2016 - 2019
Edam Volendam, Europaplein en Zeestraat
2016 - 2019
Edam Volendam, Europaplein en Zeestraat
Although Edam and Volendam belong to the same municipality, they are very different. Edam is a compact fortified town that has traditionally held a rich trading function. Volendam originated as a fishing village along the Zuiderzee dike. These differences in character form the basis of the vision for the public space with recommendations for implementation and maintenance.
Location
Volendam
Client
Gemeente Edam-Volendam
Year
2016 - 2019
Surface Area
1 ha
In the narrow streets of Edam, for example, there is no room for raised sidewalks along the roadway. Instead, there are lattice strips along the facades. On the main streets, they are executed in yellow clinkers. Volendam is a robust village. We want to emphasize this in the materials and details of the public space. The basic material for the pavement is a powerful red clinker. Markings and edges are tight and minimalistic. The vision and the handbook deal with many more aspects of the public space, such as water and green structures, traffic and the specialization of important places.
In the run-up to this project, we organized a number of cycling tours with representatives of all the parties involved. These were experts from the municipality, but also residents and local entrepreneurs. This provided important information about the bottlenecks and possibilities. The people of Edam would like to see fewer cars inside the fortress. The accessibility and parking facilities need to be addressed. There is also a desire for a fast cycle route between Edam and Volendam and a footpath around the village. The Kaasmarkt (cheese market) and the Dam could use a facelift. In Volendam, tourism on the Dijk was the main issue. It is often very busy there.
Based on the established vision, Bureau B+B designed Europaplein and the adjacent Zeestraat. Every Saturday there is a market and the annual fair is a highlight for many Volendammers. It was a great challenge to design a public space that provides space for all these activities, but is also attractive in the meantime. Especially the integration of the trees proved to be a puzzle.
For the Zeestraat we designed a roadway, accompanied by Elm trees. The parking spaces along the carriageways run subtly through into the pavement of the pedestrian area. Europaplein will have a central terrace with a special paving: the pattern is derived from the Volendam traditional costume. The square is further embellished with a water element and a planting trough with robinias and magnolias. A continuous edge runs along the facades, forging the square and the street into a unified entity.
