Next to the train station you can see the first phase of the new Van Leeuwenhoekpark in Delft. It will be 40 metres wide and 600 metres long and it is constructed on top of the railway station. The park is made by Baljon Landschapsarchitecten and designed with slopes, pathways and places for different activities such as skating. Tunnel objects, such as flight routes, have been integrated into the design as park elements.

To optimise the urban micro climate, Baljon collaborated with the TU Delft. The BK faculty modelled the design and measured its effect on sun, wind and heat. This led to changes in the design such as moving trees for optimising shadow and the addition of a water fountain. To make the design nature inclusive trees have been chosen to elongate the nectar season and butterfly gardens have been added.

To increase resident participation a temporary park on the Engelsestraat was realised. This allowed for almost one hundred residents to participate in surveys and brainstorm sessions.

Brain Teaser
How would you involve residents in the design process? What would be the pros and cons?Temporary functions are a great way of using the available space within the city. When do you think it is “worth it” to design temporary functions, for example when (a part of ) a site will be bare for only half a year, or 2 or only when it will not have a function for 5 years or more?

Sources
Delft Van Leeuwenhoekpark | Baljon. (n.d.). Baljon. https://www.baljon.nl/home/projecten/delft-van-leeuwenhoekpark/

Voorlichter. (2023, March 27). Van Leeuwenhoekpark – Nieuw Delft. Nieuw Delft. https://nieuwdelft.nl/portfolio/van-leeuwenhoekpark