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LOLA landscape architects
SINGELPARK
Leiden full circle

Lola Landscape Architects, Singelpark Design Competition, book

1. Foreword
2. Leiden and the Singels
3. A new park for Leiden
4. Singelpark: Leiden full circle
5. Maximum diversity
6. Intuitive navigation
7. Cosmopolitan nature
8. Free space
9. Our team
Colofon
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p. 7
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p. 51
Table of contents

5
Leiden has acknowledged the most important park concept of our time:
the Singelpark will become an attractive ring of interlaced parks wrapped
around the heart of the historic inner city. From NewYork to Singapore,
the phenomenon of the ‘linear park’ is the 21st century response to our
contemporary green needs: connectivity, breathing space, biodiversity. The
Singelpark will become the one and only linear park that goes full circle: a
single continuous space and ecological connection.
Something extraordinary is happening in the heart of Leiden. The citizens
of Leiden collectively embrace the development of the Singelpark with
unequaled enthusiasm. Leiden’s residents are very influential and engaged
with the development of their city, as they have proven in the past with their
participation in the RijnGouwelijn and Nieuw Leyden projects.
Yet, the Singelpark is not just a plan or a project, it is an ideal. It is the ideal
of a greener, more sustainable, beautiful, exciting Leiden. It is an ideal to
value for at least the coming twenty years and hopefully for the coming
century. A project on such a scale, with such extensive plans, requires
flexibility in strategic choices and at the same time, timelessness in the
design implementation. Simply put, the Singelpark will be tailor-made for
the people of Leiden. It should give inspiration in a way that can still be felt in
the coming ten or twenty years.
The vision that lies before the reader is based on the knowledge we
obsessively gained in the past two months about Leiden, its history, its
challenges and its people. It is based on our conception of city parks, nature
and society.We visited and photographed the city extensively, met with and
interviewed people, read books and researched the web.We hope the result
is an idea that makes Leiden proud.
1. Foreword

6
1200 1899
1575 1966
1630 1992
1725 2012
1850 2040?
Leiden’s history through the glasses of the Singelpark

7
2. Leiden and the Singels
In order to answer the question on what the future identity of the Singelpark
could be, it is important to understand Leiden’s identity today, and the role of
the Singelpark within it.
History: from Golden to sixteen shades of Green
The footprint of the Singelpark is set in the Golden Age, when civic life
flourished in all its aspects: economy, culture and science. For almost two
centuries the canals and bulwarks that were built in the 17th century formed
the façade of the city. They are the monuments of the most turbulent and
wealthy era of the history of Leiden: starting with the dramatic Leidens
Ontzet, followed by the constitution of the University and the Hortus
Botanicus, the booming of the textile industry and the lives of painters like
Van Rijn, Lievens,Van Goyen and Dou.
In the 19th century the city burst out of its defense line seams and the ring
of bulwarks was occupied by a myriad of functions: cemeteries, factories,
buildings, and an attractive park, the Plantsoen. In the second half of the 20th
century, the functions of the first wave of occupation of the bulwarks slowly
disappeared, and since the 1980’s the numerous industrial complexes have
been converted into a new range of urban functions. In the meantime and
very gradually, the amount of park space has been enlarged. Through time,
the primary function of the Singels changes from merely defense to a more
diverse mix of urban functions, eventually focusing completely on leisure,
both for the inhabitants of Leiden and for visitors. In total, sixteen parks can
be discerned along the Singels. Each one of them has a different history and
different function.

8
Moving water edges through time
Monumental value: what should be preserved and what can change?
irreplaceablereplaceable

9
The monumentality of red, green and blue
The historical value of Leiden’s inner city and the Singelpark is self-evident,
but not all existing elements are equally valuable. The Singels started as
quite a generic military structure, and became more typically ‘Leiden’
through occupation and re-occupation. In order to intervene in this historical
environment, we will have to agree on the monumental value of things. The
monumental value of the existing is dependent on age, beauty, uniqueness
and the role in the narrative of the city. This narrative is expanding.
In general, green elements like trees, shrubs and lawns are considered less
monumental than built elements, like the Morspoort or the Sterrenwacht.
Natural sceneries constantly change while built city views can stay
completely unaltered for 300 years. Further to this, the water edge of the
Singel itself has altered over time. Although the shape of the Singel has
roughly stayed intact, the edges moved outward and inward, depending on
the function of the bulwarks. These historic city edges have a certain degree
of fluidity. The historical flexibility of water and green space gives a ‘moral’
position of freedom to intervene.

10
Involved citizens
Intimacy
Open water, grand views
Enjoyable park spaces

11
Contemporary qualities
Next to its historic backbone of monuments and stories, the Singels of
Leiden have some very specific fundamentals for any future development.
First of all, there is an exquisite collection of parks and spaces. For the old
examples like Groenesteeg and the Plantsoen it is obvious they do not
need a makeover: at most a gentle touch-up.Yet, the recently refurbished
Huigpark, while offering essential open space to the city, rather misses out
on vivacity in its park services and functions.
Secondly, the inner city and some parts of the Singelpark have a very
intimate character. This has a significant impact on how people use the
space: think of the Cum Laude Concerts in the courtyards of the inner
city. In no other city we have seen so many people sitting on a bench by
themselves reading a book – clearly at ease in the urban environment. The
many signs in public space with do’s and don’ts (e.g. “this planter is no
urinal” or “sail quietly”) show that the people want to keep it that way.
That leads to the third quality: the involvement of the citizens. They
have proven in the past that they can make or break any development.
The development of the RijnGouwelijn through the inner city has been
successfully blocked, whereas the Singelpark has been enthusiastically
been embraced until now. This involvement is rather unique and should be
seen as a crucial force behind the genesis of the future Singelpark.
In contrast with this intimacy of the inner city, the water of the Singel is
stunning in its size and continuity. It opens up grand views on the city and
offers the necessary open space for different user groups to each claim a
piece of the public realm without leading to conflict.

13
3. A new park for Leiden
As stated before, the Singelpark is not a regular project; it is a rather abstract
ideal, shared by the many citizens of Leiden. The ideal can be seen as a
comprehensive cloud of ideas and ambitions, a complex sequence of do’s
and don’ts that is impossible to capture in just a single image or slogan. This
is reflected in the way the competition is organized: designers are not asked
to base their ideas on a specific programme and a list of judgment criteria,
but on eleven guiding principles, the extensive results of a brainstorm
evening with the citizens of Leiden, and a qualitative essay.
To quote the essay: “Leiden is looking for the common thread, which unites
all these different areas, paths and water structures, to make the Singelpark
form and feel as one. (…) This competition aims to generate multiple ideas
for the identity and cohesion of the Leiden Singelpark.” This should result in
an overarching vision for the future as well as a very down to earth first step
that can be taken in the next five years.
When envisioning the future Singelpark, the main question is where the
balance lies between unity and diversity, between control and laissez faire.
We want it all: the question is how we want it and where we want it.

14
Singelpark towards the west

15
The green spaces along the Singels of Leiden have the potential to become
a great city park. The steps that need to be taken in order to get there will
be explained on the basis of four themes: Maximum diversity; Cosmopolitan
nature; Intuitive navigation and Free space.
4. Singelpark: Leiden full circle

Project 2: programming the park spaces
Project 1: continuous park edges
Project 3: de-streeting

19
Cities generate and attract diversity. Maximum diversity is maximum qual-
ity: satisfaction of one overall identity will be far smaller than the joy of great
diversity. That is why the Singelpark is all about diversity of life and variety of
use, connected by one continuous green ring.
Green ring. Seen from afar, the Singelpark is green ring around the city
center. This ring connects to other nearby parks, but also to nature reserves
and recreational areas at the outskirts of Leiden. The Singelpark is the cen-
tral ring in this natural network.
De-street. In order to make this green ring a reality, a low-traffic Singelpark
is preferable. To optimize the park experience there is a need to de-street
the current lay-out of the Singels. This means that the Singelpark does not
double as a continuous route for car traffic. Instead, the city center is ap-
proachable over four routes that cross the Singelpark.
Multi-layered. The Singelpark is a multi-layered figure. For centuries and
centuries, the park has seen many historical happenings and profound
changes. The Singelpark embraces this historic layering and adds to it.
For everybody. The Singelpark is for the whole public. That means its lay-
out is tailored to fit the residents of all types of backgrounds, as well as the
scholars and students of the university. Children can find their way in the
park just as easily as tourists find the highlights there.
Backbone. Starting from the inside of the Singelpark, there is the central
green ring. This is the backbone of the park: continuous, even endless. It is
recognizable and always present, composed of the water and green shores
of the Singel, having paths and trails as its main features.
Local parks. Next to the central ring are the individual parks. These parks
have their own history, their own ownership, their own looks, and their own
role in the city. The goal of the Singelpark is not to make these differences
equal. Instead the differences are amplified, resulting in a multi-colored
Singelpark, where the Huigpark differs from the Plantsoen instead of resem-
bling it.
Distinguishable quarters. Adjacent to the parks, there are the quarters of the
city itself. These consist mainly of urban blocks with a distinguishing identity.
One such example is the Rembrandt quarter which has prominent charac-
ter. These quarters are enhanced through the strengthening of their relation
with the Singelpark.
5. Maximum diversity

22
2012-2015: Closing the ring
2012: Separated islands, inaccessibe water edges

23
2020-2025: De-streeting
2012-2020: Programming the park areas

27
To experience a park pleasantly one should be able to rely on their intuition.
In product design intuitive use and navigation is a must – in landscape
design it should be too. It is worrying to see how quickly the most beautiful
places on earth become cluttered with all sorts of signs and information.
Not the Singelpark: it boasts a different concept about how people can
move through the park and how they can obtain, process and generate
information. All of this packed in a beautiful setting.
Park feeling. A route through a park is a logical and self-explanatory
element. One does not want to lose the path in a housing block or shopping
street. The presence of the Singelpark should be felt at all times. In the
Singelpark all routes are constantly accompanied by water or nature.
Follow the water. The main path should have such a clear course that literally
everybody can find it, no matter what age, IQ or nationality. To walk the
Singelpark one just needs to follow the water. The clarity is strengthened
by making the shores of the Singelpark look completely different than the
canals in the rest of the city, providing them with unique vegetation and
stylish hardscapes.
House boats. To be able to follow the water means that not all house boats
can stay where they are presently located. That does not imply we suggest
relocating them without considering the consequences: the goal is to offer
some of the house boat owners equally attractive alternative locations.
Linking park. The Singelpark is more than only the Singels and their shores.
It is a ring of independent city parks that the Singelpark links together. Each
of these parks has its own identity, use, and atmosphere. Singelpark’s path
system respects that by not passing directly through those parks, but by
linking them to its new routes.
Multiple routes. Always adjacent to parks and water, the park supports more
than one route. There is one route that is ideal for running or promenading.
This route has is composed of broad boardwalks, major hardscapes, places
to get drinks and dinner. Another route is more quiet and more natural.
There is of course also the completed route over the water.
Sun or shade. Dutchies like to walk in the sun.Whenever the weather is
fit for it, we go out to catch some rays of sun. The route system is in every
way optimized for a sunny experience.When it is too hot outside the routes
provide some shade too. All visitors have a clear choice to walk in the sun, or
to walk in a more protected condition.
6. Intuitive navigation

28
Singelpark 2 x 6,3km
High Line 2,3km
Bloomingdale Trail 4,3km
Hofpleinviaduct 1,9km
Scale comparison of linear parks

29
Slope variations
Slope options

6. Rembrandtplein and windmill De Put
5. University
4. Hortus Botanicus
3. Sterrenwacht
2. Lammenschansweg
1. Plantsoen

12. Cemetery Groenesteeg
11. Meelfabriek
10. Ankerpark
9. Blekerspark
8. NUON terrain
7. Lammermarkt

33
Bike and pedestrian ring
No inner ring for the car

34
“... de kroon is breed en koepelvormig.
De gebogen takken dragen slanke,
lange, gele twijgen die recht omlaag
NATURE
Unlock a spoken explanation
of the vegetation in the
scenery provided by experts
of the Hortus Botanicus.
Der Bedeutungswan-
del zu einem „Hof des
Friedens“ vollzog...
CULTURE
The plays held in the
amphitheater are recorded...
HISTORY
Historic places will show
their hidden stories.
... so it can be unlocked by
visitors at a later moment
and enjoyed again.
ACTIVE
Use the key to unlock special
features of the objects in the park.
Like recording your skate moves.
This lock will notice the key,
secured under the skateboard.
So the skater can view back his
moves.
Visitors can play the
recorded moves from
the skatepark.
Der Bedeutungswan-
del zu einem „Hof des
Friedens“ vollzog...
CULTURE
The plays held in the
amphitheater are recorded...
HISTORY
Historic places will show
their hidden stories.
... so it can be unlocked by
visitors at a later moment
and enjoyed again.
ACTIVE
Use the key to unlock special
features of the objects in the park.
Like recording your skate moves.
This lock will notice the key,
secured under the skateboard.
So the skater can view back his
moves.
Visitors can play the
recorded moves from
the skatepark.
Virtual concept: several possiblities of the Key to Discovery

35
No signs. The key to a sign-free park is a route system that is obvious and appealing at
the same time. One could say that this route system is curiosity driven, making signs
obsolete.
Key to discoveries. Each citizen of Leiden gets a key to the park. This key can unlock
all kinds of information and interactive applications. The information is dynamic, can be
changed from time to time and can even be generated and shared by visitors.With every
visit the Singelpark leads to new discoveries.
The main purpose of the Key to Discovery is to captivate the Singelpark visitor by unveil-
ing what is otherwise invisible, now captured in the virtual layer. The locks can be found
everywhere in the park. They are a trigger for curiosity driven navigation: “what is behind
this lock?”
All citizens of Leiden are handed the key to discover the virtual layer of the Singelpark.
By using the key the visitor unlocks locations in the park and they are able to look into
the recent history, historic past, or future of that spot. The locks to these keys are in ef-
fect gateways to the virtual layer, in the shape of common objects scattered around the
park, featuring an iconic representation of a lock to seduce the visitor to reveal whatever
is there to discover. They are generic, nondescript, general purpose, and they mostly
provide their content through associated mobile applications. It is only after using the key
that the location unveils its secret.
The Key to Discovery encourages visitors to scrutinize the parks and discover experienc-
es that are of their interest. Possible themes: Active, Cultural, Historic, Nature. The infra-
structure allows a changing program of content. For instance, during the Leidens Ontzet
celebrations, the locks allow discoveries of stories about the historic events.

38
Southeast Australia
Southeast China
South Africa
Madagscar
Argentina
East Coast USA
Gulf of Alaska
Europe
Japan
Plant collections from comparable climates will find their way to the Singelpark

39
The Singelpark is a place for residents to escape from the dense city. For
tourists, it is a chance to look at the city from a different perspective. The
world’s greatest city parks – like Central Park or the Emerald Necklace all
show a clear image of nature. In Leiden, this image should be diverse and
international.
Super-natural. The Singelpark is the place to celebrate the presence of
nature deep within the city: the presence of flowers, birds, small mammals,
fish and bees in our urban conditions. The key is to make the existence of
nature possible here, to optimize all conditions for abundant flora and fauna.
To do so, a new base flora is introduced: one of tall grasses and wild, showy
flowers.
Botanical Supplier. The Hortus Botanicus is one of the Singelpark gems:
its gardens are luscious; the history connected to it is very valuable and
appealing. Moreover, the Leiden Hortus is connected to Horti all over the
world, making an introduction of very special species from similar climate
and hardiness zones in the Singelpark possible.
Botanical Curator. The super-natural Singel and its special gardens ask for a
keen eye on its botanical health. The Hortus could act as a Botanical Cura-
tor, making sure all the species from all over the world find their way to the
right gardens in the Singelpark, with the right conditions. For the Hortus it
is a chance to expand their collections and add more public-friendly areas.
They can also contribute by sharing knowledge and training volunteers and
gardeners.
The Green Skyline. A new composition of trees in and around the Singel-
park will redefine the skyline of Leiden. As every era added its icons to the
skyline of the inner city – churches, windmills, factories – now is the time to
add a composition of giant trees, the tallest we know of. This will make the
Singelpark visible from the Burcht in the heart of the city and from many of
the tall buildings around the center. These trees will grow slowly, special
measures need to be taken to improve their growing conditions.
Echo Gardens. From façade to façade gets a whole new meaning. A series
of spectacular gardens on the outer shore of the Singel echo the special
planting inside the parks around the Singel. They are announcements of the
different parks: whenever you see a change in flowering gardens at the Sin-
gel, you know something special can be found on the other side.
7. Cosmopolitan nature

40
High trees on the parts of the Singelpark that are visible from the Burcht
Effect on the skyline of Leiden’s inner city

44
The cloud of ideas can be funneled by Circles for each park zone.

45
Parks are for people and the Singelpark is also by its people. Previous
get-togethers showed that there is a large audience and a strong will to get
involved amongst the citizens of Leiden. Our strategy allows residents to get
fully involved in their part of the Singelpark.
Living city. The Singelpark is part of Leiden, a lively and vibrant city. The
inner city bustles with life, and so should the Singelpark: alive with people,
but also flowers, birds and bees. It’s up to the park to replicate the same
spirit that is present in the city center. It is no museum, it is a podium.
Breathing space. The Singelpark is one of the oldest city edges of Leiden.
Over time, the use and appearance of this city edge changed. In the future,
it will continue to, keeping up with its lively users. The Singelpark offers
breathing space for these changes. The park is dynamic!
Free space. To give the inner city breathing space not everything should
be planned and fixed in the Singelpark at one time. Instead, the Singelpark
offers citizens flexible programming, spaces that can change again in the
future. The flexible programming allows the Singelpark to be future-proof.
Public Circles. In programming the free space, we see a large role for
the community of Leiden. Each individual park within the boundaries of
the Singelpark has different users and different stakeholders: inhabitants,
institutions and companies. They will be involved as much as possible by
organizing ’Circles’. Each Circle adopts a park and selects the most viable
programming, functions and features for the space; the extensive list that
was produced by the citizens during the successful brainstorm session is an
excellent starting point. Also the programming of events can be organized
by the Circles.
Dynamic phasing. The Singelpark Circles and the ring allow for a dynamic
phasing. The ring could be designed and developed at once. Meanwhile,
Circles can be organized and the programming the free spaces of the
Singelpark can begin. There is a vibrant Singelpark before you know it!
8. Free space

46
ptions Slope options
ptions Slope options
P
Parking options
P
Parking options
Option: reshuffle
Option: parking in between gardens Option: underneath sports fields
Option: in place of old industrial buildingExisting situation: parking all along
Option 2: parking garage
P
Slope options
Negotiation: redistribute parking within a radius of 100m

47
Houseboat options
Existing situation: houseboats occupy water slopes
Houseboat options
Option 1: move elsewhere, enjoy bigger garden
Houseboat options
Option 2: public path, no garden
Negotiation: redistribute houseboats

48
LOLA
landscape design
Gemeente
Leiden
coordination
Competition phase:
had talks with:
had talks with:
had talks with:
had talks with:
Future partners: Share and stakeholders: Organizers:
Deltavormgroep
technical design
Hortus Botanicus
botanical curator
Buiting Advies
tree advisor
The Incredible
Machine
information
design
?
Vrienden van
het Singelpark
organisation
Citizens of Leiden,
insititutes, companies
one circle of share- and stake-
holders per park
Future sdvisors:

49
9. Our team
LOLA is an emerging Dutch office for landscape architecture, based in
Rotterdam.With spot-on ideas and actions based on a combination of
research and design, LOLA (LOst LAndscapes) wants to bring new life to
forgotten, worn-out and changing landscapes. In doing so, LOLA has an
optimistic and conceptual approach, as well as a fascination for new spatial
phenomena. LOLA works for governments, provinces, municipalities and
cultural institutions. The office won multiple design competitions and awards,
amongst them European Portugal, the EO Wijers competition, the Delta
Water Award and a recent design competition to enlarge a historic park.
For each project, LOLA collaborates with specialists that have a crucial
role in reaching the highest quality and best content. For this competition
the office attracted several advisors, which gave important input for the
developed vision. LOLA is intending to involve them as advisors in the future,
if this will be selected.
Deltavormgroep is specialized in small scaled landscape design, controlling
every detail. They manage to combine realism with conceptual quality in
early stage of the design process. Previous collaborations between LOLA
and Deltavormgroep have proven to be successful.
The Incredible Machine is a design agency that works on ‘the internet
of things’: designs to connect the virtual world to our real one. After two
decades of copying the real world onto the internet, now is the time to
enrich our daily environment with the possibilities that the virtual world
offers.
Hortus Botanicus has been more than an advisor; they will be probably be
involved in the Singelpark longer than any designer. One of their targets is
to disclose their collection of plants to the general public: something that
could be achieved in the Singelpark greatly.
Buiting Advies is an ecological consulting firm with a passion for trees. The
firm offers the necessary knowledge to design with ecosystems and is used
to collaborate with landscape architects. Their contribution is to make sure
that the soil, wind, sun and water conditions fit the vegetation and vice versa.

51
Colofon
Vision + design by LOLA landscape architects
Peter Veenstra
Eric-Jan Pleijster
Anna Sobiech
Julia Schulz
Erica Chladova
Olivier Sobels
Raimonda Cybaite
Sanne Allersma
Artist Impressions by LOLA + Francesco Garofalo
Interactive concept by The Incredible Machine
Marcel Schouwenaar
Harm van Beek
Aernout Peeters
June 2012

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Lola Landscape Architects, Singelpark Design Competition, book

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