The Netherlands
Trees species are chosen that can cope with to
the wet conditions pertaining at the site. The trees
are planted in a very shallow hole; in this way, it is
hoped that the high water level will not cause the
roots too many direct problems.
The bridge over the canal
The almost literal leap over the river between the
old and new town will be made on an arched bridge
for cyclists and pedestrians. This will be built on
a supporting framework consisting of two arched
tubes 18m in length. The construction consists of a
deck, anchored to a framework of beams to reduce
vibration. The railings along the quayside and the
bridge will create a single unity, though both will be
simpler than those along the riverside.
Evaluation
Doesburg is in fact a very small town on the River
IJssel. The river and its dikes are out of scale in rela-
tion to the shape of the town. The project designed
by OKRA landscape architects has answered the
scale of the landscape and the river more than
that of the town. The enormous amounts of water
flooding between the dikes asked for solutions that
were far beyond the scale of the tiny city. Several
solutions were possible. The most usual solution
in Dutch water engineering is one produced by a
technical mind, not from the heart, one which does
not take any notice of the context.
The way OKRA dealt with the problem was more
typical of the approach in Dutch architecture. The
first question the designer must ask is: For whom
are we doing this? And then: What is the context
we are working in? Of course, there was a technical
problem to be addressed: How to protect the town
of Doesburg against water? But for the designers
it was more interesting to find a way to make this
place recognisable and authentic. In this, OKRA
succeeded very well. The place may be out of scale
for the town, but it indicates where a town is situ-
ated along the river, and, more importantly, which
town is situated in this location. There are a lot of
places in Holland that are more or less similar to this
situation, but thisdesign story is unique.
