the end walls. The integrated nesting boxes are tailored to a specific species. The bird or insect for which the nesting facility is installed is grandly depicted in the masonry relief of the end wall. This not only makes it clear for which animals a new home has been made, but also creates a strong recognition in the neighborhood, such as “The House with the Swallow” or “The Bat House.