The project is part of the newly developed Markiezaten district in Bergen op Zoom.
According to the urban plan the houses should contribute to a “thirties” atmosphere. These kind of romantic hind sight conditions may be popular, but they are not easy to create. It appeals to a neighborhood feeling where kids play freely in the street, watched over by their parents from the window or by neighbors that happen to be in the street as well. All save and happy. It is really a fundamental question how architecture can influence the behavior and atmosphere in a neighborhood, and the color of brick and the detail of the window frame surely can’t be the sole answer.
We think the solution is found in softening the transition from the street to the interior. It is about the gradations of public to private, for which in the thirties smart architectural tools were used, like niches, small walls, planters, bay windows. In the design for the 17 houses, these tools were translated to a contemporary architecture, anchoring the project firmly to its context.
