Cours et Jardins

Fosses is distinctive in being located on the edge of the countryside. The town is linked with large areas of farmland, the Parc Naturel Régional Oise-Pays de France and the stream valley of the Ysieux. Since the suburban growth in the 20th century, Vieux Fosses is isolated in its identity. At the heart of the old village, away from the recent town, the project site retains a character that calls for regeneration. The question is how to expand the old village in such a way that connectivity on social and physical level is stimulated.

The center of Vieux Fosses consists of a collection of public buildings and a number of traditional courtyard farms. These closed ensembles of buildings sometimes offer a surprising insight from the streets into a soft, sheltered inner. The ensembles of farmyards consist of a loose organization of larger and smaller volumes with different functions around an open multi functional central courtyard. This ‘cour’ typology is very powerful to create collective spaces within the density of the village. The blocks in the new residential area will have a closed character to the public space but have a soft and more open inner.

By concentrating and locating the dwellings and other functions in the ‘cour’ typology, a central green gateway to the landscape is shaped. A stronger link between the Parc Naturel Régional, the center of the village and the Ysieux is made by this. A new modern village green on the scale of Fosses is created. A green where the inhabitants, surrounded by an urban fringe, will celebrate ‘quatorze juillet’, do sports, start a nature trail and spend their Sunday’s picnic. The village green is where the inhabitants meet. Throughout the year it provides space for outdoor activities such as cycling, walking, soccer and jogging and it is accessible for all users. The steep slopes at the northeastern part of the site are lush and green, inviting visitors to sit on its grassy lower slopes, to explore its view of the surroundings.