Dream neighborhood designed with future inhabitants

09/06/07

Today DUS presented their proposal for the urban plan to supervisor Floris Alkemade (OMA). His comment: Promising!

A unique neighborhood designed after the unique wishes of its inhabitants? That would be possible in Almere. DUS designed a special neighborhood in the suburb of Almere called Homeruskwartier, in cooperation with some future inhabitants. The project displays that participation with future inhabitants does not have to evolve into a standard dwelling area.

The Y-plan is the outcome of a preliminary inventory of wishes from the reference group that was linked to the competition. The Y-principle guarantees nice peek-a-boo views, cute corners and space for spontaneous encounters. It stands for an optimal mathematic relation between dwelling floorage, garden size and an amount of public space. By repeating the Y-principle, short and characteristic streets emerge. The high level of repetition ensures cost reduction, there is a great variety of dwelling typologies and there are many corner-houses. In other words: The Y of Homerus is like Columbus' egg.

Client: AM Wonen
Program: Urban plan 200 single family homes
Location: Homeruskwartier Almere, NL
Phase: 2nd round competition
Project team: Hans Vermeulen, Martine de Wit, Hedwig Heinsman