In order to understand how the local landscape works, Grontmij started out with a historical analysis of the landscape. Having studied historic maps of the region, various areas were chosen to naturally collect water and allow it to slowly flow back to the Kleine Beerze via the groundwater. Grontmij signed up for the design and the execution thereof.
Turning the water system upside-down
The design completely reverses the existing water system. The principle is not quick drains, but the actual retention of water: each area looks after its own marshes. Water from various sources and in a variety of qualities, such as water from rural or urban areas, is collected separately and filtered into the soil as much as possible.
The Kleine Beerze: a trickling brook
With this new system, the Kleine Beerze will be a trickling brook, fed entirely by rain and seepage water from the surrounding area. This creates the perfect conditions for the development of a rare and valuable marshland in the Molenbroek. In addition to water, an ABC has been drawn up for the province of Brabant, the province through which the Beerze flows. A road map along exceptional places with beautiful stories to tell. ABC stands for: Adventurous, Burgundian and Culture-rich Brabant. Adventurous, Burgundian and Culture-rich Brabant
Adventurous Brabant
An area rich in adventure was created in the stream valley of the Kleine Beerze. Wandering through the marshes and endless nature sanctuaries with tree house campgrounds and stays in beaver lodges.
Burgundian Brabant
The very identity of Brabant. Hospitality, joie de vivre, joviality and enjoyment are pervasive in the landscape and the villages.
Culture-rich Brabant
The plan area is a veritable treasure trove of cultural history, folk tales and eventful histories. These are told on the junctions of the intricate web of roads and pats in this extraordinary region.
First prize EO Wijers Contest
This design, ‘De Beerze op waterbasis’, earned Grontmij the first prize in the prestigious EO Wijers Contest in 2006. The plan is innovative and has actually made the step from brook development to area development. The EO Wijers Foundation organises a contest once in every two years so as to promote innovative solutions for spatial issues.
“We are thoroughly enchanted by Grontmij’s plan! It will make Brabant so much more beautiful, exciting and sustainable. A total approach and a thoroughly reliable plan,” in the wording of the jury report.