On Saturday 12 December 2015, a presentation of the 2015 Yearbook for Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning took place in the spectacular new National Military Museum at the former Soesterberg air base. The chairman of the selection committee, Guido Wallagh, reported on the committee's findings for the twelfth Yearbook. The other selection committee members were Ellen Marcusse, Peter de Ruyter, Steven Delva and editor in chief Mark Hendriks.
Afterwards the architectural historian Wouter Vanstiphout held a reading about the relationship between design and the current migration trend. And the first copies of the book were presented to Rob van der Velden (BNSP), Frans Boots (NVTL) and to the museum director Hedwig Saam.
The 2015 Yearbook on Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning includes 19 exemplary projects; the best that Dutch designers have to offer. It includes MTD landscape architects / urban designers recently completed design of the Thales High Tech Systems Park in Hengelo.
The Thales Group is an electronics concern that operates worldwide in the field of aviation, defence and information technology. The company is a pioneer in high-tech innovations. The intensive renovations to the out-dated premises and layout of the grounds at Thales Nederland in Hengelo fits well within the company's aspirations to present itself at a top level, as an open and innovative organisation. A couple of limiting conditions for the new premises and layout of the grounds were the creation of an attractive working environment which corresponds with the current style of living and invites people to meet and to inspire one another, as well as the new reality of opening up the facilities to third parties.
In 2012 MTD landscape architects / urban designers acquired the contract for an urban development plan as well as a development plan for the grounds. For this, we were part of a comprehensive design team, in which Leijh Kappelhoff Seckel van den Dobbelsteen architects and Reitsema & partners architects also participated. A rather impressive ‘High Tech Systems Park’ was developed in a very short space of time and was occupied in May 2014.
With the new company premises and campus, Thales justifies its position as the world's market leader in radar technology.
