On a plot of arable land (called the Maander Eng) between
two preexisting roads and the railway the first phase of Tuindop Vooruit was
built. This garden village development numbering 150 homes was also known as
Enkadorp, after its initiator the ENKA company. These houses were built in a
single building campaign between 1920 and 1923.
The design makes good use of the trapeziform plot. A
few things are striking in the setup of this garden village. Firstly the long
rows of terraced housing. This is not very common in Dutch garden city movement
inspired garden villages where short rows of 3 or 4 are the norm. Quite in
keeping with many other factory villages from the period are the deep garden
plots (ranging from 20 to 30 metres).
Another characteristic quality of Tuindorp Vooruit is the mathematical
arrangement of blocks on the streets and public spaces.
The original design consisted of 150 houses in a few
types. The buildings are often arranged in long rows with sculptural treatment
of the corners. At the heart of the garden village we find the Poortlaan (literally:
Gate Avenue) an the Poortplein (literally: Gate Square). The Poortlaan (PL)
Connects the Parkweg (P) to the Kerkweg (K) via the Poortplein (PP). The other
streets Blokkenweg (B), Zijdelaan (Z) and Twijnstraat (T) are all named after
artificial silk production.
At the heart of the garden village lies a close
fashioned on a typical almshouse as a neat rectangle. At the entrance to the
central road the corners have been extended
over an arched walkway thus creating a gate typology. The streetscape
culminates in a formal semicircular public garden. This layout is enforced by
the gate-like treatment of the higher corner buildings and the building line
that swerves out to spread out like wings along the Kerkstraat (Church Street).
In the central street (the Poortlaan) a bayonet is used to facilitate the
change of direction. The house for the supervisor acts as a pivot point for the
first part of the ensemble and the other short internal streets. Most of the
buildings are built along the preexisting roads, with the ends of a row always
set back, except for the row on the Parkweg (literally: Park Way) that no
longer exists.
The whole layout separates into two parts with the
detached house on the corner of the Poortlaan Zijdelaan as the pivot point to the
other houses. These are semidetached houses on the Blokkenweg parallel to the
railway tracks and three blocks (two o either side of the Zijdelaan and one on
the Poortlaan. Along the Twijnstraat two identical rows of linked semidetached
houses were built. This model later became a staple in Dutch suburban house
building.
In the current situation only the part of phase 1 of
Tuindorp Vooruit that has monumental status still exists. These buildings on
the Poortlaan and Poortplein / Kerkweg have been restored. Also the
semidetached houses along the railway still stand. On the Parkweg the new
Parkhof (literally: Park Court) replaces a long row of terraced houses that for
some reason were not included in the conservation area. The once large gardens
have been shortened to make room for the Parkhof complex. Also on either side
of the Hofje a row of new terraced houses has been erected. Furthermore the
semidetached houses have been replaced with short rows.
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