The Netherlands

West 8 urban design & landscape architecture b.v.

Nico Koomanskade 1021
3072 LM Rotterdam
The Netherlands

+31 (0) 10 485 5801

Belgium

West 8 Brussels urban design & landscape architecture bvba

Waaienberg 123
1745 Opwijk
Belgium

+31 (0) 10 485 5801

United States

West 8 urban design & landscape architecture p.c.

2133 Arch Street, Suite 101
Philadelphia, PA 19103
United States of America

+1 347 371 2252

Panorama Nederland: Sustainability and Resilience in Action

Netherlands, Europe

Illustrating how the major issues of today can be the key to welcome, structural improvements for our country in the coming decades.

Panorama Nederland addresses the following Core Challenges and Vision for the Netherlands:

    1. How Water Connects Us: Water is central to the Netherlands’ identity and survival. Efficient water management can address challenges like flooding and drought while enhancing landscapes, biodiversity, and urban quality.
    2. Rich Farmland: The New Deal between farmers and society aims to transition to circular, sustainable practices that balance food production with environmental stewardship, benefiting both people and nature.
    3. More Time for Each Other: With increasing urban migration and shrinking households, smarter urban planning around transport hubs will reduce travel times, preserve open spaces, and improve overall livability.
    4. New Energy: Drastically reducing CO2 emissions requires integrating renewable energy solutions into spatial planning. Urban areas must adopt localized energy systems, while landscapes are adapted for sustainable energy production where feasible.

 

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities


Revitalizing Landscapes & Empowering Communities

The Panorama Nederland exhibition toured the Netherlands and consisted a physical panorama, where visitors can physically step inside to take a look at a cleaner, more cohesive and prosperous Netherlands, as well as a publication explaining the choices and principles to get there. The document is available to download in Dutch here.

An English summary is available here.

Panorama Gelderse
Rivers

After the presentation of Panorama Nederland, the Province of Gelderland asked West 8 to create a visually similar presentation that shows how the four major rivers that run through Gelderland—the Waal, the Nederrijn-Lek, the IJssel, and the Maas—shape the landscape and the challenges and opportunities each of these unique landscapes faces. 

Panorama Nederland

Client
College van Rijksadviseurs

Partners
Vereniging Deltametropool

Imagery
© West 8
© Vereniging Deltametropool
© Bas Kijzers

 

 

Panorama Gelderse Rivieren

Client
Provincie Gelderland

Imagery
© West 8

From Brownfield to Green Corridor

Park aan de Stroom, Hemiksem, BE

Transforming an industrial brownfield into a green space—connecting people, parks, and ecological pathways in a reimagined riverside landscape.

Reviving the landscape: from industrial past to a sustainable future where nature, community, and history intertwine along the Scheldt River.

 

Building on
Historical Soils

 

A dynamic landscape where sustainable design meets rich history in an evolving green network.

 

Client
Consortium Park aan de Stroom
[Compagnie Het Zoute, NOVUS Projects, Straco Real Estate]

Partners
SWECO

Imagery
© West 8

Integrating Nature and Neighborhood

Collievijverpark, Roeselare, BE

Restitching an urban environment and reconnecting it with its hydrological past.

The ’t Groen Hart development transforms a former hospital site near the Roeselare city center into a sustainable, mixed-use area with housing, retail, and healthcare facilities. This strategic revitalization addresses significant challenges, including a lack of green space, poor permeability, and frequent flooding due to the underground diversion of a creek. At the heart of the redesign is a central park featuring the reimagined path of the former creek, which will now be represented by a dry riverbed running through the park, serving both as a landscape feature and a flood mitigation system.

The development prioritizes an active, pedestrian-friendly ground plane that encourages community interaction and enhances accessibility. This approach fosters connectivity and strengthens the integration of the area into the city’s urban fabric, creating a cohesive and resilient neighborhood that meets contemporary urban needs.

The Park as a Sponge: by increasing the percentage of permeable surface in the area, the plan naturally absorbs more water and mitigates flooding.

Client
ION
H. Hart Zorggroep
Coussée Bouw & Project

Partners
MARKLAND architecten
Link Lab BE
INFRAbureau DEMEY

Imagery
Renders: © ION – Coussée
Masterplan & Visuals: © West 8

Stitching Together Past and Future

Park Nolf, LOOF, Kortrijk, BE

Preserving the Legacy of the English Garden while integrating a new housing development.

Reactivating the
English Garden

Client
Compagnie Het Zoute

Partners
Office Kersten Geers & David Van Severen
Studiebureau Verhaeghe & Partners
Bollinger+Grohmann

Imagery
Renders: © Compagnie Het Zoute
Masterplan & Visuals: © West 8

A Vision for Brabant’s Landscape

Van Gogh National Park, Brabant, NL

A place where the natural world flows effortlessly into the city, a vision shaped by Van Gogh’s love for the land, creating a park that feels alive and connected.

 

Preserving
Cherished Landscapes

Stretching across cities and countryside, weaving nature and culture together, shaping sustainable a future.

-> Read the full report here.

Client
Stuurgroep Van Gogh Nationaal Park

Partners: 
Bureau Overland
van Riet Ontwerpers – Graphic Design & Layout for Booklet

Imagery
Maps & Renderings – © West 8
Photo of Kingfisher – © van Riet Ontwerpers
Painting – Kingfisher by the Waterside; Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890), Paris, July-August 1887; oil on canvas, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

Embracing the Waters Edge

Vathorst – De Laak, Amersfoort, NL

A homage to the Dutch Canal City with over 4000 dwellings – each sub-neighbourhood within De Laak has a different character and unified by the presence of Water.

The newly built neighbourhood of Vathorst is situated on the east side of the A1 highway and forms a border to the last suburban extensions of the city of Amersfoort. Between 1996 and 2000, West 8, together with Kuiper Compagnons, made a master plan for this Vinex site entitled ‘A World of Difference’. The plan contains over 11,000 dwellings, and 90 hectares of commercial, industrial and office programs and its required public facilities.
Across all the neighborhoods, the architecture is characterized by the shared use of materials – brick, natural stone, wood, high storey heights and a great deal of attention to the design of the entrance: door, light, letterbox, bell and house number.
-> More info: Vathorst Masterplan

Creating Streets & collaborating with architects and developers to compose a rich and well-connected public realm.

Grachtenrijk:
Canal City

Durable detailing & careful integration
with the surrounding landscape

Unity With Diversity:
Integrated self-build plots
within the urban composition

The public areas are dominated by the presence and access to the water, through direct mooring points and steps. West 8 also designed all bridges in the area:
-> More info: Bridges of Vathorst

Client
Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Vathorst

Partners
Kuiper Compagnons

Imagery
© West 8,  © Jeroen Musch

Cannes Waterfront

Cannes Waterfront, Côte d’Azur, FR

The Promise of the French Riviera: more than just a boulevard, the Croisette is the symbol of an exceptional city that has triumphed as an international destination.

Connecting the beach to the city
& attracting visitors from all over the world, all year round.

The Boulevard de la Croisette stands out for its multifunctionality. A theatre in itself, the boulevard welcomes the public with common and varied needs. The revitalised promenade and multifunctional spaces are designed to meet the needs of everyday life and guarantee the hosting of major events, night and day, while maintaining a balance and without creating nuisances.

The Poetry of the Parc:
Connectivity, Contemplation & Escape

Client
City of Cannes

Project Team
West 8 – Lead Landscape Architect, Masterplan design
Urbicus – Landscape Architect
Suez Consulting – Civil / Hydraulic Engineering
Atelia – Building / MEP Engineering
Transitec – Mobility Consultant
Agence On – Lighting consultant
JML – Fountain engineering
Cronos Conseil – Security and safety consultant
Studio Alma – Rendering

Imagery
© West 8

Living, Working & Relaxing

Pier of Scheveningen, The Hague, NL

Designing a public, iconic work on the Dutch Coast- inhabited and visited 365 days a year, 24/7.

A new vision for the coastal condition: a micro-city in the sea

 

 

 

 
A prime example for sustainable building and living at sea – for everyone to enjoy

Client
KondorWessels Vastgoed

Team
West 8, Elephant studio

Imagery
© West 8

Revitalizing an Industrial Neighborhood

Plan for Westerwal, Oudewater, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Transformation of a small historical industrial district into a lively, mixed-use neighborhood.

Linking the past and present through street types and housing typologies: taking inspiration from the surrounding factory buildings, warehouses, barracks buildings, and wooden workers’ houses.

Client
Gemeente Woerden/Oudewater

Developer
Samen Thuis Vastgoedontwikkeling

Team
West 8 – Stedenbouwkundige Plan + Supervisie
Hans Been Architecten BNA – Architect
Monadnock Architecten – Architect
Drong omgeving en techniek – Civiel
Reuvers ontwikkeling & bouw – Aannemer

Imagery

© West 8

Defining Place through Ecology

North Bayshore Parks & Open Space Framework, CA, USA

Transcending the outmoded paradigm of the single-use office park, the North Bayshore Masterplan is a unique collaboration between Google, the City of Mountain View, and several design firms to establish a framework plan for a uniquely vibrant, diverse, inclusive, mixed-use urban community nested in a healthy, ecologically-rich environment.

The layered framework plan for North Bayshore includes over 34 acres of open space and natural areas, 7,000 new additional housing units, of which 15% will be affordable, education, and a variety of retail and community amenities.

 

Establishing a public realm that is rooted in place, benefitting both humans and nature.

 

Developing a versatile open space toolkit to permit replicability while offering unique experiences through the selection and placement of the programmatic drivers.

 

-> For more information on the North Bayshore Masterplan, visit the project website.

Client
Google
Lendlease

City of Mountain View

Team
Hassel –  Master Planning + Urban Design
SiteLAB Urban Studio – Masterplan
West 8 – Parks and Open Space
Urban Field – Urban Design
Sera  – Office Architect
SCB – Residential Architect
Second Nature – Ecology
H.T. Harvey – Landscape & Ecology
Sherwood – Stormwater and District Water
Fehr & Peers – Transportation
Kier + Wright – Civil and Infrastructure

Imagery
Header Image: © Google
Other Imagery: © West 8

Immersed in the Nature Experience

Hudson Valley Eco-Resort and Residences, Catskills NY, USA

Respecting and reflecting the natural surroundings, the Hudson Valley Eco-resort invites visitors to explore the picturesque and sublime landscapes of upper New York.

Understanding the precious River Valley:
cultivating natural features & creating unforgettable landscape destinations

West 8 designed a strategic network of permeable pathways, pedestrian and vehicular bridges, and private roadways to connect the variety of different dewlling types and amenities of the area.

Framing Agrarian Traditions
Within the Riparian Landscape

Gateway to Minnewaska State Park:
The Nevele Falls Territoire

Client
Somerset Realty Advisors LLC

Team
West 8 – Lead landscape masterplan

Consultants
LaBella Associates

Imagery
© West 8

Header Image
© Andrew Moore

Protecting, Connecting & Unlocking

De Nieuwe Kern, Amsterdam, NL

Placemaking through Accessibility: Embedding smart mobility strategies and environmental links where the existing stadium, station, motorway, surrounding nature and the new developments can exist in harmony.

 

Embedding sport infrastructure, smart sustainable practices and urban ecologies within the public realm

Client
Gemeente Ouder-Amstel
NS Vastgoed/NS Stations
VolkerWessels Vastgod
Gemeente Amsterdam

Imagery
© West 8