Urban planning in the Netherlands must be focused on densification, based around sufficient amenities, good public transport and green streetscapes, Edward Schuurmans, partner at KCAP said in an interview ahead of the Expo Real property trade fair in Munich.
To build enough houses in a country where there is a shortfall of at least 400,000 homes, local authorities and developers must look to both adding to existing residential areas in cities and adding streets to smaller villages on a fitting scale. “You have to both densify and build new neighborhoods” Edward says. “We must begin with densifying our cities and that means having better infrastructure as well. If you look at trains, for example, we in the Netherlands are somewhat late, compared with some other parts of Europe.”
KCAP has, for example, been working together with Lelystad city council to draw up a vision for transforming the eastern part of the city centre, involving a linear park, reduced car use and 1,200 new housing units, including a landmark building that will be 18 storeys high. The Fellenoord project around Eindhoven’s main railway station involves transforming a mono-functional area, dominated by infrastructure and offices, into a lively and mixed, dense urban district.
Integrated design
A switch to more sustainable forms of mobility is a key part of KCAP’s focus, with area developments edging out cars and bringing in more green spaces. “Our expertise spans architecture, urban design, and landscape and in the award-winning Cruquius project, located in Amsterdam’s former eastern harbour area, we incorporated all three disciplines,” Edward says. “This enables us to create integrated environments, where people can live and work happily. We believe in a mix of functions.”
New build properties in the Netherlands are now built to the highest energy saving standards and bio-based and circular construction materials are becoming more popular as well. So are we now reaching an end in regulating what can be done to ensure housing is as sustainable as possible?
“Fifteen to 20 years ago it was all about energy use and now it has all been regulated,” Edward says. “Everyone knows how their buildings need to perform and you could say every new building[ES1] is sustainable energy-wise. I expect the use of bio-based and recycled material will be regulated too within the coming five years.”
CO2 targets
He predicts the next big issue that will be used to set targets for sustainable construction may well be CO2. “And that means covering the lifespan of a building, not just the construction process,” he says. “It will be about more than energy use or the construction materials. The next step could be to integrate the actual footprint of a building during its lifespan.”
“In the end, sustainability is all about what the gain for end user is, rather than Excel sheets,” Edward says. “Sustainability is often reduced to quantities, to figures, but it is actually about creating comfortable spaces. It is really about creating the best possible environments for people to live and work in.”
The KCAP team will be part of the Holland Metropole stand A2.130 at Expo Real in Munich from October 7 to 9.
Illustration: Part of the Cruquius development in Amsterdam. Illustration: Aiste Takauskaite
