Buitenplaats Beekhuizen

Buitenplaats Beekhuizen was a new leisure concept to be built in a very beautiful nature reserve. It was intended to be a unique glamping site, with an on-site restaurant. For this site no permit had been issued for a permanent food & beverage facility. So, the question was: How could we facilitate an on-site restaurant without building a permanent location? This required a special focus on managing limitations such as local permits, respecting the natural environment, maintaining accessibility, and ensuring a menu that was the perfect fit for the footfall.

Using large sea containers and a huge stretch tent we created a restaurant concept with a pop-up look and feel, which blends in perfectly with the natural backdrop. By using the tent in front we created a large outdoor terrace, with enough space to let about 100 guests enjoy their food and drinks. The containers provide enough space for a well-equipped kitchen. Of course, we assembled a suitable menu.

Going airborne to protect nature

The big challenge however was the location in the nature reserve of the Postbank. It’s a very beautiful natural area and of course flora and fauna must be respected. We managed to get a permit from the Dutch government organization for forestry and nature management to place the containers on the site. But obviously we couldn’t risk damaging the grounds or the trees.

We decided to take it up into the air. Using extremely large cranes we lifted the 40-foot containers over the 40-meter-high trees and placed them in position. No trees or squirrels were harmed :-) Once back on the ground, we installed everything and put it into use. The concept proved to be very successful, with higher outputs and turnovers than forecasted.