Living Landscape

urban fringe

Living Landscape 1.0 is the first design in a series, in which the landscape experience of the house is the central theme. The traditional Dutch housing typology with a back-to-back orientation at a density of approximately 36 dwellings per hectare forms the starting point of the design. For reasons of feasibility, we strive to achieve a similar density. Living Landscape 1.0 dwellings are not back-to-back situated, but front to back. Therefore all the dwellings and gardens have an optimal orientation towards the sun. The plots also faces the street sideways, which gives the gardens a connection with the street. This enhances the liveliness in the neighbourhood, unlike the conventional configuration where the private life mostly takes place in the private (back-to-back) gardens. For children, this extension of the garden into the street offers a lot of additional playing opportunities. By shifting the houses relative to one another semi-detached houses are created. The sculptural roofs of the houses are also the visual boundaries of the private gardens. From the living room it appears that the horizon has lifted, which enlarges the garden. All the roofs are covered with grass to enhance this effect.