The Netherlands
As on the river, there is also a high quay and a low
quay, though in this case their significance will be very
different, and their relative elevations are also closer.
By lowering part of the narrow profile that runs along
the houses, contact with the water is increased, and
views onto the narrow watercourse are optimised.Town and riverfront will be linked by three promi-
nent routes, two of them leading along former dams
planted with horse chestnuts. The various ponds
will be connected by means of culverts under these
dams. In the third route, an arched bridge will cross
from the soft bank to the stony one.The low river quay
The river is subject to great extremes: 5m differ-
ence between its high and low water levels. The
design must therefore be capable of withstanding
the current and everything it carries.The low quay is an industrious place – representa-
tive like the high quay, but also functional and stur-dy. Robust by design, it features the characteristic
mooring bollards. In short, it is a quay that can take
a lot of punishment, especially in winter, when it
will be under water.Like many other quays in the Netherlands, it is paved
with a material that can be transported to the site
by barge: Belgian cobblestones. This uneven paving
provides a subtle contrast with the tautness of the
river wall. The cobbles in question are second-hand
stones from the quarry at Quenast – one of the
softer materials, which over the years will produce a
relatively flat surface. While reasonably comfortable
for walkers, this is not the easiest paving to walk
on. However, such aspects are subsidiary to the
ambience the stones create on the high quay, their
blue-grey tint the colour of a lowland river, fitting the
palette selected for the materials overall: blue-grey,
black and white.Just like this material, the pointing will be irregular,
though the stones are nonetheless made with a6.4
IJssel cross-section: promenade (raised level)
6.5
Photo: the materials of the lower quay