2010-2011 Graduation Projects

Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Architecture – Urbanism – Landscape Architecture

Grad uation Pro jects 149

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Contents 3 Foreword, Aart Oxenaar 5 The Anti-Icon, Rob Hootsmans

Architecture 11 Current TRANSLAtions, Machiel Spaan 14 Touched by Dutch light, Farah Agarwal 18 One villa for three widows, Pieter de Bruyn Kops 24 Hoch-Elten – Kleve landscape hotel, Edwin Claes 30 A soul for Vinex, Sjuul Cluitmans 34 Private hospital with hotel facilities, Jonathan Hibma 38 The Carthusians of Tubbergen, Ard Hoksbergen 44 In the neighbourhood, Tamara Janmaat 48 A mosque on an Amsterdam canal, Jurrian Knijtijzer 52 Urban Festival Landscape, Willem Jan Landman 56 Fair Ground, Maja Popovic 62 MetroCampus, Surya Steijlen 66 Museum House, Coen Smit 72 Archinovum Cologne, Niclas von Taboritzki 78 Playing on the IJ, Jolijn Valk 84 Space in Four Parts, Kim Verhoeven 90 For the greater good, Stijn de Weerd

Urbanism 97 Grand perspectives, Rogier van den Berg 100 Brussels, the city in the Zennevallei, Joram van Otterloo 104 Coast Dynamizer, Cristina Polito 110 The missing link, Rutger Wijngaarden 116 Hometown Glory, Herman Zonderland Landscape Architecture 125 Nature machines in the city, Marieke Timmermans 128 The forgotten Yauza River, Eva Radionova 134 The (un)conditional garden, Thijs de Zeeuw 141 Jury report on Archiprix 2012 nominations, Aart Oxenaar Academy of Architecture 144 Master of Architecture – Urbanism – Landscape Architecture

Research – Reflections – Projects 06

Amsterdam Academy of Architecture 2010–2011 Graduation Projects

Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Architectura & Natura

Foreword Aart Oxenaar Director Amsterdam Academy of Architecture

‘Compel yourself to do regular, exhausting work. Life is such a hideous business that the only method of bearing it is to avoid it. And one does avoid it by living in Art, in the ceaseless quest for Truth presented by Beauty.’ A gloomy Gustave Flaubert wrote those words in 1857 to a melancholic girlfriend and fellow writer. He seems to be distancing himself from what he sees as a cruel and unpleasant world and to take refuge in art as a form of truth elevated above reality. And thus he seems far removed from our time. For we no longer believe in lofty truths, certainly not in art, and such a pursuit of profound art is even disparaged by the political underbelly of today as a left-wing hobby. But read it carefully and you will discover that it says something else. Avoiding the banality of the everyday is simply an indispensable aid to working in a concentrated manner on sensible matters. To be a bohemian in your head you must live like a member of the bourgeois — again according to Flaubert.

What matters is not finding truth in beauty, but the ceaseless quest itself. That, I think, is the essence of what he wants to say.

The postmodern condition has made it clear that we are unlikely to find another truth, another grand narrative that explains it all. But the quest is all the more urgent as a result. For only by continually conducting research, by critically examining what is presented as truth or reality, can the artist or designer make sensible pronouncements about how we should deal with reality. And in that quest he engages — inevitably — with the reality of the everyday. For there lies the issues that require examination. There lies the material that must be processed and understood so that — through constant hard work — we can rise above it with design.

This generation of students appears to understand this as if by nature. Assignments rarely revolve around big ideas anymore. Instead, the assignments themselves are increasingly taken as the starting point in the quest for relevant judgements about them, for sensible interventions that are sometimes very personal, sometimes highly critical, sometimes observant, and sometimes about raising discussion.

Observing reality is simply a stepping stone: you must order and bring together what you have seen, Flaubert writes in another letter. He was misunderstood as arrogant and conceited. Anyone who allows himself to make such pronouncements about how to rise above reality appears to elicit criticism. Some designs in this volume of graduation work might also be viewed as arrogant owing to the intensity of the intervention. But look closely and you will notice the hard work, the honest search for a meaningful and ‘real’ means of escaping from the banality of the everyday. And it is under those colours that we are glad to present you with this volume.

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The Anti-Icon Rob Hootsmans Visiting critic

The Anti-Icon

Architects, urbanists and landscape architects working today deal with a practice undergoing great change. A designer in professional practice today must be able to work in large teams that nobody in particular seems to lead. Authorship is declining in importance, and design decisions are taken after a thorough analysis of the lifecycle costs, depreciation, criteria for awarding contracts and so on. The customer is always right. Clients get what they want, nothing more and nothing less. What client is waiting for that critical, visionary architect who has imagined a wonderful new world, but one that nobody has commissioned?

Clients want zero risk. They hire managers to develop strategies that eliminate as many risks as possible. Innovative and modernising concepts mean lots of risks and are therefore avoided. In the world of building clients and tender procedures, a scheme that scores 6 or 7 out of 10 seems preferable to one that scores 9 or 10!

Studying at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture is diametrically at odds with this world of practice. The aim here is to score 10 out of 10. Graduating is a very personal quest. Students determine their own subject, select their own commission, organise the commission discussions and determine to a certain extent the planning of their project. They are both client and designer. They are everything, and they cannot hide behind anything. Finance is of no consequence, maintenance is not an issue and neither is explaining architecture to the public. And the entire procedure takes place in complete seclusion, withdrawn into the privacy of one’s own living space. Contact with other critical students and tutors is only to a limited extend organised by the academy; instead, the student must seek it out himself.

A kite will only fly when the wind blows. Even so, this year’s graduation projects are without exception wonderfully valuable personal quests. Everybody seems to have exceeded their own powers of imagination.

Yet despite the individual approaches, there are a number of similarities. What all these projects do make clear is that students have decided, thankfully, not to design icons any longer, that sustainability is only deployed as a means to arrive at political and economic independence and that the changing needs in the housing sector are not valued as an interesting subject of study.

The absence of the desire to make icons signals the end of an era dominated by the suggestion that complex issues can be solved with just one strong and simple aesthetic image. Designers now delve more deeply into the complexity of local issues and the interests of the different groups, and with their varied proposals designers try to improve the world of all those groups. One project takes as its subject the Yauza River, the biggest tributary of the Moscow River, which flows through East Moscow and is polluted and isolated by motorways.

The revitalisation of the Yauza River will transform the area into a wonderful water landscape that will create a valuable place for the surrounding neighbourhoods. Likewise, a study of the canal zone in Brussels leads to very feasible proposals with which the designer could immediately convince the local administrators to invest on a large scale. The most extreme proposal for making the world slightly more beautiful, or slightly less ugly, concerns the project for the controversial wall in Israel. Adding a second wall to this political barrier creates a space in between that can function as a heavenly park, a place inaccessible to people where nature can re-establish itself in all its former glory.

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The Anti-Icon

The absence of the theme of sustainability is remarkable because this is precisely the subject to which clients and future occupants ascribe increasing market value at a time when there is almost no money left. For designers this is almost virgin territory. Huge sums of money are earned through issuing so-called certificates, but a clear direction for another future has not emerged. Will reflection on sustainability be able to substantially alter the appearance of the Netherlands, and by that I literally mean the appearance of the façades? At the moment the concept of sustainability seems to limit itself largely to sequences of numbers, to the issuing of ‘certificates’, or to the urge for technological innovation in the form, for example, of windmills, ground heat storage and solar cells. Sustainability is translated into political and economic independence in two projects. In the project for the wall in Jerusalem, the aim to make a world slightly less ugly by focusing on connectivity is complemented by the deployment of rainwater storage and the placement of solar cells to create political and economic independence. That makes this the most sustainable of all the graduation projects.

Independence from the rest of the world is achieved through the use of a biomass plant in the design for a Carthusian monastery, a form of housing for hermits, in the woods in Tubbergen in the Twente region.

Housing crops up in all kinds of ways, but there has been no study of the effects of a changing society and the impact of this on the house-construction market. There is a design for a monastery based on a new typology, a wonderfully hyper-specific personalised house for three widows and accommodation for people with a psychiatric disorder in Amsterdam West. None of them can be considered typical for the house-construction market, and all are too specific to be seen as generic. Not a single project touches on the effects of an ageing population on architecture and urbanism and the resulting population decline in some areas.

Shrinkage as a social and economic phenomenon is overlooked. Why not take the failure of the Vinex neighbourhoods and the disappearance of the authentic Dutch landscape at the expense of these insidiously spreading expansion districts as a subject? What architect will have the courage to graduate soon with a project that proposes no building at all but just demolition? The Anti-Icon.

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Architecture Urbanism Landscape Architecture 9

Current translations Machiel Spaan Head of Architecture Department

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At a time when architects are under pressure and speculation about changes in the architectural profession is rife, it is important to maintain an overview and stand back from the events of the day. The issue of sustainability, new forms of contracts, re-use of existing structures and complex assignments obvious all give rise to new conditions for the architect.

But whether the essence of the profession has changed is highly debatable. An architect must be able to organise complex spatial matters into a buildable entity of great use and beauty. In the process, he must consider the current needs of users, the site and society. To do this, the architect must position himself in the world and understand current conditions.

It is within this context that the architect rediscovers, transforms and revises every building to meet the needs of the present. He translates the building type for the purpose of the new context. This has always been the case.

Building types have been designated down through the ages and are classified according to function, such as hotel, museum, concert building, hospital, dwelling and library. Existing building types have, in turn, been subject to transformation throughout history. Social, cultural and technical developments change how people use space and thus buildings. The challenge for the architect is to turn a generic type into a specific form for a new set of users again and again. How will these new users appropriate and experience this building and the space inside the building? What influence do changing forms of use exert on the building type? And how do building types that have been brought up to date facilitate changing forms of use?

Some sixteen students of architecture graduated in the year of study 2011-2012. Through design research into an architectural typology (monastery, school, concert hall, museum, library, mosque and so on), almost all of them have generated discussion about socially relevant themes such as community, care, education, culture, sustainability, history and religion. What is striking is the social concern and the meticulous questioning of spatial and social conditions. Plenty of attention has also been paid to the sensory elaboration of buildings and spaces and a craftsmanlike attitude to the materiality of buildings. The retranslation of building types is expressly deployed to provoke discussion about current trends in society.

The sixteen graduation projects can be reduced to three approaches dealing with the building type: adding complexity to the building type, liberating the building type and making the building type more specific.

In some of the graduation projects, the complex type1, the user is offered more than just the primary function of the building. A hotel, for example, is also a landscape observatory; an archive building also becomes a library and study centre; and housing for seniors becomes a care facility offering numerous services. The buildings become less dependent on their surroundings; they become small cities in themselves. They become ‘sustainable’ urban machines containing spatial routes and places in which different user groups can move freely past one another in a pleasant manner.

In another crop of projects, the liberated type2, the building becomes part of the city or landscape. The buildings are broken open, liberated and incorporated into their surroundings. A bridge becomes a destination in its own right and an active connector; 11

Current translations

a landscape hotel becomes a catalyst for learning to experience a forgotten landscape again; and an underground library makes public not only a lost place but also a history. The mutual dependence between building and context is exposed and exploited in all cases. The buildings anchor themselves in the fabric of the city or landscape and they become part of a dynamic landscape that renders them accessible to different users.

A third category of designs, the specific type3, seeks out a carefully defined type of user.

Spaces here are tailored carefully to suit a particular occupant. The new music building sounds out the relation between performer and listener; the monastery ritual is unravelled and distributed carefully in the landscape; the house for three widows is an authentic spatial experience, a personal scenography of living. Atmospheric and authentic spaces – which form the centre of the spatial experience and the ritual of the occupant – are created. The building is a suit that fits the occupant perfectly.

The three approaches to retranslating the building type are not clear-cut and there is a degree of overlap among them. And all approaches are valid. The quest to interpret the building type in the current context produces new designs that are rooted in the typological tradition.

The essence of the architectural profession lies in the contemporary interpretation of this tradition.

1 The complex type: a retreat hotel by Farah Agarwal, a campus by Surya Steijlen, a place of worship by Sjuul Cluitmans, an archive building by Niclas von Taboritzki, a private hospital with hotel facilities by Jonathan Hibma and a residential building for psychiatric patients by Tamara Janmaat.

2 The liberated type: Valkhof wall by Stijn de Weerd, a festival building by Willem Jan Landman, the Amsterdam bridge by Jolijn Valk, a library by Maja Popovic, a landscape hotel by Edwin Claes.

3 The specific type: a music building by Kim Verhoeven, a monastery by Ard Hoksbergen, a museum extension by Coen Smit, a mosque for Amsterdam by Jurrian Knijtijzer, the house for three widows by Pieter de Bruyn Kops.

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Architecture

Farah Agarwal Touched by Dutch light A retreat hotel My father works in the hotel business, and so I have been exposed to hotels around the world. That is why I decided to design a hotel. As an architect I was curious whether a hotel could embody the qualities of a country for guests to experience in a unique way. I wanted the guests in my hotel to discover which country they are in through my building. It was only when I moved to the Netherlands that I began to understand the meaning of light. I wanted to design a hotel that would showcase the phenomenon known as ‘Dutch light’. The long dike on Zeeburgereiland in Amsterdam was the site I chose. I designed my hotel at the beginning of the dike and a tea pavilion at the end. The tea pavilion is the last relaxation stop and is where guests can experience the endlessness of the dike.

I began to study the typology of monasteries as inspirations for my design. Through monasteries, I could find out what kind of elements were needed and frequently used for a life away from everything. Elements of monasteries that influenced my design are the courtyard, transitional spaces such as the cloister hallway, the simple programme made up of very intimate rooms, the restaurant and the library. I chose to make a vertical courtyard which is public and, as in a monastery, connects public and private programmes in the building.

The courtyard offers an introverted experience, while the other functions and rooms of the building are extroverted. The spa and library are directly connected to the courtyard, which encourages guests to use these functions. The restaurant is located in the middle of the building where you experience the views of the water and sky through the courtyard. When you enter the hotel rooms, you see darkness and focal points of light, as is typical in paintings that depict Dutch Light. The individual’s experience of water, sky and horizon is exaggerated by the façade openings. The different public functions are finished in different materials so that they contrast with one another and are sensitive to light conditions. Ultimately, this is a building in which people are touched by what makes the Netherlands unique: Dutch Light.

Graduation date 30 06 2011

Commission members Moriko Kira (mentor) Albert Herder Miguel Loos

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Additional members for the examination Marc a Campo Lada Hrsak

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1 Level 00 2 Level 01 3 Level 07 4 Level 10 5 Sky room 6 Pool

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Pieter de Bruyn Kops One Villa for three Widows By pursuing something relatively small, this study concentrates on a rather simple programme made wonderfully complex by the dynamic of the three widows, and by its interwoven relationship with the landscape.

The site of the villa is on the edge of old Deventer, now surrounded by last century’s onslaught of building. It is still, however, a relatively quiet place. One of its borders edges one of the local ‘kolken’, remnants of a past meandering stream and an old IJssel dike break, which still echo the rise and fall of the river. The railroad plays a major role in how the landscape is now seen. The villa itself will be situated in a young (80-year-old) forest.

The building’s axis of symmetry is derived from a long vista perpendicular to the edge of the forest through the remainder of an old (90-year-old) orchard. A sunken bicycle path follows the route of an old agrarian footpath and cuts the location in two where the forest and the orchard meet. These two halves, the last of the old orchard and the forgotten forest, are two completely different places, and it seems logical to emphasise this difference while bridging them together — the bridge, or more politically the villa, being where the two touch, meet and flow into each other.

‘I had three chairs in my house, one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.’

As Henry David Thoreau implies in this citation from Walden, there is a certain exponential growth of the social dynamic in going from two to three. Three is also the minimum number for a democratic process, in conclusive decision-making and in debate.

The average inhabitation of a widow is around the nine-year mark, so it is deduced that a widow will pass away, on average, once every three years. When one widow dies there will be two left to comfort and console each other, and to further make arrangements in choosing the next co-inhabitant, if one isn’t already on the waiting list.

Graduation date 18 11 2010

Commission members Jan-Richard Kikkert (mentor) Natascha van den Ban Henri Borduin nominated for Archiprix 2012

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Additional members for the examination Klaas Kingma Chris Scheen

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Image on previous page: Model , as seen from the southwest

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Edwin Claes Hoch-Elten – Kleve Landscape Hotel The landscape hotel is located in the Rhine valley area between Kleve and Hoch-Elten, across the border in Germany. Hoch-Elten offers a splendid view of the Rhine valley and of the Kleverberg. The landscape is characterised by the two wooded hills to the north and south of the Rhine, which flows through the valley flanked by water meadows. Bordering the water meadows are the dikes where cows and horses can graze peacefully.

Cyclists and walkers are greatly attracted to this rich landscape, which is why the area is criss-crossed by cycle tracks and pathways. The railway line from Kleve to Elten is no longer in use. This former line was the starting point for a new cycle and walking route. The new cycle and walking route crosses the water meadows. The old ferry that once carried the train will operate again, this time to carry pedestrians to the other side of the Rhine. Allowing nature to reign free in the water meadows will strengthen the dynamism of the area, thereby enhancing the experience of nature.

The landscape hotel strengthens the route. This relatively new type of hotel is largely geared to intensifying the experience of the landscape. The landscape hotel consists of accommodation and leisure facilities located at various places along the former railway line, with as highlight a spa and restaurant across the Alter Rhein, an old arm of the Rhine located in the water meadows.

Graduation date 21 10 2010

Commission members Chris Scheen (mentor) Bruno Doedens RenĂŠ Bouman

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1 Site plan 2 Cabins with grazing cattle below in the new water meadows 3 The existing main bridge with the foreland bridges at very low water level in the Alter Rhein 4a Existing situation: the flood area with the foreland bridges 4b New situation: the existing foreland bridges with the cabins in the new water meadows 4c New situation: walking along the new cycle lane and footpath

5 The spa and restaurant over the old Rhine tributary called the Alter Rhein 6 The completely flooded water meadows with the cabins in the foreland on the left and the spa and restaurant on the right 7 Section with the existing steel bridge and the new cycle lane and footpath to the right and the new wooden bridge near the spa area

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8 a,b,c: Accommodation above the changeable landscape of the new water meadows.

9 Promenade over the Alt Rhein with the spa and restaurant on the left 10 View across the new water meadows from the restaurant

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11 Floor plans of the spa and restaurant A Public cycle lane and footpath B Main entrance to restaurant and spa C Entrance to spa for cabin occupants D Restaurant E Spa F Quiet area of spa G Kitchen / personnel H Installations I General changing room in spa J Changing room in spa for cabin occupants K Restaurant seating area on 2nd floor L Massage / quiet area in spa

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Sjuul Cluitmans A Soul for Vinex A place of worship for Dutch religions The image of the Netherlands as a tolerant country has suffered in recent years with the rise of populist politicians like Pim Fortuyn, Rita Verdonk and Geert Wilders. People are angry: angry with the government, with people from elsewhere, with Muslims.

There is also anger in the Vinex expansion districts, which has given rise to a call to strengthen the sense of community in such areas. The problems and difficulties in Vinex districts could be the result of a lack of organised activities and the absence of any cultural or religious facilities for residents. There is ‘nothing to do’ and nothing to connect people together.

The Netherlands is, to me, a multicultural country where everybody is treated with respect. But shifts are occurring, developments whereby some people are no longer accepted by a large group of people on account of their religious conviction. I want to recall how tolerant our country was. That is why I worked on a place of worship where people come together to disseminate and profess all the major world religions.

The Vinex districts in our country have one objective: living. Cultural needs play no role in the design of the districts, and religious needs even less. That is why the Vinex district is a good location for a place of worship that brings together and serves all religions.

Leidsche Rijn is a place with little cultural context and a place where inspiration is lacking. The place of worship can become the place of encounter that is required.

A place where conciliation and a sense of community are possible.

The diversity of Leidsche Rijn is not the only reason why this location is so suitable for the place of worship I have in mind. Another element plays a role, one that is significant in all religions: water. The water collection park in the Terwijde neighbourhood is located in the centre of the district and supplies Leidsche Rijn with potable water underground.

The building will purify the water. This water, which supplies all religions with ritual holy water, forms a bridge between the religions. An important symbolic element of my project is that every group draws water from the same source.

Graduation date 28 04 2011

Commission members Tijmen Ploeg (mentor) Jo Barnett Bruno Doedens

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Additional members for the examination Klaas Kingma Lada Hrsak

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12 21 20 1 Impression of new water supply park 2 Water purification installation / washing space 3 Church and mosque 4 Mandir and synagogue 5 Restaurant / kitchen 6 School / neighbourhood centre / activities 7 Main entrance 8 Outdoor area for rituals 9 Entrance routes from water supply park 10 Section of water purification and washing space 11 Supply of potable water from 120 m below ground 12 Water filtering and purification 13 Cascades for adding oxygen

14 Washing spaces / baths 15 Pure water cellars (potable water storage) 16 Section of mosque and church 17 Prayer hall 18 Dry route to mosque and church 19 Courtyard can fill with water 20 Section of outdoor area for rituals 21 Cross-shaped column transports water through building and to washing area below the column

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22 Section of water purification and synagogue 23 Courtyard fills during service 24 Water purification 25 Mosque 26 Mandir 27 Synagogue

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Jonathan Hibma Private hospital with hotel facilities, Oosterpark This medical facility with hotel anticipates the increase in water treatment in the health sector. Guests staying at the facility as well as people from Amsterdam and elsewhere can come here for a course of treatment and make use of the heated therapy baths under medical supervision.

The facility is located on the edge of Oosterpark in a motley strip of buildings that form the transition between the surrounding dense fabric and the park.

With the park as its back garden and the nearby OLVG Hospital as a related healthcare centre, the facility makes maximum use of the dense urban surroundings with all its amenities and activities.

The building itself is composed of a plinth containing the reception, outpatients’ clinic and restaurant. The care baths are also located on this plinth. Above the care baths is a roof consisting of two levels of hotel rooms, equipped with the necessary revalidation and visitor spaces.

The formal starting point for the design was the classical temple. The upper hotel volume is rotated with respect to the plinth to create a covered entrance zone on the city side.

On the other side, facing the park, the rotation creates space for an enclosed outdoor terrace. This outdoor space forms the transition to the adjoining rose garden.

The theme of water also crops up in the upper hotel volume in the shape of helophyte ponds. These reed ponds purify the bath water and, along with the park, constitute the basis of the ‘healing environment’ that, in addition to the mental contribution to the healing process, must ensure that all visitors have a pleasant stay in the building.

Graduation date 04 11 2010

Commission members Chris Scheen (mentor) Jaco Woltjer Cor Wagenaar

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Ground floor : reception, day treatment, restaurant 1st floor: therapy baths with changing rooms 2nd floor: hotel rooms, revalidation and visiting rooms 3rd floor: hotel rooms, revalidation and visiting rooms

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Ard Hoksbergen The Carthusians of Tubbergen ‘And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.’

(1 Kings 19:11-12) Carthusians are monks who retreat in silence to escape the temptations and the laziness of the world. They spend the largest part of the day alone in silence in their hermitage.

What does a building designed for this almost extinct group of monks look like?

The plan is based on an extended ribbon of individual buildings connected by an ambulatory, which runs along a wall that divides the site in two. The buildings are accessed from the side from the ambulatory through a courtyard that is defined by the ambulatory and the edge of the woods. This open arrangement is possible thanks to the shelter provided by the surrounding woods, but it deviates from the traditional enclosed arrangement with an ambulatory around a courtyard.

The choice of materials aims to create architecture with a character befitting the ascetic lifestyle of the Carthusian order. The oblong buildings, made of thick clay walls and a timber roof structure, are of a rural simplicity but are enlivened inside by the butterfly trusses illuminated from above. Though the materials refer to the ethics of traditional architecture, advanced timber joints are used.

Tectonics are an important design theme in this project. The almost constant separation from the inhabited world demands an architecture that speaks and that transcends a simple minimalism or brutalism. Carefully detailed connections and joints refine the effect of the sturdy construction method and building materials chosen. Owing to their ornamental effect these details are emphasised strongly, and the adage of the modernists that ‘God is in the details’ is very much applicable here.

Graduation date 03 02 2011

Commission members Chris Scheen (mentor) Herman Zeinstra Nanne de Ru Nominated for Archiprix 2012

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Tamara Janmaat In the neighbourhood It is almost impossible to imagine that from one day to the next you would be unable to live independently owing to a psychiatric disorder. You need care, even though you would prefer to stay in your own neighbourhood with the people you know. And slowly you try to get back into your regular pattern of living. Nobody knows if you’ll ever get back to the way you were, but you do your best and that’s important.

This graduation project is a residential building for people with a psychiatric disorder in the Gulden Winckelbuurt area in Amsterdam. The project combines air, light and space with the high density of the city. The project’s target group is made up of people suffering from schizophrenia and depression. The most important limitation for these people results from dealing with the stimuli of everyday life. The project contains all the activities that people do every day: living, working, learning, relaxation and care. Particular attention is given to the how these functions connect with one another and to the transition from the residential building to the outside world.

The insertion of the building into an existing perimeter block ensures a strong connection with the neighbourhood. What’s more, intensifying the block here results in a safe interior world for the psychiatric patients. The building is accessed from an interior street that connects the different functions to one another through the open air so that the patients get outside every day. Different routes are possible and they stimulate residents to make choices on their own.

Outdoor spaces of different shapes, views and degrees of openness lie along the interior street, and these are linked to adjacent functions. Located on the top floor of the building are the most private functions such as care and the closed living group. The forms of housing on the floors below become increasing independent and the functions more accessible as one descends. Residents work on the ground floor, which contains public functions that neighbourhood residents can use. The building thus offers residents the chance to become gradually more independent and to broaden their world step by step.

Graduation date 22 06 2011

Commission members Laurens Jan ten Kate (mentor) Peter Defesche Martien van Goor

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Doctor and pharmacy

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Jurrian Knijtijzer A mosque on an Amsterdam canal Many Islamic ‘guest’ workers have emigrated to the Netherlands since the 1970s, and brought with them their culture, customs and religion.

Some 13% of the population of Amsterdam say they feel an affinity with Islam, but there is still no representation of Islam to be found in the centre of Amsterdam. During the period in which this wave of Islamic immigration took place, the canal belt in the centre of Amsterdam changed from a heterogeneous city centre into a homogeneous tourist paradise. The design of a mosque on an Amsterdam canal can restore the area’s vibrancy and an important group of pious Amsterdammers can find their place in the heart of their city.

A leap to the present More and more public and social functions are disappearing from the stately canal buildings and relocating to other parts of the city. New-build schemes are subjected to conservative assessment criteria. As a result, the canals are turning into well-conserved fossils of what was once a vibrant city. Another step in this process of fossilisation has been taken with the city centre’s listing as a UNESCO world heritage site. It is time for a change of approach to bring the canal belt up to the present. Adding a modern, public building will restore some balance between preservation and renewal.

Visible renewal Although Islamic residents are visible on the streets of many Dutch cities, this community is scarcely represented as such in the built environment. And when it is, it is often interlarded with clichés of ethnic styles of building. With the new generation of Muslims that was born in the Netherlands, it is time to find a contemporary design language for a Dutch mosque.

‘Flagship store’ for Islam in the Netherlands The location of the canal mosque is the site of the former public library on the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht and contains, in addition to a mosque, an exhibition centre, a hammam, a library and a café and restaurant.

That makes it a tourist attraction, but especially a place for Amsterdammers of Islamic and non-Islamic persuasion.

Visual language In contrast to what one might think, the typology of the mosque offers a lot of freedom and there are few compulsory elements; of these, the most important are the orientation towards Mecca and the spatial sequence. Both form the brick vaults beneath which the mosque finds its place.

Graduation date 15 12 2010

Commission members Laurens Jan ten Kate (mentor) Ad Bogerman Nanne de Ru

48

Additional members for the examination Holger Gladys Madeleine Maaskant

49

Architecture 1

2

3

50

Jurrian Knijtijzer 4

Images on previous page: - Structure of the vault - Faรงade to Prinsengracht

4 Prayer hall on Prinsengracht

1 Level 00 2 Level 01 3 Level 02

51

Architecture

Willem Jan Landman Urban Festival Landscape A permanent festival grounds located in the heart of the IJ waterway in Amsterdam In recent decades festivals have become a structural element in big cities, and usually these festivals are a temporary phenomenon in the city. My graduation project presents a design for ‘permanent’ festival grounds in Amsterdam at the tip of Java Island. This would give the city a permanent podium for festivals, and space for recreational activities in the heart of the city. The Urban Festival Landscape is both an architectural and a landscape design, and has the potential to form a distinctive addition to the cultural life of the city. The 30,000 m2 site consists of two podiums (2250 and 5000 visitors), an exhibition space, a bar, a restaurant, a dance club (1200 visitors) and accommodation for artists in residence (20 rooms). The outer ring of red concrete doubles in function as a landscape that local residents can walk along and around the whole year round at their leisure. This ring features a green boulevard, terraces, sports fields and a skate bowl. Inside the complex, the red concrete continues in a theatrical interior world where visitors are totally taken aback by the intimate spaciousness that contrasts with the space of the city.

Owing to its bulky appearance, the building seems to become one with the water, and this adds another dimension to the building. Visitors can moor their boats easily, the water forms an extra grandstand, and from the building there is a wonderful view across the IJ and of the north and south banks of the city.

Graduation date 11 11 2010

Commission members Holger Gladys (mentor) Mels Crouwel Jord den Hollander

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Additional members for the examination Bart Bulter Rik van Dolderen

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Architecture 1

2

1 Context: The tip of Java Island embedded in an urban context, with direct connections to the city centre and out of the city 2 Programme: The Urban Festival Landscape is a permanent location where festivals can take place and to which different related programme events from the city are added. The result is a mixture of formal (permanent) and informal (temporary) programme elements.

3 4 5 6

Section Club Section Theatre Impression festival Bar / Lounge

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Java eiland

Willem Jan Landman 3

4

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6

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Architecture

Maja Popovic Fair Ground The Old Belgrade Fairground is a place whose character is both eternal and temporary.

It is a complex that has witnessed the most extreme events, all trapped in this particular place in the city of Belgrade. It has even managed to transform itself to accommodate various events. It is a place that society has suppressed to its subconscious owing to its uncomfortable past. Fair Ground aims to rescue the complex from oblivion, to connect missing links, and to evoke an ability to understand the history that we are consciously or unconsciously trying to forget, as a nation and as individuals.

The Old Belgrade Fairground was built in 1937 as a showcase for the progressive tendencies of the young state. Its destiny changed during World War II when the complex was turned into a concentration camp to house Jewish and Roma people. Half of the Serbian Jewish population perished here. Later it became a detention camp. After the war the area was never considered for reconstruction and never addressed by urban plans. In the 1950s artists were permitted to use the site temporarily. In 1989 the Fairground was recognised as a monument. Today, two decades later, this topic is still a taboo for the government, architects and urban planners.

This is a place of remembrance.

The project chooses to focus not on one event but on a non-hierarchical approach in which all historical la足yers are accorded equal importance. The chosen programme is the institution where democracy always rules: the public library. It is a place where all social strata, irrespective of their backgrounds, may freely enter. It is a public memory library where books are chronologically ordered. The spaces represent decades and together compose a ring of time. The complex has the character of a maze and is interrupted by routes that connect the pavilions to one another, and the negatives of the pavilions that once existed.

Fair Ground proposes a place where people will be surrounded by memory, rather than a place where people go in order to remember. This place will continue evolving with the city and its inhabitants, while reminding us of the past. It will still be part of our future.

Graduation date 22 06 2011

Commission members Jan-Richard Kikkert (mentor) Holger Gladys Lada Hrsak

56

Additional members for the examination Klaas Kingma Marcel van der Lubbe

57

Architecture

1

Decades 6

Auditorium

Gallery

Leisure reading Light shafts

3

4

5

Decades

7

1 Structure library: Decades (rings of time) 2 Entrances 3 Book lending-returning point 4 Info points 5 Structure library: Light shafts (info points, reading rooms) 6 Former function: 1956-today. Art ateliers, housing for artists.

Library function: gallery, art studios, gallery shop.

7 Silent ensemble Former function: 1941-1944. Place of execution and torture, place for confiscated goods, mortuary, place for goods taken from people who died

2

8

Library function: silent reading, research cells, archive, ‘special book’ request point 8 Pavilion tower: Former function 1937: exhibition pavilion.

Library function: Auditorium, place for debate, newspaper corner, café.

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9 Section tower pavilion and auditorium 10 Ground level 11 Library level –1 12 Gallery, leisure reading level –2

Maja Popovic 9

10

11 9

-197 1970

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Architecture

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Maja Popovic

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Architecture

Surya Steijlen MetroCampus Weesperplein is located just inside the seventeenth-century ramparts of the Singelgracht canal in Amsterdam. Not many people know that a secret space lies hidden beneath this square. Everybody knows Weesperplein metro station of course, but few people are aware of the tunnel located below: a big empty concrete catacomb. In the seventeenth century Weesperplein was one of the gates of Amsterdam. Now it is located in the centre of Amsterdam, on the Wibaut axis that cuts through the metropolis in a south-easterly direction.

For my graduation project I chose to tackle Weesperplein and turn it into a new centre in the Amsterdam metropolis. It seems so logical: the Wibaut axis must be narrowed, the new Amstel campus of the University of Amsterdam is just a stone’s throw away, and below the surface lies the metro station and the ‘hidden space’. It is an excellent place to tie the functions and roles of Amsterdam to one another: education, leisure, transport, internationalisation and much more. The answer is the MetroCampus. A large campus in which an urban square is combined with cafe and restaurants, space for tourists, employment, a library, an auditorium with conference centre, the metro, and a spa resort in the hidden space.

The MetroCampus is an exciting design for a very special site in Amsterdam. The key to the project is that it opens up this part of the city.

Graduation date 07 04 2011

Commission members Chris Scheen (mentor) Jan-Richard Kikkert Simon Sprietsma

62

Additional members for the examination Madeleine Maaskant Gianni Cito

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Architecture 1

2

3

1 Plan 2 Section 3 Model

4 Plan of container 5 Plan of platform 6 Plan of intermediate layer 7 Plan of square 8 Spa resort 9 Vertical auditorium 10 Colonnade on urban square

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Surya Steijlen 4

5

6

8

9

10

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7

Architecture

Coen Smit Museum House The remnants of the foundations of the big museum lie at the foot of the French Mountain, where the heathland meets the forest. Overgrown with moss, fern and shifting sands, the unfinished structure reveals its monumentality.

On the basis of this fascination for these remnants of foundations and the intangible dream of Helene Kröller-Müller, a design is made for two museum houses on the site of the Kröller-Müller Museum in the National Park de Hoge Veluwe.

Two buildings in which the spatial development of the interior and the routing of the resident and visitor are accorded priority. The materials used in both buildings engage in a special relationship with the art collection and nature.

The small museum house is a space of work for an artist in residence. In addition to a sequence of artworks, the large museum house contains overnight accommodation and a restaurant for visitors.

The designs are based on exhaustive historical research into the background of Helene Kröller-Müller, the founder of the museum. The research focuses on the origins of her art collection and the way in which she wanted to open the collection to the public. In addition, research was conducted into the landscape development of the location. These studies led to the formulation of the design assignment and the determination of the exact site for the two buildings. A design with a new programme and, hence, an extension for the future of the current Kröller-Müller Museum A design that offers accommodation for the visitor, the artist and the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum: a Museum House.

Graduation date 08 06 2011

Commission members Jeroen Geurst (mentor) Hugo Beschoor Plug Michael van Gessel

66

Additional members for the examination Ira Koers Chris Scheen

67

Architecture 1

A

B

C

2

3

68

Coen Smit 4

5

6

7

A

F

B

E

E C B

C

D

D 14

D

4

A

D D

1 Sites of museum houses within De Hoge Veluwe National Park Central Area A KrĂśller-MĂźller Museum B Public Museum House C Museum House Artist Atelier 2 Museum House Artist Atelier 3 Public Museum House

4 Foundations 5 Marking blocks in landscape, scale 1:20 6 Public Museum House, ground floor: covered sculpture trail through galleries, with open courtyard A Entrance B Reception C Sculpture D Exhibition galleries E Main gallery

69

7 Museum House Artists Atelier, 2nd floor: connected spaces around central studio A Staircase B Studio C Toilet D Private roof terrace / studio balcony E Bedroom F Bathroom

Architecture 8

9

8 Section Public Museum House 9 Great hall of Public Museum House

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Coen Smit 10

11

10 Section Museum House Artist Studio 11 View of studio from workspace and relation with landscape

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Architecture

Niclas von Taboritzki Archinovum COLOGNE On 3 March 2009 the city archive building in Cologne collapsed into the metro tunnel that was being constructed beneath it. A potential new-build location in the city’s Green Belt is an opportunity to transform what is currently a barrier into a high-quality, connecting city park, and to complement the chain of academic and cultural buildings with the proposed archive building.

In my historical research I became fascinated by the megastructure of the second city rampart that ran along the site and now forms the Green Belt. The sections of this largely underground stronghold serve a structural and spatial concept. The arches inserted into the ‘bulkheads’ of this stronghold serve as symbols of the Roman history of the city and form passageways and establish spatial continuity. The building is pushed under the park in such a way that the roof becomes part of the park and the recreational connecting route continues uninterrupted. Patios and roof domes allow light to enter and ensure a visual relationship between inside and outside.

The Green Belt is the main public domain in Cologne. What’s more, the site forms the entrance to the city centre, at the intersection with the important access street, the Luxemburgerstrasse, and the slow traffic within the Green Belt. These facts call for a design with a landscape character and a public appearance. The dilemma in this, however, is that the lack of public functions in the schedule of requirements for the archive. To compensate for this, I have chosen to integrate the exhibition building and the library into the design for the Cologne city museum. These additional functions, which inform visitors about the urban history and culture of Cologne, contain storage depots, as does the archive. Two-thirds of these are empty when the building is completed so that they can accommodate material collected over the next 30 years. To emphasise the public character of the building, these volumes acquire public, temporary functions such as a cinema, hall for pop concerts, workshops and auditorium.

The public route that descends through the building opens up exciting views and points of access to the different functions. This stimulates people who happen to pass by to visit the project.

Graduation date 27 06 2011

Commission members Thomas Dill (mentor) Tobias Wallisser Peter Defesche

72

Additional members for the examination Laurens Jan ten Kate Bart Bulter

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Architecture 1

2

3

4

1 Urban design 2 Situation 3 Level 00 4 Level -01

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Niclas von Taboritzki 5

5 Sections

6 Public routing with view on the park 7 Transformation of the archives

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Architecture

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7

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Niclas von Taboritzki

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Architecture

Jolijn Valk Playing on the IJ A living bridge for Amsterdam Connecting the diversity of the city and creating a platform for coexistence, this bridge is a manifesto for a new public urban space on the IJ River.

The IJ is the centre of Amsterdam and at the same time it constitutes the biggest barrier by dividing Amsterdam North from the rest of the city. Over the past half century connections to the North have been made in the form of tunnels, invisible beneath the ground and only accessible to motorised traffic. Ferry boats take pedestrians and cyclists across the river.

A bridge over the IJ between the northern and the south-eastern bank of the IJ will strengthen the development and connect the city. This bridge is a manifesto for a new public domain in Amsterdam on the IJ. The differences and similarities within the city come together on this bridge. The bridge for slow traffic consists of two rotating elements that close in the middle. The construction is based on the structure of knitwear: an open and closed mesh made up of one type of material, tied together with one type of connection. The bridge, which is intended for slow traffic, will consist of two rotating elements, which close in the middle.

The ‘form’ of the bridge consists of hard, angular lines; the two arms point to the other side of the IJ but do not reach that far. For that, they need each other. At that point a square is created, a new public place for the city on the IJ. The angular lines of the two arms ‘explain’ the different phases of crossing the bridge; leaving the bank, ascending the bridge, the climax in the middle of the bridge, the continuation of the route, reaching the other bank and looking back at the bridge.

The ‘matter’ of the bridge consists of many flowing lines, the lines that users make on the bridge, the so-called ‘elephant paths’.

If you place the ‘form’ and the ‘matter’ over each other, you get unused, empty places: ‘freespaces’ (Lebbeus Woods). Freespaces are places and structures for living and working that are free from any aim or appearance defined in advance. These places are difficult to occupy and are intended solely for those who are inventive enough to inhabit them.

The occupation of the armpits of the bridge by its users will strengthen the bridge as a place and turn it literally and symbolically into a platform for the differences and the coexistence of Amsterdam.

Graduation date 18 11 2010

Commission members Jo Barnett (mentor) Moriko Kira Thomas Dill

78

Additional members for the examination Bart Bulter Floor Arons

79

Architecture

1

1 ‘A bridge is a site where everything comes together, (…), where past events are remembered and future ones anticipated.’

Martin Heidegger, in: ‘Building Dwelling Thinking’

2 Basic structual design 3 Scheme of stresses

4.1 Horizontal beams (bending) 4.2 Vertical beams (bending) 4.3 Diagonal beams (bending+torsion) 4.4 Final structural design of the sides 4.5 Ditto for the top and bottom of the tube

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Jolijn Valk 2

4.1 4.2

3

4.3 4.4 4.5

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Architecture

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Jolijn Valk

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Architecture

Kim Verhoeven Space in Four Parts A new stage for the performance of classical music Over two centuries ago the first concert halls were constructed to meet the demand for a particular type of concert space. Gatherings for classical music in these spaces gradually evolved from largely social events into strictly listening experiences that required an etiquette of silence and formality. As the social element declined in significance over time, people started to enjoy more freedom of choice, and technology today allows us to listen to a Bach concert at any time of the day, anywhere we want. Music no longer depends solely on space to reverberate.

These developments have resulted in rapidly declining attendances at classical concerts.

Younger audiences are turned off by the stiff character of the concert hall, while established audiences are getting older. To prevent attendances at classical concerts from declining any further, we must find new ways to accommodate the different needs of listeners. The next step for classical music should therefore involve the creation of a real and enduring new venue as an alternative to the traditional concert hall.

Space in Four Parts literally opens up the closed character of the concert hall. Slicing the archetypal hall into four sections and then rethinking and rearranging them opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Internal and external spatial relationships shift and allow new and varied interaction between musicians and audience, and constantly changing scenery. The possibility of transforming the concert hall also allows it to interact with the city fabric and landscape.

The new concert space draws heavily on its classical past but avoids its historical weight and closed character. This is most clearly expressed in the coffered façades and interior, which evoke the historical concert hall but transforms its formal mass into a space of lightness. At the same time, the coffered surfaces distribute sound evenly and provide structural stiffness to the portable panels. Space in Four Parts is truly a concert space capable of modernising the way we experience a live performance of classical music.

Graduation date 07 07 2011

Commission members Lada Hrsak (mentor) Jan Peter Wingender Jana Crepon Nominated for Archiprix 2012

84

Additional members for the examination Bart Bulter Marc Reniers

85

Architecture 1

2

3

1 Spatial concept 2 Investigation models of coffered faรงade 3 Mock-up model, scale 1:2, of part of translucent faรงade

4 Models, variations 5 Constructing the building 6 Construction details

86

7 Oudeschans 73/77 location 8 Zuidas Amsterdam location

Kim Verhoeven 4

5

6

87

Architecture 7

88

Kim Verhoeven 8

89

Architecture

Stijn de Weerd For the greater good In an advisory referendum held in 2006 some 60% of the people of the city of Nijmegen voted in favour of the reconstruction of the ‘Donjon’, the defence tower located here hundreds of years ago. Why? Seemingly there was a need for something imposing, something characteristic of the city, something to be proud of. In short: a landmark.

History is visibly present as you walk through the Valkhof, the monumental park where the ‘new old’ Donjon is planned to be erected. For example, there is a bunker dating from World War II, and there are the remnants of a Roman fortress. These traces tell us about a particular era. But what does a replica of a medieval tower tell us about 2011?

It leans towards consumerism: the purchase of a product offers just a brief respite from the desire, since the object itself is not the subject of desire but simply the symbol of it.

That is why the Valkhof deserves a landmark that emphasises what once stood here, but at the same time is rooted in the present day. The Valkhofring is a literal embracing of the history of Nijmegen: a ring exactly one kilometre long around the Valkhof area. It is the same height everywhere, but its height appears to change owing to the undulations of the topography. That results in height differences. The ring forms a wall of eleven metres above the water level in the River Waal. A contra-wall is lowered four metres along the south-eastern edge of the park and remains at the same level as the most important connection with the city on the south-western side.

This ring not only marks the spot where Nijmegen was founded more than two thousand years ago, but also accommodates a contemporary ritual that puts Nijmegen on the international map: the Nijmegen Four Days Marches. The ring offers a pleasant walking route around the park and a victory route for the walkers taking part in this event. As the walk enters its final stages the participants can enjoy a view of the Waal River and the Valkhof Park, the birthplace of the oldest city in the Netherlands.

Graduation date 29 06 2011

Commission members Anne Holtrop (mentor) Gianni Cito Mark Eker

90

Additional members for the examination Marcel van der Lubbe Florian Schrage

1

91

Architecture 2

3

4

1 In the contra-wall 2 Sections 3 Plan 4 Waalplein 5 On the wall 6 Transition from wall to contra-wall

92

Stijn de Weerd

5

6

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Architecture Urbanism Landscape Architecture 95

Grand perspectives Rogier van den Berg Head of Urbanism Department

grand perspectives

This year’s graduation projects in urbanism offer grand and refreshing perspectives on four totally different areas: the coastal zone of North Holland, the town centre of Den Bosch, the Zennevallei region in Brussels and the wall in Jerusalem. While it is impossible to compare these places with one another, we can compare the approaches taken by the students in the different projects. Each project literally unlocks a large site with a design proposal to reveal new opportunities for the future.

In her Coast Dynamizer project Cristina Polito recognises the need for a renaissance of the seaside resorts of North Holland. To her it is incomprehensible that the coastline of this part of the Netherlands is not exploited more to enhance the quality of life and leisure. In her proposal she considers the coast as a differentiated stretch that does not require the same incentives everywhere. Some sections are closed off, while others are opened up. Her project offers a long-term perspective that can take shape in different phases in a way that boosts both the coastal zone and the province of North Holland as a whole.

Joram van Otterloo uncovers a big opportunity for politics in Brussels with his project for the Zennevallei. If the many millions of euros being spent on renewing the city’s drainage system were spent on a spatial system and not just a technical system, those funds would kick-start a major urban project. And that in turn would offer the fragmented city a new point of orientation.

In his project for Den Bosch town centre Rutger Wijngaarden opens up the area and offers the possibility of connecting Den Bosch to the Ertveldplas in a phased manner.

A new direction for an area with limited perspectives is most evident in the poetic proposal

by Herman Zonderland for the wall in Jerusalem. The construction of a second wall that converges with and diverges from the existing wall creates a new space between the two called Paradise. Zonderland presents a project full of desirable beauty and poetry at the epic centre of a religious and geopolitical conflict.

The strength of each of these projects is that they do not eschew the complexity of a grand perspective. In all schemes the complexity of the location is investigated and exposed layer for layer, and it then subtly defines the spatial strategy.

Thinking in grand perspectives is essential for both urbanism and the urbanist. Even though small-scale tinkering with the existing city is increasingly common in a time of economic crisis, the lack of a grand perspective for the future means that long-term opportunities are being missed. With his design for Den Bosch, Rutger Wijngaarden demonstrates that allocating investment in infrastructure in a different manner improves the quality of the city significantly. Joram van Otterloo, too, advocates a reallocation of funds through an integrated scheme instead of ad hoc measures. Both examples therefore do not call for additional investment, but for money to be allocated more wisely.

The grand perspectives are therefore intended not just for professional colleagues.

Now that the provinces are acquiring more power in the area of spatial planning, a project like that by Cristina Polito can form a stepping stone for spatial policy. A convincing perspective can also attract the interest of private parties, at least if it’s clear what type of perspective the authorities support. That remains extremely difficult at a time when implementation agendas are more welcome than future visions. Proposals are out, since they’re dangerous. They call for long-term vision and perseverance, but I am convinced that a clear framework offers the perfect opportunity to bring together a multitude of parties in spatial planning projects.

97

grand perspectives

In any case, the schemes for North Holland, Brussels and Den Bosch also offer that space.

They are generous invitations to assemble the bigger picture bit by bit. The project for Jerusalem is another matter. This design does not come with an implementation timetable, even though you might long to witness its construction. Instead, it is a utopia. It encourages us to dream, and at the same time confronts us with the harsh reality of war, struggle and lack of understanding. It’s a project that sticks in the mind forever once you’ve seen it. That’s the power of a design scheme. And that’s the power of the designer.

98

Urbanism

Joram van Otterloo Brussels, the city in the Zennevallei In this project I explored the possibilities for the canal zone in Brussels, a huge yet neglected area. How can one encourage the development of this seemingly forgotten area? The social problems in particular that dominate here appeal to me: crime, poverty, dilapidation and degeneration are the order of the day. How is it possible that such a fantastic and centrally located area at the heart of the city lags so far behind? There is space and there is water (unique in Brussels) in the form of the canal. This long, historically important line structures the area, and the northern section of the canal is of great historical importance. This was the first canal in Europe, dug in 1550 and intended to catalyse the economy. Now it has become an unsafe area of abandoned buildings and rear faรงades. No investment is made here, and it seems that the city has turned its back on the area and, consequently, it is growing increasingly distant from the city. But luckily the current and planned developments offer opportunities for this canal zone. These are based on three parts (see diagram).

One: the water problem. On average, the city floods twice a year. There is no water retention area, the sewer system is antiquated, and 98% of the centre is made up of hard surface areas. The government is spending funds to find solutions for the rainwater problem. Civil engineering measures are necessary for this, both in the city and in the canal zone. Spatial interventions are linked to these civil engineering measures. In other words, work creates work.

Two: the existing programme. For example, the market in Anderlecht, housed in the meatworks. With 100,000 visitors each weekend and located beside the canal, there are opportunities to relate this programme to the canal, for example simply by relocating the car parks to the other side. Another example is the Koninklijke Pakhuis Tour & Taxis.

A fantastic area is emerging for the jet set, close to a large office park. Wonderful opportunities present themselves if the programme can be linked to the canal, together with the new city park.

Three: connection. The canal is a long line, offers structure and can serve as the backbone to support various programme elements in the city.

Graduation date 17 06 2011

Commission members Henk Bouwman (mentor) Pieter Schengenga Ellen Marcusse

100

Additional members for the examination Ad de Bont Rogier van den Berg External advice John Worthington

Urbanism 1

TOUR&TAXIS

A

BANK

B

2

3

Replacement of sewer alongside canal Water streets Parks as water storage capacity at end of water street Zenne as informal green line and peak storage Canal for drainage to River Schelde

4

ATOMIUM

ZUIVERINGSPARK

LAKENPARK

SILICON VALLEY BRUSSEL

TOUR&TAXIS BRUSSEL AAN HET WATER

BANK

GROEIEND HIP BRUSSEL

Desired image -location of the attraction -orientation and intensity of the attractions -canal as vertical support for attractions -current number of visitors each week (x1000) -additional number of visitors each week (x1000) -parking -canal

GROTE MARKT/CENTRUM

MARKTHALLEN&EUROPESE VISMARKT

KELDERS VAN CUREGEM

Image on previous page: Master plan for the canal zone in Brussels 1 Showing the possible future layout of the canal zone in Brussels, the plan boasts a clear form and a number of identities. The contrast with the River Zenne makes the plan unique and rooted to its location. The canal zone is recognisable, and the programme determines the space. As a result, the canal features a great degree spatial differentiation.

2 Hydrological interventions

102

3 A promising programme can be found along the canal.

This programme now concentrates on the fringes of the city. The assumption is that people will want to leave this programme (public transport, car) as quickly as possible. By making use of the empty spaces and the engineering interventions, this programme can focus on the canal as a backbone.

4 The three elements of the vision Aim 1: Connect (spatial consequences) Aim 2: Add/strengthen identity (social effects) Aim 3: Revitalising water system (hydraulic consequences)

Joram van Otterloo

A

B

103

Urbanism

Cristina Polito Coast Dynamizer Vision on the North Holland coastal resorts and coastal region Seaside resorts were once retreats from everyday life. Now they are dominated by mainstream banality and mass tourism. Innovative developments fail to materialise. The struggle with these problems is apparent in the coastal resorts of North Holland. How can the resorts of North Holland develop more specific qualities of their own that offer better possibilities for the future?

Dynamizer The coastal resorts must make choices to develop a clear profile. The basis for the new developments are the specific characteristics that each resort possesses as a result of its mobility pattern, village DNA and landscape context. The introduction of a ‘slow zone’ creates differences in accessibility and a new dynamic. These strengthen the basic conditions at a regional level, thus creating space for landscape development and water buffers in areas with altered mobility.

Detail areas The regional strategy for the scale of the resorts is translated and thus clarified with four areas that are elaborated in detail. These detail areas display differences in accessibility, occupant groups and type of landscape.

Julianadorp: Polder resort Changes in hydrology result in a new water structure that can accommodate living and leisure. This is the starting point for a further mix of resident groups, tourists and functions in the village.

Petten/Camperduin: Dike resort The existing dike (Hondsbossche and Pettemer Zeewering) is replaced by a more sustainable super-dike further inland, a dynamic nature area where the sand pushes upwards. The broad incline of the inland dike offers space for living environments that connect with the two adjoining villages and ribbon developments made up of farmsteads.

Egmond: Dune ring resort The optimal integration of vehicular traffic in the village is the key issue in Egmond. The dynamism of visitors forms the engine for the development of a village ring that also introduces a new continuous public space into the village.

Castricum: Dune reception A new recreation concept aimed at the rail passenger. The entrance to the dunes (and the beach) is located at the train station. The village centre, station and dune area are connected to one another here.

Graduation date 24 05 2011

Commission members Ad de Bont (mentor) Boris Hocks Franz Ziegler

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Additional members for the examination Pieter Jannink Ellen Marcusse

1

Wangerooge

Ameland

Island resorts

Island feeling

Unknown resorts Egmond Resorts for a day

Urban resorts Noordwijk Julianadorp Far away feeling

Grote Keeten Callantsoog

Domburg

Strip city

Sint Maartenszee Petten Camperduin

Nieuwpoort 500 m

Bergen aan Zee Egmond aan Zee

Castricum aan zee

Wijk aan zee

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Urbanism Assignments

Slow zone development direction

Weak link in coastal wall Many large-scale parking facilities Isolated holiday parks, high density, large scale

Potential of freshwater buffer Newcomers from town of Alkmaar Parallel access EHS

Little supply from private suppliers, B&B

Local traffic only on polder roads

Sea road becomes cycle lane

Slow traffic

Weak link Hondsbossche & Pettermer seawall

Rest village

Freshwater seepage (potential sustainable cultivation) Salinization Possession of second homes

Greater supply creates greater demand Dune area of constant high value

Addition to path structure for slow traffic

Qualities of top living environment in Bergen

Little diversity in hotel accommodation

Station link

Freshwater seepage

Traffic junction in seaside resorts

Transformation of car park site

Poor access to seaside resorts Decline in structures of surrounding countryside

Camping sites not made to last

Slow routes to station

Transverse connections

Private initiatives

Rapid north-sout connections

Homes for starters and seniors

Park paths

Slowscapes development direction

U RBA

A TO R

NE

Freshwater buffer Canoe routes

movement and access pattern

DNA of the village

Village nature Ecological agriculture

Estuary

Freshwater buffer

S

CH

AP

GE

ER

Potential development of landscape and water system

LA N D

A TO R

MO

SPECIFIC QUALITY

N E R A TO R

B ILITEIT

ER EN

GE

G

DYNAMIZER

New dunes Landscape of country estates

New country estates

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N

Cristina Polito Development Dynamics Integral picture of regional strategy

Julianadorp Polder resort With new water-related housing and leisure environments

Calm zone Villages and nature grow towards each other

Grote Keeten Callantsoog

Sint Maartenszee Ecopolder Experience of agriculture and polder structure

Petten Dike resort New estuary with calm and dynamic sides

Camperduin Quiet village Easily accessible by bike

Bergen aan Zee

Dune ring resort Accessible by car

Dune reception Entrance to the dunes

Egmond aan Zee

Castricum aan zee

Bath of contrast Calm and dynamic zone

Wijk aan zee

Conditions for developing surroundings

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Urbanism JULIANADORP Polder resorts

Dune harbour

Infrastructure

(

)

transferium slow zone limited access unlimited access

500m

0m

250m

Village structure

PETTEN / CAMPERDUIN Dike resort

Top side of dike

Infrastructure

S (

)

transferium slow zone limited access unlimited access car parks

500m

0m

250m

Village structure

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S M

Cristina Polito CASTRICUM Dune reception

Rest home

Concept recreation

+

unlimited

... farmstead

+

diverse single night multiple nights

group of huts

+

weeks

200m

0m

100m

-

buurhoeve met sanitair en service (ontbijt...)

+

20 m

3km Castricum

onderling 1km

autarkisch principe zo sober mogelijk

temporary manager

+ + manager volunteers

concentration of huts

geclusterde hoeve als prototype voor bouwen

verhuur karretjes verhuur hangtenten hotel

+ + residents farmstead

parasite huts

single hut

centrum stichting winkel locale producten restaurant

volunteers seniors

+

minimaal 500 m

1 voorziening met sanitair, b. v. sauna badkuip groepsruimte

diverse voorzieningen met sanitair, b. v.

20

hutten max.

6 x 6 meter 4 lagen hoog

M

wellnes theehuisje workshopruimtes ...

personnel team

lift ! minimal voetprin

Initiator: investor

Village structure dune living

solitary

park living

village side

view of village solitary

renovation solitary

landscape side transformation

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forrest living

200m

0m

Extension to centre

100m

EGMOND AAN ZEE Dune ring resort

Urbanism

Rutger Wijngaarden The missing link Fascination for the location Den Bosch is a mining town. I live in with great pleasure in this town. Located not far from my home is the Ertveldplas lake. Sometimes I drive along Diezemonding on my way home. This is a green area that extends from the Meuse to the Ertveldplas and right into the heart of the city. The area between the historic city centre and Ertveldplas, however, consists of old industrial sites.

When the weather is favourable, boats sail on the lake. At moments like these the lake springs to life with all the small boats bobbing about on the water. But form a distance it looks like a game, visible only from the car. It’s impossible to stop here because the direction of the road does not permit that. In general, the lake cannot be seen because the water is screened by the obsolete structures along the shore. That makes the area a public vacuum in the city at a spot that could be strategically deployed to strengthen the relation between the city and nature.

Interventions for the city Three important and large interventions are made: the demolition of a bridge along the Ertveldplas; the lowering of a bridge between the town centre and the plan area; and the construction of three piers. These interventions connect the town to the Ertveldplas, they create more space for development along the lake and they create opportunities to enhance the boating character of Den Bosch.

Public space as basis for developments The urban design stems from the context of the plan area. The framework of shorelines, infrastructure and preserved buildings results in construction sites that can be developed in different ways in the uncertain future. To guarantee the qualities of the plan, profiles were detailed for the spaces between the construction sites. Conditions for the different elaboration scenarios for the construction sites were then drawn up.

Besides the existing, historical structures, two buildings of note are incorporated to provide orientation. These buildings are also located beside an existing and a new pier to strengthen the relation with the water.

Graduation date 28 02 2011

Commission members Hans van der Made (mentor) Bart van der Vossen Peter Lubbers

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Additional members for the examination Ingeborg Thoral Rogier van den Berg

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Urbanism 1

2

3a

3b

3c

1 Den Bosch will lie on the Meuse River once again thanks to the development of the area around the Ertveldplas.

Directly navigable connections to Maastricht or Rotterdam are possible, as is a weekend away in the Biesbosch nature reserve.

2 Aims -Change of function of water from industrial to recreational -Activities along the water with public functions -Enhancing access to water by leaving banks as public as possible

3 Most important interventions 3a Digging out marinas: addition of hinges and maritime functions 3b Realigning city route: more space for development by the lake 3c Lower Dieze Bridge: better relationship between city and plan area

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Rutger Wijngaarden 4a

4b

4c

4d

5

urban edge with accompanying row of trees; Citadel, 4 Principles of main spatial structure: three hinges

public space without rising greenery and development 4a Citadel as hinge between historical city centre and new orientated to the Citadel. section of city: New marinas as hinges between Dieze River and Ertveldplas; Existing marina as hinge between 4d Connections with the city: The water and the routes for cars and slow traffic connect the plan area with the city; section of city and countryside in addition, they combine with the railway line to define the 4b The bustle of the city contrasts with the tranquillity of

building sites to be developed. living in a park by the water: Opportunity to create a 5 Public space: connect, link, strengthen tranquil living environment around the lake in the - Connect: The form of the plan area is determined by the transition to the countryside; The most important banks and the built context. Cuts made by the railway line connections run perpendicular to the Dieze River; the and the access roads define the building sites that are area is therefore characterised by more urban functions. connected by public space. That public space plays an 4c Water typology serves as the basis for the development important role in anchoring the area to the city and in conditions along the banks: Lake, park edge; Canal,

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connecting the city to the mouth of the River Dieze.

- Link: The citadel functions as a link; an open space remains around the citadel; Logical route for slow traffic from the city to the mouth of the River Dieze; The banks are public and the water is accessible from strategic places.

- Strengthen: Public space is an important aspect that the municipality can influence. The preconditions set for the architectural elaboration of the building sites stem from the public space.

Urbanism

A

B

C

D

E

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Rutger Wijngaarden A

B

C

D

E

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Urbanism

Herman Zonderland Hometown Glory A story about meaning and memory Walls are part of our discipline. We make them to separate things, to establish barriers between cold and warm air, to mark the division between public and private. Walls are erected for many reasons. This is true not only of the walls we encounter in our daily lives but also of those we perhaps consider less often : the ‘political’ walls.

The barrier that this project examines is the division between Israel and the West Bank – a complex ensemble of fencing and concrete stretching for a distance of 723 km. The focus of the project lies in Jerusalem, a city that has been a scene of conflict for centuries.

The plan is composed of four stories that respond to three themes.

The first theme deals with making the conflict visible. The green line (set up by the UN in 1948) is rendered visible in the public space. Observation towers are erected at crucial points along this line, making it possible to look at where the border runs today from where the border is actually supposed to run. In addition, the wall acts as a channel for expressing dissatisfaction with the conflict. This discussion is amplified by buildings in the form of Hebrew and Arabic texts that engage in dialogue with each other.

The second theme is convergence. It searches for the locations where the old main routes are blocked off by the barrier. New city gates rise up at these points. Thickening the wall with built forms can create space for new communities, places where the wall unites instead of divides.

The last theme responds to the desire of mankind. Space is sought between the barrier and the existing buildings. Construction of a second wall creates an area accessible for people, where nature can re-establish itself in all its former glory. Owing to the relief, this paradise is visible from different points within the city.

‘You always need a border to be able to unite.’

Graduation date 31 05 2011

Commission members Burton Hamfelt (mentor) Matthijs Bouw Kees Rijnboutt Nominated for Archiprix 2012

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Additional members for the examination Ad de Bont Ellen Marcusse

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Urbanism 1

A

B

C

D

E

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Herman Zonderland 2

3

4

1 In addition to the landscape and the existing built elements, four stories form the basis for the plan.

A Screaming out loud and drawing lines B New Babel C Paradise D Manmade structures E Landscape

5

2 ‘Screaming Out Loud’ amplifies the expression of dissatisfaction through the barrier.

3 ‘Paradise’ acts as a connecting element. This intervention searches for the space between the barrier and the existing buildings.

4 ‘Drawing Lines’ shows the tension between the border determined by the UN and the built barrier.

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5 ‘New Babel’ with its new city gates marks the old main routes now cut off by the barrier.

6 Located within these green islands are three special places. Atarot Airport, the old airport, closed after the Second Intifada.

7 Rachel’s Tomb, part of the UNESCO heritage site.

8 The Al-Quds University. While this university is currently difficult to reach because of the barrier, the design turns it into a special site within the paradise.

9 The plan creates a temporary intermediary zone in the conflict. ‘Paradise’ responds to the desire of mankind, the knowledge that if peace ever returns, the walls will disappear and this area will then be a gift to the city.

Urbanism 6

7

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Herman Zonderland 8

9

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Architecture Urbanism Landscape Architecture 123

Nature machines in the city Marieke Timmermans Head of Landscape Architecture Department

In the late nineteenth century there was a biology teacher in Amsterdam called Coenraad Kerbert who took his pupils on long walks through the city to see everything that grew and lived there . One of his pupils was Jacobus Pieter Thijsse. Kerbert inspired the young Thijsse to explore nature in more depth. At the time, studying nature was considered a scientific pursuit that focused on the individual animals and plants. Thijsse however thought that animals and plants were connected and he introduced the more imaginative term ‘living communities’ (leefgemeenschappen). With his many publications, and in particular his Verkade albums, Jac.P. Thijsse made nature immensely popular. He succeeded in opening the eyes of both citizens and policy-makers and initiated a change in how we think about and deal with nature. Thijsse founded the Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten (Dutch society for nature conservation) with the aim of protecting nature in a rapidly changing landscape.

The organisation was set up in 1905 in Artis, the zoo in Amsterdam. At that time, Artis was the centre of the nascent study of nature. Thijsse was a member of the Artis Society, where only a select group of Amsterdam’s citizens met one another. Ordinary people were only allowed to see the animals in the gardens a few days a year. When Kerbert, Thijsse’s one-time teacher, became director of Artis, he opened up the gardens to everybody. Kerbert wanted to connect people to nature, as did Thijsse.

The love of nature and the enthusiasm with which Thijs de Zeeuw researches and reconfigures an underused site in his graduation project entitled Refugium recalls Jac.P. Thijsse. Thijsse, too, experimented with plants on a disused site that he had acquired from his friends (now called Thijsse’s Hof). Refugium functions as an experimental garden to examine De Zeeuw’s plan to extend Artis with city nature. He treats the garden with different types of earth and thus develops different urban habitats in a number of fields to accommodate as many living communities as possible. The findings in the garden are translated into the design and, conversely, the design scheme is tested again through experiments in the garden. This method of design research forms an inspiring aspect of De Zeeuw’s graduation project.

According to De Zeeuw the city is home to a great number of different plants and animals, but these remain invisible to people. The most important aim of his new extension to Artis is to render this nature visible and draw people’s attention to it, just as Thijsse and Kerbert did in the early nineteenth century.

De Zeeuw proposes a new car park covered over with an extensive series of roof gardens in which he creates conditions for the emergence of a huge variety of living communities of urban nature. The project adds indigenous and city species to the existing collection of Artis.

De Zeeuw does that in the form of living communities, which is exceptional for Artis, given that the animals are generally presented in isolation. The proposal by Thijs de Zeeuw for the extension to Artis continues the line of history into the present.

The graduation project by Eva Radionova continues this line of thought concerning nature and the city. Urban green is not only becoming a refugium for many species, but also becoming part of the life-support system in many urban areas. Urban green is a nature machine that regulates our urban climate, air pollution, water purification, sound control and even food production. Urban green is critical for connecting half the world’s population to the natural environment.

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Nature machines in the city

In her project for the Yauza River in Moscow, Eva Radionova demonstrates how green in the city can be deployed as a ‘nature machine’. The Yauza is anything but a natural river. The river flows through an artificial canal with concrete banks and highways on both sides. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the period in which Thijsse introduced his new way of thinking about nature in the Netherlands, the Yauza transformed due to industrialization into ‘the biggest sewer for waste in Moscow’. Only the early years of this century the ecology of the river improved thanks to the closure and transformation of old factories. Water quality went from ‘polluted’ to ‘dirty’. In 2008 however pollution in the Yauza was back to former levels again. Waste disposal from factories is still the biggest source of pollution. Radionova advocates using the river as a nature machine in the city and presents a convincing plan to improve the rivers nature quality by transforming the concrete banks into green banks, factory sites into parks, and river inlets into water purification reservoirs. In this way the river can become a natural refugium for the inhabitants of Moscow and a place that brings them into contact with their natural surroundings.

‘And then amongst the tall grass I experienced the most beautiful things with big golden beetles, motley coloured butterflies and bluebells, big daisies and the splendid red common vetch,’ writes Jac.P. Thijsse in the Verkade album entitled Zomer (Summer). Cities have grown enormously in the Netherlands since the days of Thijsse, but interest for nature is greater than ever. And a growing attention is given to urban nature. According to The New York Times the most innovative eco-restaurant today is De Culinaire Werkplaats in Amsterdam, where on their recent menu all the food originated from ‘wild’ urban nature.

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Landscape Architecture

Eva Radionova The forgotten Yauza River ­­ Conscious city water landscape Problem definition The culture and history of the city of Moscow is closely tied to the rivers that flow through it. Over the centuries these rivers have performed various functions. For example, they have formed lines of defence, public spaces and infrastructure routes for transporting industrial products. Since the middle of the nineteenth-century the rivers have gradually lost their public function and they were filled in, canalised or re-routed underground.

Owing to the exponential population growth of the city during the 1980s and 1990s and the scarcity of public spaces such as parks, riverbanks and gardens, Moscow has become a city with inadequate living conditions.

The Yauza River The project concerns the revitalisation of the Yauza, the largest tributary of the Moscow River, which flows through the east of the city. The aim of the design is to breathe new life into this river, which is polluted and flanked by motorways.

In other words, it will be turned from an inaccessible backwater into a respected and valuable showpiece for the surrounding neighbourhoods.

The most important objectives set for the project are: to create space for water retention and to improve the quality of water, to improve the accessibility of the surrounding neighbourhoods, to reduce the dominance of the motorways that enclose the river, and to turn the riverbanks into a park area for the surroundings.

The ultimate goal of the project is to create an ‘aware’ public riverscape in Moscow.

Bringing together the historical structures associated with the river with the developed industrial sites will result in a unique public space.

The revitalisation of the river can be divided into three parts of different character: With the restoration of the water system and the integration of the existing development into an open river landscape in the city, the project will create a ‘conscious’ public space.

The purifying functions of the water basins in the different areas will boost the water quality and the ecological importance of the river. The integration of the former industrial site, the seventeenth-century stately homes, the transport systems and the recreational spaces will make the area more accessible and offer insight into the development of the city.

Graduation date 08 09 2011

Commission members Bruno Doedens (mentor) Jana Crepon Ton Schaap

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Additional members for the examination Mirjam Koevoet Lodewijk van Nieuwenhuijze

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Landscape Architecture

130

Eva Radionova

Water park The aim in this area is to integrate the existing and the former industrial sites with recreational functions along the river. The park consists of four water basins at different heights in which rainwater is filtered by the available industrial building materials such as stone blocks, rubble, gravel and sand.

After being filtered the water flows on into the city.

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Landscape Architecture

City park This section of the river is marked by the presence of seventeenth-century buildings and parks that lie along the river but are hidden behind modern high-rise structures.

The surrounding historical buildings will be connected with the city park so that this structure is more clearly present and easier to access for the public. The construction of a system of ponds of different depths will turn the park into an important place for birds to forage and build their nests.

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Eva Radionova

Podium park This concerns a former industrial site that features a surprising element: an island with a sluice and a dam on both sides. Opening these permanently will allow the river to follow a natural course. A podium is created on the island that offers space for exhibitions and other public events.

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Landscape Architecture

Thijs de Zeeuw The (un)conditional garden Aim Some 60% of Dutch flora and fauna are present in or near the city. But policy on nature is still dominated by red-versus-green polemics that divide the city from nature.

The design for the (un)conditional garden is an ode to urban nature and shows the city as a landscape where specific flora and fauna find their place in their own way. The garden shows the richness that lies hidden in the corners and cracks of the city. The aim of the design is to add the image of urban nature to our traditional images of nature. In that way the garden can distance itself from the image of the urban park, because it is based on natural (urban) ecological processes such as succession, disruption, predation and isolation.

Experiment To gain insight into these processes and to develop a feeling for the possibility of creating images with natural processes, a trial location was used for the duration of the graduation project. Experiments with stages of succession and differences in soil composition were conducted on a disused site in order to draw conclusions about the spatial quality of different potential vegetation. The findings supported the hypothesis that big differences in image can be achieved with simple interventions. No major changes were noted in the area of biodiversity after just one growth season.

Design The garden is designed on top of and partly in the future parking garage of Artis zoo. The grid on which the parking garage is composed forms the basis for a large number of boxes in which the huge number of habitats that the city accommodates are projected. Boxes differ according to the conditions that they create. Those differences can be achieved not only through differences in soil type and drainage, but also through the arrangement of the boxes. Taller boxes cast shadows on lower boxes, while lower boxes can expose adjoining boxes to the elements. In this way the arrangement can either stimulate or slow ecological processes. Taken collectively, the boxes are arranged in such a way that an alternating landscape is created.

A floating path leads the visitor past four zones in the garden and emphasises the contrast between the grid on which the garden is based and the traditional route that the path offers the walker. The visitor is thus challenged to look afresh at what first seemed to be just weeds, and to discover just how rich nature is in the city.

Graduation date 15 02 2011

Commission members Rob van Leeuwen (mentor) Anouk Vogel Geert Timmermans

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Additional members for the examination Bruno Doedens Marieke Timmermans

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Landscape Architecture

1

2

3

4

5

6

136

Thijs de Zeeuw

7

1 2 3 4

Four environments Built layer Variety with environments Vegetation layer

5 Path 6 The layers together 7 Plan

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Landscape Architecture 8

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Thijs de Zeeuw 9

10

8 The experiment: the spatial idea and the biodiversity were tested on an undeveloped site.

11

9 Under water 10 Spiral stairs 11 Walls

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Archiprix 2012 Jury report Aart Oxenaar Chairman of the jury

Jury report on Archiprix 2012 nominations

Archiprix is the annual prize for the best graduation work from Dutch institutions that teach spatial design. Architecture, urbanism and landscape architecture compete against one another for this award. The winner of the previous round was Jan Martijn Eekhof, student of urbanism at the Amsterdam Academy of architecture.

Each year the academy may nominate four projects. This year 22 projects were considered: 16 architecture, four urbanism and two landscape architecture. The jury was made up of the heads of the academy departments: Marieke Timmermans (head of Landscape Architecture), Machiel Spaan (head of Architecture), Rogier van den Berg (head of Urbanism) and Aart Oxenaar (academy director, chairperson of the jury). Rob Hootsmans (architect and director of Hootsmans architecture office) acted as visiting critic.

The jury was very satisfied by the high average standard of the submissions. In a first round some nine projects were selected on the basis of the problem definition, the spatial intervention and the design elaboration. These were the projects by (in alphabetical order): Pieter de Bruyn Kops, Ard Hoksbergen, Jurriaan Knijtijzer, Joram van Otterloo, Eva Radionova, Coen Smit, Kim Verhoeven, Herman Zonderland and Thijs de Zeeuw.

The second round involved a deeper examination of the projects according to four criteria: the nature of the theme and the individual character of the definition of the assignment; the initial research into, reflection on, and elaboration of the assignment (‘proof of study’) the mastery of the profession on all levels of elaboration and detailing; the originality and the persuasiveness of the spatial intervention.

The jury discussion concentrated here on five projects, during which the landscape scheme dropped out in the end. The main theme in this discussion was the persuasiveness of the project contents, in particular the relation between idea, programme and detailed project.

The unanimous nominations for Archiprix 2012 are Pieter de Bruyn Kops, Ard Hoksbergen, Kim Verhoeven and Herman Zonderland.

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Jury report on Archiprix 2012 nominations

Pieter de Bruyn Kops, A villa for three widows This project proposes that the final phase of human life calls for a particular form of living.

But the way in which it is designed in this villa goes beyond all issues of daily use. It reveals a thorough study of the assignment at the level of social structures, contact among the residents and architectural typology. The result is a highly surprising and individual design, a new archetype that invites closer examination.

Kim Verhoeven, Space in four parts ‘Architecture is frozen music.’ This old metaphor turns out to be difficult to apply in practice.

In its search for new ways of bringing concerts to a wider audience, however, this project proceeds step by step from an in-depth literature study, via formal analyses and models, to very practical and applicable strategies, based on music, to make spaces for music.

On all levels the result amounts to an exemplary investigation, original and inventive in its deployment of materials, and an equally intriguing and feasible new form in which music can temporarily occupy unorthodox places in the city.

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Jury report on Archiprix 2012 nominations

Ard Hoksbergen, The Carthusians of Tubbergen In this project, careful programmatic and typological research results in a surprising intervention. The classical theme of the monastery courtyard becomes a long line in the landscape, an arcade that both separates and connects. A new qualitative relation is thus established between the privacy of the monastic cell, the Carthusian order, and the openness of the landscape. A project that testifies to professional skill and depth at all levels.

Herman Zonderland, Hometown glory: a story about meaning and memory This project provokes discussion about one of the most loaded border conflicts of our time.

A careful analysis of the problem through an extensive initial study created the distance needed to arrive at a surprising discovery: the border was not only the problem but could also form part of the solution, a world of its own, a green paradise waiting for enough dĂŠtente so that both sides can set foot on it. A strong statement exceptionally executed.

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Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Master of Architecture / Urbanism / Landscape Architecture Architects, urban designers and landscape architects learn the profession at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture through an intensive combination of work and study. The school offers a four year parttime master program (120 European Credits) parallel with a period of professional practise (120 EC).

During the periods between the terms there are workshops, study trips in the Netherlands and abroad, and other activities. This is also the preferred moment for international exchange projects. The academy regularly invites foreign students for the workshops and recruits well-known designers from the Netherlands and further afield as tutors.

The students work in small, partly interdisciplinary groups and are supervised by a select group of practising fellow professionals. There is a wide range of options within the programme so that students can put together their own trajectory and specialisation.

With the inclusion of the master courses in Urbanism in 1957 and Landscape Architecture in 1972, the academy is the only architecture school in the Netherlands to bring together the three spatial design disciplines.

Graduates from the Academy of Architecture are entitled to the following titles: Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Urbanism (MUrb), or Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA). The master’s degree gives direct access to the Register of Architects (Stichting Bureau Architectenregister, SBA) in The Hague.

Some 350 guest tutors are involved in teaching every year. Each of them is a practising designer or a specific expert in his or her particular subject.

The three heads of department also have design practices of their own in addition to their work for the academy. This structure yields an enormous dynamism and energy and ensures that the courses remain closely linked to the current state of the discipline.

The master courses consist of projects, exercises and lectures. First-year and second-year students also engage in morphological studies. Students work on their own or in small groups. The design projects form the backbone of the curriculum. On the basis of a specific design assignment, students develop knowledge, insight and skills. The exercises are focused on training in those skills that are essential for recognising and solving design problems, such as analytical techniques, knowledge of the repertoire, the use of materials, text analysis and writing. Many of the exercises are linked to the design projects. The morphological studies concentrate on the making of spatial objects, with the emphasis on creative process and implementation. Students experiment with materials and media forms and gain experience in converting an idea into a creation.

The Academy of Architecture is part of the Amsterdam School of the Arts (AHK), as are the Theatre School, the Amsterdam School for Music, the Netherlands Film and Television Academy, the Academy for Art Education, and the Reinwardt Academy. The AHK, which was founded in 1987, offers a full range of bachelor’s and master’s courses in the field of music, dance, theatre, film and television, architecture, fine art and cultural heritage. The link with arts education underlines the particular importance that the Academy of Architecture attaches to the artistic aspect in the professional practice of architects, urban designers and landscape architects.

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Colophon

Academy of Architecture Waterlooplein 213 1011 PG Amsterdam, The Netherlands, T +31 (0)20 531 8218 info@bwk.ahk.nl, www.academyofarchitecture.nl Advisory Board Rogier van den Berg, Machiel Spaan, Marieke Timmermans Editorial Board Aart Oxenaar, Machiel Spaan, Klaas de Jong Editor-In-Chief Klaas de Jong Translation Billy Nolan Copy Editing Mark Speer, Nik Berkouwer Photography models Hans Krßse Graphic Design Studio Sander Boon, Amsterdam Printing Pantheon drukkers, Velsen-Noord Binding Van Waarden, Zaandam Š 2012 Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Architectura & Natura Publishers, www.architectura.nl ISBN 9789461400222

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10/11 Graduation Projects features the work of students who earned their degree during the 2010-2011 academic year at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture. The projects by the 22 Masters of Architecture, Urbanism and Landscape Architecture are introduced by visiting critic Rob Hootsmans.

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