The whole of the Netherlands is a man-made landscape. The word ‘landscape’ is Dutch in origin after all. Man has shaped his surroundings. Man’s control over this man-made landscape is continuous. As a result, the only stable attribute of this landscape is its changing nature, both in appearance and in use.
In the Netherlands all levels of government are concerned with (guarding) the quality of the landscape. To better direct landscape changes, requirements are enforced for new developments. These requirements are laid down in landscape policy papers, landscape development plans, regional development plans and ecological zoning plans. In areas of outstanding natural beauty or areas of special interest there are fewer possibilities for development than on sites in urban fringes and redevelopment areas. A landscape architect is the right person to guard the existing quality or introduce more quality where this is now amiss.
Landscape design focuses on all spatial issues outside the urban landscape. This mainly concerns the rural area, nature reserves and recreational areas. We design large-scale restructuring of a landscape in the context of area development or nature development, as well as small-scale function-oriented interventions in an existing green environment. Think of transformations of (former) farmyards, small-scale new construction or function changes of main and outbuildings, nature-oriented recreation or hospitality, ecological stepping stones and targeted planting of so-called small-scale landscape elements (orchards, hedges, hedgerows, groves, tree clumps and rows of trees). We are happy to tell you more about the options.