Former city farm in Nieuwpoort gets second life with 'Hof ten Yser'
12/07/2021
'Hoeve Van Landtschoote', a former town farm in Nieuwpoort and once the hiding place of two Heroes of the Yser, is getting a new destination. Project developer ION from Waregem is realizing 'Hof ten Yser' on this site that is barely used today. This new construction project includes 42 luxurious apartments and a commercial building, divided over two buildings around a beautiful, green inner garden. Construction of 'Hof ten Yser' will start in September. In the meantime, Bert Gunst and Hendrik Verslype are hosting their popular summer bar 'Le Jardin' at the site one last time this summer. If all goes according to plan, the first residents will move into their new home in 2023.
No typical coastal architecture
The project comes from the drawing board of architecture firm A1AR architects & more. The architects deliberately did not opt for the typical coastal architecture. They put forward a design that, thanks to the brick architecture - but in a modern jacket - fits perfectly into the streetscape of Nieuwpoort. The architectural concept was attuned to the rhythm of the protected townscape. By designing different heights and roof shapes, the project fits perfectly into its surroundings, without therefore copying historical facades. The architecture aims to respond to the future with the knowledge of the past. The different shades of brick used for the façade design provide nuance as further in the streetscape. Unity is created through subtle diversity.
The major asset of "Hof ten Yser" will be its beautiful interior garden. For this, ION calls on the expertise of the garden and landscape architects of Exterior. The gently sloping lawn and the characteristic multi-trunked trees give the inner garden the allure of an endless landscape with a romantic touch. In the inner garden there will also be a bicycle shed and a pergola that, with its typical roof shape, refers to the architecture of the old city farm and will provide pleasant exposure during the hot summer months.
Shelter of heroes of the IJzer
'Hof ten Yser' will thus soon rise on the site where today stands 'Hoeve Van Landtschoote,' the last town farm in Nieuwpoort. The farm has not been active for a long time, as the Town of Nieuwpoort once decided that farms should be located outside the town center. The farmstead, built between 1860 and 1880, has a rich history. During World War I, for example, it was for a time the hideout of engineer captains Robert Thys and Fernand Umé. Together with their so-called Company of the Sapeurs-Pontonniers, they played an important role in the flooding of the Ijzervlakte.
During World War II, the farmstead was also claimed, but this time by German troops. They housed their horses there in some stables. When the Allies came to liberate Ypres in October 1944, the German soldiers fled and left everything in the farmstead. The Van Landtschoote family kept the horses and rode them on the beach every Sunday morning afterwards. One of the saddles from that World War II period is on display this summer at the popular summer bar "Le Jardin," the temporary fill-in for the farmstead, before demolition begins.