The project is located in Stokkem, in the Maasvalley in Limburg. It is situated near the nature reserve Kerkeweerd, this is used as a natural flooding zone for the river Maas. The dyke’s are removed from the Maas and relocated further away. In Stokkem the dyke runs along the village and creates a barrier between village and nature reserve. In my masterplan I addressed this issue and reattached Stokkem to its surroundings. The site has potential for agriculture and tourism, however the specific conditions require a different approach then traditional agriculture uses. A combination of nature conservation and agriculture offers a durable solution. The project chooses ecological agriculture as a modern and sustainable answer for the future and offers an alternative to enormous agricultural facilities that are scattered throughout the Limburg landscape.
The concept of an ecological agriculture is the creation of a cycle wherein the external input is minimized. A combination of livestock and market gardening creates a durable cycle. As well as the spaces for production and storage the project has a farmshop and farmhouse. A big challenge in the project was creating an agricultural complex near the village, this also meant a design that reflects the grain of the village. To minimize the footprint of the project it is a single building with two levels, a level that is situated at the street and a second level by the higher dyke. On the street level you can find the spaces for the farm functions. The second level exists of three volumes (shop, house and hayloft) around a central open space. This space is an intensive greenroof that is used as a garden and yard. The durable concept of the agriculture complex is reflected in materials and installation resulting in a building that provides in its own energy.