De Bavelse Berg

A former rubbish tip – the Bavelse Berg – and its surrounding area will be transformed into a neighbourhood with a unique combination of leisure and retail functions. The area, which has been closed to the public for many years, will be developed into a public attraction for the region. The plan includes an events complex made up of a hall and an outdoor arena, which is expected to attract two million visitors per year.

Because the Bavelse Berg is an artificial landscape, our view is that a landscape with its own, new value and identity should be created. The function of this landscape is recreation: a leisure landscape with a light-hearted and decorative character.

The design is based on a park structure with open places. Working on a circle principle, the plateau is ‘perforated’, as it were, so that its edges function as paths. Because of the differences in height on the hill the circles will not be literally perceived as circles, but instead form a framework in time. This three-dimensionality means that the landscape will be experienced in a different way: the fields that are created can be used in all kinds of ways, varying over time. The densities and dimensions of the circles relate to the park’s three themes of wellness, sport and entertainment, with the fourth theme – culture – draped like a blanket over the entire hill and functioning as a unifying element. Relationships between the outdoor and the indoor play an important role in the landscape park. In addition, the location places demands upon the type of buildings. Only ultra-light and sustainable units can be placed here. As a general principle the fields will have a stepped structure. Empty fields provide locations for temporary functions, while always remaining integral elements of the park.

Flexibility and phasing are key principles of this development plan, so that the pace of the development as well as the functions within the indoor and outdoor programmes can be managed in detail.