From the Kempen to the coast, villages are changing at lightning speed. A wave of generic apartment buildings is rolling across the country. Even in small village centres, they are an increasing part of the housing market. The quality of stay in the village is at risk of disappearing. Individual architectural projects can definitely make a difference. Each intervention offers opportunities to strengthen or improve the village center. A building project can reinvent living in the village and add new qualities that transcend the boundaries of the project site. Architecture can be generous while also being comfortable, future-proof and affordable. Plenty of examples showing how it can be done!

This book presents a wide selection of inspiring examples tailored to the village. It offers design tools in the form of village ‘figures’ and ‘tactics’ for plural living. And it outlines the conditions for a good process. The Toolbox is an invitation to get started yourself, to start the conversation about what exactly constitutes good village architecture and to test out the design concepts on site.

This book is only available in Dutch.