Brandevoort part 2, the suburban estates or "Buitens"

The suburban estates or "Buitens" of Brandevoort are themed urban fields separated from each other by green fingers. This makes each suburban estate a distinct spatial unit. In the themed approach of New Urbanism each estate has been given a theme that has been translated into distinct characteristics that have in turn been written down in a Quality Plan that all buildings and public space has to adhere to. Here a view across some fields along the Eindhoven Shipping Canal towards the "Stepekolk". 

The theme for "Stepekolk" is the rural vernacular. The old farmhouses along the narrow country lane of the same name are the reference for an architecture that is best characterised as eclectic vernacular. These whitewashed semidetached houses for instance refer clearly to garden villages of the 1920s and 1930s.

The layout of the streets is reminiscent of historic garden villages. The streets lack the green verges of the "garden village standard", but to be fair in a lot of Dutch examples they are also absent. Small street trees are a must however. The same goes for front gardens. The hedges have been prescribed in the Quality Plan. The same is true of the orange clay roofing tiles that are a feature of this suburban estate.

The detailing in the buildings also varies. It ranges from the truly rural vernacular -shown on the right- with mostly thatched roofs, sawtooth frieze in brick and wooden window shutters, to a garden village aesthetic -shown on the left- with small dormers on low roofs with rounded awnings. These awnings are known as "markies" in Dutch (that name translates as marquis and is derived from an sun sail over an officers tent).

In several places the garden village layout is used to evoke the desired rural feel. Here linked semidetached properties are placed around a large green. There has been some effort to emphasise the corners, but this isn't done with the classic Unwinesque treatment. Here some of the pre-existing trees have been saved and used in the public space.

From the edge of "Stepekolk" the neighbouring estate of "Brand" can be seen across the nature conservation area along the Schootense loop (the stream that ran here before the development of the housing). Again orange clay roof tiles have been prescribed for all roofs on this estate. The detailing, use of materials and colours differs as the theme for "Brand" is colonial housing.

In this estate all the roads have wide grassy verges planted with trees to evoke a New-Holland feel. The houses are spaced wider apart and are arranged in a more formal manner along the streets. The roofline follows the direction of the streets, except on corners were the buildings are often higher with a lunette vaulted roof (or roofs).

The colonial theme is prescribed for all architecture. All houses have a white picket fence along a green verge. The upper section of the building is clad in wood, painted white, above a lower section in brick. Verandas, porches and balconies in wood are added as a feature and ornament. The semidetached house (left) also has awnings on the first floor above the porch balcony. The building has an I-shaped floor plan. The detached dwelling on the right, has several balconies above porches, one of which has been extended to support a lunette vaulted roof.

In the estate "Brand" some of the old buildings of the hamlet of the same name have been incorporated. The name "brand" refers to a peat moor where peat was cut for fuel. This naturally wet area demanded extra measures for a sustainable drainage system after development. So here the verges have been excavated. These dry ditches are used to collect rainwater from the houses an pavements and store it temporarily so it can drain into the soil or run into the stream further along.

The Brandevoortse Dreef (= Brandevoort Drive) is a wide tree lined road that is sunk slightly below the surrounding area. This major road is part of the new ring road of Helmond. Along the banks on each side a free lying cycle path has been incorporated, as is the norm for such roads in the Netherlands. These cycle paths are usually red in colour (this isn't a legal requirement mind you!).Here this ring road separates the estates of "Brand" and "Schutsboom".

The Estate of "Schutsboom" is located east of the ring road and has also been themed. Here the Quality Plan prescribes buildings in the style of "those cosy days gone by" in effect garden village architecture from the 1920s and 1930s.The emphasis on variety can be clearly seen in the variation of roof shapes of these detached properties. All buildings share the brick facades (in natural earth tones or whitewashed) with roofs covered with grey clay tiles.

The little chapel of Saint Anthony, the patron saint for the recovery of lost items, holds a very old wooden statue. The chapel itself was rebuilt after WW2. The chapel was -and is- a pilgrim destination and stands on a large village green. In other places similar greens have been incorporated into the layout of the housing estate (see example on the right). This gives the whole a clear connection to garden city models as defined by Unwin, Muthesius and Feenstra.

The treatment of the streets is rather varied in this section of Brandevoort. More than in other estates pre-existing country lanes have been incorporated into the layout. The original buildings of the hamlet of Schutsboom have also been incorporated into the new housing estate. Here an example of a narrow one-way street with a two-way cycle path -in red- alongside a wide green verge planted with trees.

The architecture follow the Quality Plan very precisely. This is the result of strong quality control by the local council. The buildings in the estate of "Schutsboom" either have an 1930s aesthetic with brownish brick-built facades, white roof trims, dormers and robust (but short) chimneys; or reference the  whitewashed housing of garden villages or workers housing with high gable ends culminating in a chimney.

Some residential squares, resembling garden city closes, have been included in the plan for this estate. The narrow alleys with high -prescribed- hedges on either side evoke this 1930s garden village feel really well. The small green at the centre creates a nice focus for the rather loosely arranged buildings around it. The spatial distribution of the houses has been optimised for efficient land use not for Unwinesque spatial effects.   

The white housing is located in separate sections, so every neighbourhood within the estate has a distinct identity. These houses are rather similar in appearance. They all share the same floor plan but differ in the options chosen by the buyers. So some have dormers, others have roof lights. Some have awnings (again "markiezen"), wooden shutters or larger feature windows. The curve and the situation along an elongated green creates a sense of place.

Another example of a green, here used for playing. More in keeping with historic examples the buildings have been arranged in terraces or as linked semidetached houses. The latter type has been popular in the Netherlands since the 1930s. The houses feature the trademark high end gables, resembling spout gables, dormers and square bay windows on the ground floor. In places these neighbourhoods of Brandevoort come across as a pastiche of historic examples of garden villages, but overall the spatial and visual qualities are well above what is usually found in typical Vinex large-scale housing projects.