Estate Verboom

A new estate is being developed north of Alphen aan den Rijn as part of the ribbon development of the polder landscape. Strootman landschapsarchitecten was invited to design this estate. The new residential environment will combine natural beauty, recreation and the agrarian landscape.

The new estate is situated on a historical ribbon beside the Westkanaal. The plot is elongated, orientated East-West, and has an interesting gradient from high clay ground to low peat ground. South of the estate lies the closed world of the golf course, while to the north the open polder landscape extends.

The design is a reaction to this landscape context. The elongated plot is accentuated by the introduction of three zones: a zone of natural grasslands with green elements; a wet zone with reeds, natural banks and special local features; and a zone of natural woodland with cover and border vegetation. The gradient from clay to peat finds expression in the herbal vegetation. The interesting environments that result will enhance the natural values of the estate.

The new woodland is situated on the northern side to create two different worlds: an intimate inner world with views of the outside, and the panoramic outer world of the polder. By placing the woodland at the top of the plot, the city limits of Alphen aan den Rijn are also nicely bordered and the abrupt bayonet on the border between higher land and reclaimed land is accentuated.

The buildings beside the Westkanaalweg will include a new tea room  to strengthen coherence within the ribbon. The other buildings on the estate will be placed further away from the road and partly hidden from sight by the vegetation. There will be a partial view of these buildings and the open polder landscape from the Westkanaalweg. The resulting alternation between closedness and visibility is characteristic of the ribbons in Alphen. The new estate is a residential environment that is open to the public. It is linked with the local and regional network of paths so that locals can take a stroll on the estate.