Belcrumbak
Belcrumbak
How can landscaping connect people through both direct and indirect social contact?
During this project there was a worldwide pandemic (Covid-19) and there was a great need for a connection between the residents of the Belcrum district in Breda. By setting up a project, the residents contributed to the greenery in the neighborhood, but also to social contact.
The starting point of this research was a walk through the neighborhood, addressing 'stray' local residents. I also walked into a number of local shops and spoke to the owners. The conversations were easy, and the needs of the neighborhood users quickly came to the fore. The needs that I have incorporated into this project are the greenery that is being missed and the reorganization of social contact among local residents.
After considerable theoretical research into what could be a solution to this problem, I set to work with 'the Belcrumbak'. A planter that is suitable for every home and is interchangeable. These are the first sketches.
Material experiment weaving structure with raffia on the left and tricot cord on the right. Both provide a sleek structure.
Material experiment with natural materials. On the left jute rope and on the right pollard willow branches. Pollard willow is very cool, but not feasible for the application
This project is a personal project, but from the academy I worked in a working group with other students who also had a project located in the neighborhood. We therefore had to set up an exhibition together. We did this via a website and also an Instagram that gave previews of our personal and our project in the preceding weeks. All projects can be found at @vanhnaarb at
This is an image of the final poster / flyer that was used to promote our exhibition. Scanning the QR code made it easy for spectators to view our projects.
Example of how easy it is to transfer the plants to a new container.
The instruction video for the residents. How do you deal with the container and the plant?
In the end I made 3 sizes of containers, because they could reflect three different materials. The variation of materials is important, because there is such a container that fits into any interior. Due to the circumstances caused by the lockdown of COVID-19, I was unable to test this project in the neighborhood. I did receive a lot of positive reactions about the concept through the digital exhibition.
