New impetus in Parklaan Eindhoven (NL)

When the time came to replace the sewer in Villapark Eindhoven, the city decided to remodel Parklaan and part of Kievitlaan at the same time. The remodelling has given added allure to the urban conservation area of old villas and greenery. The client and contractor talk about the remodelling of the public space.

Management spokesperson Frank Volleberg from the city of Eindhoven explains, ‘The remodelling project consisted of eight phases. We started with the EMVI tender in the autumn of 2013. The first step was to install new waste water and rainwater sewer systems. At the same time, we replaced the domestic connections. This involved re-installing all the foundations and laying new paving. We also narrowed the roadway to make more space for greenery. The civil works were complete by the end of 2014, and we finalised the project by redesigning the greenery. And that was that.’

‘Parklaan is a well-known street in Eindhoven,’ explains Frank. ‘It is one of the city’s oldest, and an important cycle route. The street runs straight across Villapark, a protected urban landscape of majestic avenues and greenery. The character of the area and continuity of the cycle route were important elements of the design.’

‘We replaced the asphalt on the road with clay pavers from Vandersanden. In view of the importance of the cycle route, we made sure that the cycle paths were properly paved. To inject unity into the streetscape, we opted for a colour mix of Vandersanden pavers that were as close as possible to the red of the asphalt path. The clay pavers give a sense of vibrancy and freshness under the dense canopy of the trees. My colleague Evard Kuijpers, the designer of the public space, really created something special with it,’ explains Frank Volleberg.

Kroeze Infra was commissioned by principal contractor Maas BV to lay the paving. The contractor was Wilco van Duinen: ‘In total we laid around 5,000 m² of paving mechanically, on a foundation of 30 cm mixed aggregate and 5 cm crushed sand. The laying went very well. Although there’s always a negligible size difference in clay pavers, these pavers in particular were very easy to work with. We used a Hunklinger clamp attached to an eight-tonne mini-digger.’

‘For us as the contractor, it was a fantastic project. We have given one of the oldest streets in Eindhoven a new look. The finish matches the image of the area perfectly, and the clay stones combine fantastically with the old natural stone kerbs,’ explains Wilco van Duinen.

New green areas have been created on either side of Parklaan. These areas adorn the streetscape and improve the planting site for the trees.

Frank Volleberg

Frank continues, ‘We chose perennials and a management form based on natural cycles. In the autumn, the foliage dies off and the leaves fall from the trees. We’ll leave some of them on the ground as a mulch layer, to provide extra nutrients for the soil. At the end of February, before the plants start to grow again for the spring, we’ll clip them to a height of around ten centimetres, which will make the green areas somewhat bare. But after a few days, new growth will start to appear and just a few weeks later, the new plants will be recognisable again.’