In Goede Aarde: eco-housing in Boxtel, impressions

Energy plays an important role in the development of this eco-estate. The section Solar Waves is positioned in such a way as to maximise using both passive and active solar energy. These are basically curved terraces of family houses with parking and playgrounds on the edge of the development.

Each family housing unit within Solar Waves has been fitted with a photovoltaic array on the edge of the roof terrace, large windows facing south, a closed very well insulated wall with small windows facing north and rainwater collectors on the roofs that have passive water heaters incorporated within.

After having stood empty for three years the eco-centre De Kleine Aarde was (partly) reopened in 2014. The eco-café sits at the heart of the centre and is part of the visitor centre.

Permeability of the urban landscape was an important part of the design. A sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) is combined with public green spaces. These green spaces have been zoned from quit and natural to high human impact (read: playgrounds). Stimulating biodiversity is the main aim of these areas that connect the landscapes around Boxtel through the outlying suburbs.

Some housing stands directly on the edge of one of the green zones. The contrast is kept very sharp with a well defined edge formed by the street and long rows of terraced housing. This style of housing gives no clues to the ecological credentials of this housing as they look similar to standard commercial planned new-builds in the Netherlands.

The architecture varies considerably within the development; even within a certain themed section. The eco-estate in Boxtel visually doesn't differ much from standard commercial housing developments of the same period. In these streets the architecture is boxy in what is considered modern architecture by estate agents.

At the heart of The Rays of Light section of the eco-estate lies a large open green space that is mainly used by the residents as a playground, and recreational area. The height differences have been introduced to accommodate SUDS (the area floods with water in case of heavy rain fall) it was originally a large concave arable field.

The architecture around the central open space varies from standard family houses with pitched roofs(on the left) to the modern angular architecture of the terraces (right) on the other side. The ecological credentials of the houses isn't always directly visible. The large solar power arrays on the roofs of the standard houses is a very visible exception.

The same modern architecture with boxy volumes dominates most of the self-build strip of houses along the edge of The Rays of Light section of In Goede Aarde. Some of these building have been built using alternative construction methods, though this doesn't shine through in the architecture. At the end of the street the so-called Battlements are visible: housing that is part of the noise barrier along the motorway A2 that runs behind.

The housing in The Battlements forms a sheer endless row of identical houses. The contrasting white garden sheds next to the covered driveway give the row a certain rhythm. The gardens lie directly behind the drive as the back of the house is part of a noise barrier and thus a so-called silent wall with extra insulation and no windows.

The part of the Battlements along the edge of the sporting fields has a different architecture as there is no need for a family garden on the street side. Here large brick arches create a rhythm along the street. The mustard coloured doors enhance the rhythmic character of the design.

As said before, the housing generally looks similar to standard housing. It's in the details that the high durability scores are discernible. All houses in The Battlements for instance have a photovoltaic array that forms a ribbon along the top and is hardly visible from the street. These charging stations for electric cars (left) are very visible at street level though. In other places the architecture can best be described as eco-architecture. The detached house on the right is a case in point with a visible photovoltaic array, visible use of renewable materials like wood and the use of well insulating green roofs.

These standard looking houses with low pitched roofs also score high on the durability measure and should therefore be typed as eco-housing. The architecture isn't very exciting, but it shows that "eco" can be done even for consumers with conservative tastes.

This architecture is in contrast very expressive and tries to get across the fact that this isn't standard housing. Large expanses of glass are used to make the most of passive heating. The small roofs are angled towards the sun and are completely covered with photovoltaic arrays. Also in the use of wood the architect has tried to enforce the visibility of renewable materials.

In the section called The Farm, many houses reference the traditional farm, but with a twist. Some of the self-builders in this section go even further and have opted for a complete reworking of what a detached building can be. Here the dual-pitched roof has been abandoned n favour of a single-pitched green roof. This allows for large expanses of glass at the back for passive heating and direct views across the garden and the landscape beyond.

Two examples of reworked thatched farm-inspired buildings within the Farm section of this eco-estate. Each with many eco-features that are not visible from the street. Some of these self-built houses have been built using straw or wooden panels filled with wool as insulation. The inventive use of thatch creates a strong image.