Stadslandgoed de Kemphaan Architecture
The development of the estate began tentatively with places for organic gardening from an outdoor centre left over when he...
The development of the estate began tentatively with places for organic gardening from an outdoor centre that had been left over when the Almeerderhout forest area had been planted. In 1991, they decided to establish an urban estate there. Kees Hunt designed a tight rectangle of wide ditches, with a multifunctional building at its centre. On its south side are two islands on which old monkeys from the Stichting AAP are allowed to roam. On the other side follows a formal section, bordered by double beech hedges on raised embankments. The paths in this section are dead straight. From the building, a long sightline extends into a wilder part of the estate, where you can stroll and wander. There, there is a maze and a replica of an old sheep barn. In the woodland surrounding the formal middle section, a variety of features have been added, making the estate attractive to the public. Children's holiday land is located there and a nature campsite. There is a biodynamic farm and a large greenhouse houses a jungle garden with play areas for children. Stichting AAP has two shelters there and Staatsbosbeheer a sturdy wooden structure with a café and shop near the popular climbing forest Fun Forest. Part of the surrounding forest has been created as an open-air museum for all tree species found in the polder. De Kemphaan has become a pleasure garden, where the connection between city and nature is experienced everywhere.
