BRASSCHAAT

BRASSCHAAT, 2007

People like to live in Brasschaat, this can be concluded from the international recognition the town got in 2006 with the award for the highest quality of living conditions in the World. The city of Brasschaat is proud of her slogan “for every inhabitant a tree” and is not only promoting her green image, but especially the high level of quality of social life.
Green and social - not a bad theme for a design commission.
In our proposal the green character of the site - a number of monumental trees - stands central. Through arranging the buildings in a zig-zag layout, it is possible to preserve all the trees. Cars will be placed, out of site, in an naturally ventilated under ground parking garage. A large park-like communal space forms the social backbone of the plan. For additional privacy each apartment has a large, well-oriented terrace. Housing will be built exactly on top of the underground parking garage. This not only has a financial advantage, but is also a sustainable solution for ensuring the prosperity of the existing trees by reducing the amount of soil to be moved. Rainwater infiltration is made possible as well as the growth of different varieties of ground covering scrubs and types of grasses.