PROJECT
Inspiration park NOA outdoor living
Polydore Rensonstraat 8
9770 Kruisem (Belgium)
CLIENT
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
GARDEN CONTRACTOR
CLAY PAVERS
SeptimA Mix: Auburn, Taupe, Colosseum and Onyx
FACING BRICKS
Book your appointment for a free visit here
Photos: © Vande Moortel (Eli Lammertyn)
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NOA outdoor living: Vande Moortel as partner in internationally oriented, unique inspiration park
NOA outdoor living where 30 high-end partners join forces to create the ultimate outdoor living experience
Here you can experience outdoor living like nowhere else. Just the fact that all these gardens are integrated in a large landscaped park is unique. Garden and landscape architect Koen Rygole: “It turns it into one big experience rather than an outdoor showroom. The original idea was for the gardens to be concentrated in a small area and to keep the rest of the park for staff. It was my suggestion to make use of the whole site and create a circular walk of approximately half a kilometre past the gardens, each with its own atmosphere for the visitor to enjoy.”
Showgarden 'Eden': Elegantia Titaan
That way, the experience will stay with visitors for longer because it’s not seen as a showroom. You find yourself in a cocoon, as it were, away from the neighbouring industrial park in Kruisem. When the client first laid eyes on the quick sketch produced by Koen, he was immediately won over and commissioned him to carry out the outdoor installation. The different settings of the gardens are, in turn, a concept by Maister. The park is now open but naturally, it will take time for it to take on the form envisaged by the team. And that form is one where the distracting surroundings will be blocked out even more by the mature greenery.
The Plaza: (stairs) SeptimA mix Auburn, Taupe, Colosseum and Onyx
Topical issues such as mobility, climate change, water management, new forms of housing, health and relaxation were addressed by holding brainstorming sessions and workshops. Each topic was incorporated in the various atmospheres and gardens within the park that functions as an outdoor showroom and experience centre. Another current challenge, especially in an urban context, are the often limited outside spaces. NOA outdoor living also takes these into account by presenting rather compact gardens, albeit with the necessary level of comfort.
Transition between footpath and demo gardens: SeptimA mix Auburn, Taupe, Colosseum and Onyx
As a partner, Vande Moortel has a strong presence within the park – which is sometimes subtle and surprising – not only in the diverse settings themselves but also in the transition from the circular path to the various show gardens. A special mix of clay pavers was put together for these by burO Groen. So in these places throughout the park, you will find a mix of SeptimA Auburn, Taupe, Colosseum and Onyx
Reception pavilion: SeptimA Olive
Another clay paver – SeptimA Olive – plays its own crucial role in the water-permeable paving of the outside parking area where the H2O Natural Clay Paving principle has been applied. Visitors arrive at this parking area when entering the site from the industrial park and immediately feel as if they have stepped into another world. This is the lowest point,
giving visitors a strong feeling of isolation. After finding a parking space – in the underground car park if the weather is bad – you walk through the welcome pavilion to the main entrance. You pass the central square – ‘Plaza’ – that is intended to be used for networking events and lectures for professional garden and landscape architects. It is the embodiment of the courtyard of a boutique hotel and from here, you get a view of an open landscape garden and the icing on the cake: the 400-metre-long circular walk that takes you past the various themed gardens.
All of them have been designed according to the latest innovations and trends and all the effort that went into them has certainly paid off.
Demo garden 'City': Elegantia Vanille
For instance, next to ‘Plaza’ you will find the ‘Pavilion’, ‘Lounge’ and ‘Eden’ gardens where Elegantia Titaan and Ancienne Belgique Pearl Grey clay pavers have been used. Show garden ‘City’ demonstrates how you can get creative in a small city garden. Here, a beautiful, striking black/white contrast has been created between SeptimA Graphite and the surrounding white plastered garden walls. In turn, Elegantia Vanilla harmonises wonderfully with the tropical hardwood, its narrow format and light yellow colour creating a pleasant feeling of ‘open space’. In another compartment within ‘City’, SeptimA Salvia has been laid in a circle in a playful way, creating an ideal base for the matching bench seat from Extremis.
Demo garden 'City': SeptimA Graphite
Demo garden 'City': SeptimA Salvia
Demo garden 'City': SeptimA Salvia
Demo garden 'Lounge': Ancienne Belgique Pearl Grey
The elegant garden path laid using the special SeptimA mix leads you to ‘Lodge’, a wonderful example of what you can achieve with a tiny house. Garden offices are currently in great demand: ‘Office’ is a fully furnished example for you to admire, where red-brown SeptimA Amarant has been used for the terrace.
Demo garden 'Office': SeptimA Amarant
‘Residential’ embodies what many of us would class as our dream garden, namely an inviting place to enjoy and relax in a natural setting. Here, your eye is caught by the monumental wall built using linea 3007 brick slips which, along with internal walls and terraces in SeptimA Sepia and Ancienne Belgique Camel, form this monumental pavilion.
Demo garden 'Residential': SeptimA mix Auburn, Taupe, Colosseum and Onyx and linea 3007
Demo garden 'Residential': linea 3007
Demo garden 'Residential': Ancienne Belgique Camel
Demo garden 'Residential': SeptimA Sepia
You will discover a lot more surprising ideas during your walk. In ‘Wellness’, for example, the theme of which – unsurprisingly – is rejuvenation and complete relaxation, SeptimA Anthracite clay pavers have been used for the platform for the saunas, jacuzzi and relaxation room.
Demo garden 'Wellness': SeptimA Anthracite
And what can we say about ‘Lakeside’, the luxurious pavilion on an enchanting lake that you come across at the end of the walk? Something else that you won’t forget in a hurry. There by the pond is the ideal place to unwind in silence and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The presence of the NOA brasserie means that you can start or finish your visit with a wonderful lunch.
NOA is a never-ending story that will evolve over time. There will undoubtedly be developments within our landscape that will also have to be taken into account. The gardens will also serve as a platform for presenting new products to the public so that slight changes will be made to the various gardens every year. And it is the ideal place for cross-pollination between garden and landscape architects and architects. That’s because there is nowhere else where you will find different – not only national but also international – players in outdoor living together in one big outdoor showroom.
Demotuin 'City': SeptimA Grafiet
Comparable case studies
DecimA Graphite clay pavers add a playful touch and variety to the project
In summer 2017 the ZuidBoulevard was officially opened with a large public festival. The boulevard is a unique promenade offering visitors and residents a mix of functions. Along it you will find the new city library, three apartment buildings and various shops.
