Urban development plan for Koningsoord, Berkel-Enschot

With the centrally situated abbey grounds falling vacant, Berkel-Enschot has been presented with the opportunity to realize a village heart of which it is worthy. The proposed programme is appreciable; the desired effect is rustic. The plan, developed in close consultation with all parties concerned, positions a new shopping centre and characteristically high and dense development for the centre around the edge of the monastery site. A market square marks the transition from old to new. These interventions turn the abbey into the focal point of the new centre and reinforce the open/public character of the abbey gardens. Behind the high construction around the perimeter there is room for low-rise development and more open plots.