The Green Island

Client: Gemeente Almere & The Mothership

Location: Almere Stad - Schrijverstraat

Status: Development

A biophilic placemaking intervention for the Municipality of Almere

In the centre of Almere Stad, the Schrijverstraat intersects with the city’s dedicated bus lane. Originally part of Almere’s New Town planning model, the bus lane follows the logic of modal separation, prioritising public transport by excluding cars and slicing across the pedestrian network. While effective for mobility, it creates a spatial rupture.

At this crossing, the interruption is clear. What should be a natural pedestrian route becomes a moment of hesitation. The space feels fragmented. The overpass exists but lacks comfort and orientation. Hard materials, sharp corners and standard fencing reduce the quality of the public realm. It becomes a place to pass through, not to stay.

Seeing the bus lane as a river

Studio NousNous approached the site by shifting the metaphor. Instead of treating the bus lane as a divide, we saw it as a river cutting through an urban island. In nature, rivers rarely disconnect. On both shores, branches reach out, root systems reflect each other, and vegetation creates visual rhythm. Despite the physical gap, a sense of symmetry and connection emerges through form and movement. This became our starting point.

A biophilic redesign with soft edges

The crossing was reimagined as a place to arrive, not just to pass. Parking spaces were removed and replaced with organic seating elements that echo the motion of water. These structures invite people to sit, meet or take shelter under sculpted wooden planes.

The ground surface was redefined with soft color gradients and flowing shapes that suggest tidal movement. The fencing along the bus lane was redesigned with curved lines to bring rhythm and visual continuity. Corners were softened with integrated seating and wooden forms that extend into the space. Each design move acknowledges Almere’s identity as a city below sea level, where water is not just a risk but also a story.

Stitching the urban fabric

This intervention reconnects two sides of the city. It brings spatial continuity where before there was only passage.

The project forms part of our broader mission to create biophilic urban environments. One piece at a time, we contribute to a larger ecological fabric, a green thread that weaves through streets, courtyards and crossings.

Here, the logic of nature becomes the logic of the city. Connection through rhythm. Belonging through form. Calm through repetition.