Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners joined the UNStudio team to design ‘The Smartest Neighbourhood in the World’, currently being developed in Helmond’s Brandevoort District in the Netherlands. The district aims to develop a new relationship between buildings and landscape, whereby both strengthen each other qualitatively. The landscape is used as a productive environment for food, energy, water, waste processing and biodiversity. Over the next ten years the Brainport Smart District will develop 1,500 new homes and 12 hectares of business premises.
The current landscape has historically grown into a rich mosaic, of forests, moors, villages and wetland areas. They are functioning as individual worlds within a shared layout, but are missing the opportunity to be turned into collaborative environment and harness synergies. Therefore, Brainport Smart Disctrict, designed by UNStudio, is committed to generate a new hybrid landscape, that merges urban, nature and agriculture grounds. Felixx developed 4 spatial frameworks to organize this landscape of the future.

1_MOSAIC LANDSCAPE

The ‘Hybrid Landscape’ builds on the historical mosaic tiles of the existing landscape. BSD is planned as a residential neighborhood, organized around a central park and surrounded by rural grounds. This layout is defined by the characteristics of the site, and the potential to contribute to regional networks.

2_PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPE

Both the urban development areas, central park and rural grounds are perceived as productive spaces, where a mix of living, working and leisure is facilitated. To merge all these functions, the landscape is parceled into a variation of lots with different sizes and shapes, in line with the nature of each environment. Each plot combines a prod

3_SOCIAL LANDSCAPE

The organization of the production landscape creates new partnerships and social networks within BSD. The plots are organized into a series of strips (from north to south) that demarcates the district into ten parts. Within each strip production and consumption streams are closed. Residents are encouraged to adopt communal resource schemes such as shared energy generation and land cultivation.

4_CONNECTED LANDSCAPE

The ‘Hybrid Landscape’ performs as a connected realm. New linear landscape structures will frame the different plots, while connecting the outer rural grounds with the central park and the urban settlements. As a conditioning framework, these ‘landscape-lines’ contribute to the functioning of the plots they frame. They add to the fertility and water management of agricultural land, provide shade and water infiltration possibilities in built-up areas, or combine ecological values with recreational use in the park. They integrate an amazing slow traffic network for visitors and residents.

 

Description of project by UNStudio
 

UNStudio designs a flexible spatial plan for ‘The Smartest Neighbourhood in the World’ – a unique Dutch initiative for future living

UNStudio has designed the urban vision for ‘The Smartest Neighbourhood in the World’, which is currently being developed in Helmond’s Brandevoort District in the Netherlands.
 
Rather than as a pre-determined fixed plan, UNStudio’s urban vision describes a flexible grid that is developed per the users’ demand.

The new neighbourhood is planned based on the latest insights and techniques in the areas of circularity, participation of (future) inhabitants, social cohesion and safety, health, data, new transport technologies and independent energy systems. All of these facets will contribute to the creation of a sustainable and unique living environment: Brainport Smart District (BSD).

In July 2018 UNStudio was selected to put together a team in order to translate the ideas for the Brainport Smart District into a spatial plan. The resulting urban vision was created in a collaboration between UNStudio (project lead and urban planning) and Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners,  (ecology and landscape), Metabolic (Circularity and climate adaptation), Habidatum (data analysis) and UNSense (Data and technology strategy).

Brainport Smart District

Over the next ten years the Brainport Smart District will develop 1,500 new homes and 12 hectares of business premises. The development will be characterised by the application of the latest technologies and knowledge in order to achieve a sustainable, circular and socially cohesive neighbourhood that enjoys joint energy generation, food production, water management, joint digital data management and revolutionary transport systems.

BSD will be a ‘living lab’: a mixed residential neighborhood organised around a central park and surrounded by business spaces and natural reserves. The district aims to develop a new relationship between buildings and landscape, whereby both strengthen each other qualitatively. The landscape is used as a productive environment for food, energy, water, waste processing and biodiversity.

Unlike most developments however, BSD will not be designed first and built afterwards. Instead, design and construction will go hand in hand with step-by-step development. This new district aims to contribute to the creation of a sustainable and unique living concept, one which embraces experimentation and ‘learning by doing’.

A flexible urban plan

Brainport Smart District and the UNStudio team’s ambition is to develop a framework for urban development that will empower and motivate people and innovation.

The total surface of Brainport Smart District is 155 hectares: bigger than 320 football fields. UNStudio’s urban plan offers maximum opportunity for growth with a flexible framework of incremental density. Factoring future economic and social flux, the site is parcelled into a series of strips (from north to south) that demarcates the district into ten parts, offering a diversity of urban and landscape densities and use.

Key aspects of the Urban Vision

AN ON-DEMAND DISTRICT

Rather than as a pre-determined fixed plan, UNStudio’s urban vision describes a flexible grid that is developed per the users’ demand. Both urban development areas and nature areas are perceived as productive spaces, where a mix of living, working and leisure is facilitated. A shared-owned central park forms the active social heart of the District where all residents share healthy activities and cultural programmes.

A COMMUNITY OF INNOVATORS

Catering to new local and international users, Brainport Smart District is seeking early adopters of new ways of living and working. Residents are encouraged to adopt communal resource schemes such as shared energy generation and land cultivation, while businesses will primarily be those that focus on innovative research fields.

The productive urban environment and landscape will generate a local economy that is specifically ‘Made in BSD’.

AN AREA INVITING CHANGE

UNStudio’s vision translates BSD’s high ambitions regarding climate adaptation and circularity into a framework that ensures that ecologic, social and economic sustainability are within reach. Incorporating circularity early in the process provides the opportunity to harness synergies between innovative solutions on different scales. Brainport Smart District sets a new standard for area development by integrating circular standards for not only materials, energy and climate adaptation, but also for biodiversity, human health, and new economic opportunities.

A PLACE WHERE TECHNOLOGY MAKES A POSITIVE IMPACT

BSD’s technology universe is introduced as a framework for sharing data and information in order enrich the efficiency of the landscapes, buildings and public spaces, while offering seamless connectivity.

UNSENSE – 100 HOUSES

In addition to UNStudio’s urban vision for ‘The Smartest Neighbourhood in the World’, our sister company UNSense is currently in the process of forming a consortium to realise a residential area at BSD which will contain 100 houses and cater to a cross-section of society. In this living lab, UNSense will implement an urban data platform to investigate how data can be applied to improve people’s lives in cities.

There is a growing demand for people to have more control over their own data. By considering data as a currency and by placing ownership with the residents of the 100 Houses project, a controlled test environment will be created which explores how such an approach could lead to alternative economic models. These include personal cost savings for digital amenities, such as mobility services, food and retail. A Board of Ethics will serve as an objective advisory body for issues pertaining to data ownership, privacy, regulation and commercial gain for the end user.

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Architects
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Unstudio.- Ben van Berkel with Dana Behrman, Misja van Veen and Maria Zafeiriadou, Pedro Silva Costa, Chen Shijie. Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners.
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Project Team
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Metabolic.- Circularity. Habidatum.- Data analysis and modelling.
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Client
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Brainport and Helmond Municipality
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Location
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Brainport Brandevoort Smart District, Helmond Brandevoort, the Netherlands.
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Area
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150 ha
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Programme
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Mixed use innovation district.
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Status
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In progress
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UNStudio, founded in 1988 by Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, is a Dutch architectural design studio specialising in architecture, interior architecture, product design, urban development and infrastructural projects. The name, UNStudio, stands for United Network Studio referring to the collaborative nature of the practice.

Throughout 30 years of international project experience, UNStudio has continually expanded its capabilities through prolonged collaboration with an extended network of international consultants, partners, and advisors across the globe. This network, combined with the centrally located offices in Amsterdam, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Frankfurt, enables UNStudio to work efficiently anywhere in the world. With already 120 built projects in Asia, Europe, and North America, the studio continues to expand its global presence with recent commissions in among others China, South-Korea, Qatar, Germany and the UK.

As a network practice, a highly flexible methodological approach has been developed which incorporates parametric designing and collaborations with leading specialists in other disciplines. The office has worked internationally since its inception and has produced a wide range of work ranging from public buildings, infrastructure, offices, residential, products, to urban masterplans.

Current projects include the design for Doha's Integrated Metro Network in Qatar, the mixed-use FOUR development in Frankfurt, the wasl Tower in Dubai and the Southbank by Beulah development in Melbourne. Pivotal realised projects include the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Arnhem Central Station, Raffles City Hangzhou in China, the Mobius House in the Netherlands and the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam. UNStudio has received many awards, the last ones being Red Dot Award product design (2013), Media Architecture Award (2012), National Steel Prize (2012) and 28th International Lighting Design Awards Collector’s Loft (2012).

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Published on: March 5, 2019
Cite: "Brainport Smart District by UNStudio and Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/brainport-smart-district-unstudio-and-felixx-landscape-architects-planners> ISSN 1139-6415
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