Custom tree grates at Het Hofkwartier in the historic center of Dordrecht
The Hofkwartier in the historic center of Dordrecht is home to Cinema The Movies. This movie house is located in a beautiful 17th-century monumental building. This characteristic place was recently given a fitting entrance for the film house: Garden The Movies. Grijsen park and street design were some of the parties involved.
- Landscape architect
- IBD
- Location
- Dordrecht
A challenge
For the designing IBD, it was clear that the entire Hofkwartier had to be given an unambiguous 'signature'. To achieve this, the design is based on peace and simplicity, in which the peculiarities of each place are shown to their best advantage. Three monumental trees stand in front of the Cinema The Movies façade. Their preservation and proper integration were important starting points for the design. One of the challenges then is: how do you deal with the roots of such a large tree? How do you combine nature conservation with the accessibility and invitation of public space?
Filmblik als inspiratie
The choice of multifunctional tree grids (protection and seating) is therefore not surprising. What is surprising is the design, which is inspired by the old-fashioned film can. In collaboration with urban development, IBD designed elements for each of the three trees with their dimensions and shape; round and oval. The diameters vary from 2.3 to 4.3 to 6.8 meters, and seating is integrated into two of the grates.
Grijsen made the grid (the 'film can') from corten steel, because of its durability and authentic look that matches the identity of the Hofkwartier. The two inlaid seating surfaces are made of untreated Gariuba wood. The substructure is made of galvanized steel and attached to concrete foundations. The original 'film can' tree grids are an asset to the historic inner city of Dordrecht and are frequently used by visitors.
