Mattemburgh Estate is a unique country estate, located in the nature reserve the Brabantse Wal, south of Bergen op Zoom. The estate, owned and managed by Brabants Landschap, consists of a park section containing unusual buildings and a forest reserve that is the oldest in the Netherlands.
The park of the estate is counted among the five best-preserved style gardens in the country, with an English and French section. The English part includes a villa in neoclassical style and at the transition of the two style gardens is the orangery with walled kitchen garden. The orangery was originally built as a winter residence for the estate’s unique tub plant collection with some specimens over 100 years old.
As both the size of the collection and individual plants became too large, it was housed elsewhere for many years. This provided the opportunity for the repurposing of the orangery into a catering facility. To this end, the orangery was expanded and carefully restored. At the rear of the orangery, in the walled kitchen garden, a wooden shack was placed for kitchen, storage and toilet facilities for the catering function.
Because the temporary building no longer met the requirements and its functionality was limited, Brabants Landschap asked KOENVANHEESWIJKarchitecten in collaboration with Joris Hoogstede Architectuur to design a new restaurant wing in the walled kitchen garden.
The new building includes a modern open kitchen with chef’s table, storage and refrigerator/freezer areas, staff facilities, restrooms and restaurant space. An additional room was added on the herb garden side to accommodate multiple parties at the same time.
The new wing is designed as an elongated volume with an anthracite-gray aluminum facade and slats. Large, fully opening glass facades connect the restaurant spaces to the herb and vegetable garden.
Because of the national monument character of the estate, the building height had to be limited. To this end, the roof was tapered towards the edges and finished with a slender cornice. In close consultation with the structural consultant, a slender, insulated roof and canopy construction was designed that is also strong enough for a green roof.
The contemporary architecture adds a new layer of time to the estate while respecting the historical context. This is also why the new building is detached from the historic brick garden wall, which remains visible through a corridor zone with a glass skylight. Visitors thus experience, as in the past, the transition from the orangery to the walled garden.
Concurrent with this project are a new gate in the garden wall and a winter storage for tub plants realized.
With this contemporary addition to the historic ensemble, Mattemburgh Estate is prepared for the future.
project site
Mattemburgh Estate
Hoogerheide | North Brabant
client
Brabant Landscape
design & realization
2014-2018
project collaboration
KOENVANHEESWIJKarchitects
lighting design
Lichtmeesters
contractor
De Kok Construction Group B.V.
construction advisor
Vervest Structural Design & Advice B.V.
installation technology
Van Dijnsen
