From military barracks to green oasis — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

Landscape architects Karres en Brands, in collaboration with Wenink Holtkamp and Namo Architecture, have revealed plans to transform a former military barracks in the Netherlands into a vibrant community.

Their design for Barracks Quarter Crailo was the winning tender to develop the first stage of the Crailo neighbourhood, a green oasis in the Gooi region surrounded by nature but hidden from the public.

The site’s original Colonel Palm Barracks ensemble informs its new structure, with a refurbished kitchen building alongside the central green forming a main focus. This transformed building will become a cultural and arts centre, with work and education spaces.

A constellation of new residential buildings are to be constructed using a modular building system with timber structural elements. These will cover a variety of housing typologies, with detached units such as forest houses, rowhouses and apartments, all immersed in nature.

Parts of the project will be completed by the end of this year.

These dwellings are all organised in recognisable clusters to form strong communities, with interaction stimulated through landscape and architectural design.

The entire site will be built following nature inclusive principles, with existing buildings and materials being transformed and reused wherever possible. Ultimately the site will generate more energy than it consumes.

The design for Barracks Quarter Crailo was the winning tender to develop the first stage of the Crailo neighbourhood.

The architecture of the new units will be an integral part of the landscape, following the principles of silent architecture. This approach draws inspiration from the cultural and natural surroundings of a project, allowing it to become an extension of its context.

In the case of Barracks Quarter Crailo, the clusters of buildings are carefully positioned in the existing forest in a way that preserves the area’s natural qualities, interconnected by a network of characterful pathways through the landscape.

The green oasis in the Gooi region will be surrounded by nature but hidden from the public.

The jury commended, “the careful design and clear approach to silent architecture. The transformation of the existing buildings was also appreciated as intelligent and contemporary, generating exciting spaces while at the same time managing to seamlessly integrate affordable housing.”

Barracks Quarter Crailo’s first steps are planned for the end of 2023.