Ypenburg is a location in development situated near The Hague. It became available after the military airport ‘Ypenburg’ had disappeared. The whole plan is divided into different fields. The fields that differ in program, use of space, properties of the landscape, architectural and urban development should generate a variety in residential areas. The different fields are subdivided into sub-plans; each plan consists of 500 to 800 dwellings. The program for sub-plan 6 was assigned to the contractor d’Artagnan including the design of West 8.

A formal set-up characterizes the environment of sub-plan 6. The main structure is formed by a system of long avenues and broad boulevards. The plan contains 497 low-rise dwellings and 155 apartments in various price categories, a school and a sports centre.

Three special places are voids in the web: a park in the north, a public garden with an intimate atmosphere and the boulevard. Each dwelling is situated on one of these public spaces or on a street that leads to one of them. The three public spaces have their own identity, which is illustrated by a specific open space development.

The basic assumption for the plan is twofold: on the one hand to make individual houses in a suburban framework, on the other hand to develop an urban identity, which has been stated for Ypenburg. An investigation of possible combinations of different types of houses should make it possible to achieve these goals. A mix of houses, with differences in height is characteristic for the plan. The mix arises through different floor-heights, varying number of floors and differences in the direction of the roof surfaces. Within the program of this area, enough typological differences can be found to apply this principle for the entire area. The proposal is based on a calm and coherent architecture for the whole neighbourhood.