Quay on the River IJssel, Doesburg
along the IJssel. It is narrow, with trees planted on
the low part. At 2.20m in height, the wall is a little
higher than a man. A vertical wall spans the differ-
ence in elevation between the high quay and the
lower one along the water.
The profile is narrow, comparable to that of an urban
canal in the western Netherlands. The high quay
is paved with black Dutch clinker bricks, with the
edging along the house paved in stretcher bond.
The steps to the house lie within this zone. Gently
sloping ramps to the inner area and the ground floor
entrance of the house are made on the inner side
of the block, thus improving access for less able-
bodied residents and visitors. The roadway is laid in
herringbone bond, bordered by a double stretcher
bond, with narrow gutters of the same width as the
stretcher sections. The edge of the quayside con-
trasts with the paved area, which repeats the white
semi-hard paving used on the high river quay.
The high quay is lit. In consultation with the police, it
was decided that the housing areas – and thus the
high quay – would be very well lit. To avoid a false
sense of security, however, the low quay is unlit.
Thus, after dark, the high quay will be the safe route.
Along the canal, due to the limited space and the
presence of trees on the other side, the lighting
armatures are fixed to the houses. On the river
quay, the lamp standards are spaced along the road-
side at a sufficient distance from the trees, with the
interplay of lights and trees creating a rhythm of
their own. By the passageways through to the inner
area, armatures of the same type are suspended
from overhead wires – a subtle transition from the
public area to the semi-public inner court.The low canal quay
The wall of the quay along the canal is concave. In
contrast with the river quay, it contains horizontal
lines. It is faced in bricks of the so-called Hilversum
format, an extra-long brick introduced in the 1920s
by the Hilversum town architect, Dudok. Access to
those who wish to walk directly along the waterside
is provided by narrow steps and by an extra flight
of steps enclosed in the quay wall. With its single
span, the bridge over the canal connects the hard
quay with the soft bank. The route along the low
quay is continuous, even though, as with the river
quay, it was decided to make the higher quay easier
to walk on, and to make the extra route along the
lower more adventurous. The quay is paved with
Belgian cobbles of the same type as those used
along the riverside.The length of the quay and its limited width are
also reflected in the details. To provide space for a
narrow, obstacle-free path, the spaces in which the
trees are planted are orientated longitudinally.6.9
Design principles of the bridge