’t Kavelt, Mill and Sint Hubert

The Mill and Sint Hubert local authority wants to build some 100 dwellings in an unusual residential environment that can compete with other villages in the region. This new residential district, ’t Kavelt, is some distance from the village centre and is surrounded by woods. The design preserves the highly characteristic micro-relief.

An arboretum and a residential district are to be implemented in close conjunction with one another in the village of Mill, following the model of the Vondelpark in Amsterdam that was paid for at the end of the 19th century by the housing that was simultaneously developed around it. The dwellings and the arboretum are designed in conjunction with one another so that as many dwellings as possible can benefit from the special green setting. An unusual feature is that the cheapest category of housing, which is usually placed in rows on the least attractive site of a residential district, is here located on the best site: in the middle of the arboretum. These dwellings are built in the form of compact volumes with three housing units and a veranda, and the other dwellings are grouped around them. The mixture of different types of housing, a carefully chosen palette of natural materials, attention for beautiful details, and deliberate variation such as in the staggered roof orientations, results in a coherent yet informal village structure.

Pools will be created in the lowest parts to offer a valuable biotope for amphibians and to play a role in water catchment. The whole exudes an air of relaxation and informality where young and old can enjoy living, playing and recreation. An extensive and capricious pattern of footpaths provides surprising and informal links between the dwellings and the greenery.

The street profiles are simple, without pavements but with broad grass verges and large trees. All of the streets are paved with bricks. Compact parking courts prevent the appearance of the streets from being dominated by parked cars. Visitors park informally on the verge. Mixed hedgerows mark the transitions between private and public and the boundaries between the plots. This gives the residential area a green appearance and radiates unity and serenity – pleasant to live, play and recreate for the young and elderly.