2. Table of contents
About me
Interests, education,
fascination
p. 3
Urban design & planning
Living next to a IJsselmonde Rotterdam GPS Spaarne North
flagship development centralities tracking
p. 5 p. 13 p. 16 p. 20
& cetera
Selection of works Play - design Paintings
competition
p. 26 p.27 p.28
2
3. About me
Fascination Interests Education
Coming from a traveller’s family, I had the spirit of travel- One of my main interests in urbanism is a very idealistic My education started at Delft, University of Technology.
ling already as a young child. Trips to the USA, Istanbul, one: the even distribution of benefits and opportunities This university takes part in the IDEA league, which is a
Barcelona and many others broadened my scope of the in a city for everyone. Especially in Large Urban Projects network of five leading universities of technology and sci-
world. My fascination for the city grew when I started my one can see the disbalance between the opportunities ence. The architecture and urbanism studies rank among
Bachelor studies in Architecture. Choosing Urbanism as given to less fortunate (local needs) and wealthy people the top 10 of the world.
a master was a decision I made, for I loved the societal (regional/global needs). LUPs such as mega-events and During the electives of my study, I chose to go to Rot-
aspect of it. Now, I am highly interested in the spatial, eco- flagships developments are my particular topic of inter- terdam to study and work at the Veldacademie (field
nomic and social influence that urbanism has on people. I ests, the latter of which I used in my graduation project academy). This academy is a collaboration between TU
studied in Delft, Rotterdam and Vienna and recently took (p. 5). The combination of sociology and economics fasci- Delft and the municipality of Rotterdam. Here I learned to
the step to move to Munich to find a job. nates me when asking myself how this can be influenced cooperate with the inhabitants of an area, and to explain
Globalisation takes part in my personal life, I like to think by spatial interventions. to them (layman in urbanism, but experts in their area)
that the world is my backyard. But what consequences This is an aspect that also takes a major part in less fortu- what kind of interventions we propose. I was discussion
does this have on urban planning, urban design, and nate or deprived neighbourhoods. I believe it is the task leader and presenter of that year’s study group.
more important on the people, on the inhabitants of the of urbanists to be concerned with the well-being of peo- For half a year I attended Spatial and regional planning
world? ple, especially those living in deprived areas. This regards at the Technical University of Vienna, which gave me a
Despite globalisation, I believe cities will never be the for instance crime, social cohesion, economic opportuni- broader inside in the theoretical aspects of urbanism.
same for exactly those aspects that one cannot plan ties and spatial fragmentation.
or design: their culture and inhabitants that shape the My graduation project, that takes an entire academic year,
atmosphere in a place. One can never design a place, Besides urbanism, took place in Amsterdam. I got involved in the plan-
without regarding its history, culture and inhabitants. I am highly inter- ning process, by interviewing key actors in the case such
It is the task of urban designers and planners to take the ested in architec- as private developers, public stakeholders and urban
current specificities to a place in the future. ture of all centu- designers.
ries, discovering
different cultures
all over the world,
and modern art.
In my spare time
I practice paint-
ing (p.28), graphic
design, music and
travelling.
Istanbul (2010) Painting on canvas (2010)
3
4. Urban design & planning
Living next to a IJsselmonde Rotterdam GPS Spaarne North
flagship development centralities tracking
p. 5 p. 13 p. 16 p. 20
4
5. Urban planning
Living next to a flagship development Urban design
Research
Description of the project
For the graduation project every student
was free to form an own assignment
within the scope of their chosen chairs.
My focal point for this project was flag-
ship development and the possible ben-
efits it can bring to its adjacent residential
neighbourhoods. A key case in Amster-
dam has been studied to function as an
example for further research on this topic.
The goal stated for this case: the resi-
dential neighbourhood Van der Pekbuurt
benefits from the adjacent flagship develop-
ment Overhoeks Amsterdam and vice versa,
in socioeconomic and spatial terms.
The project consisted of research and
analysis leading to two final products: the Chair
altering of the planning process that cur- Spatial planning and design
rently takes place in the key case; a new
urban design, replacing existing plans.
Assignment
A literature study and interviews with Graduation project
key actors in Amsterdam exposed the fact Individual work
that a disbalance between the global and
local effects of flagship development is End products
present. Flagships cause many benefits Strategic plan
on a regional and global scale, however Urban design
many disadvantages on a local scale. Master thesis
Oral presentation
The strategic plan shows recommenda-
tions in the planning process for the Key words
developers of Overhoeks and Van der Flagship development
Pekbuurt in order to reposition their aims Deprived neighbourhood
to be more inclusive. De-industrialisation
Globalisation
The urban design for Van der Pekbuurt Neoliberalism
and Overhoeks aims to enable local,
mutual benefits by proposing an integral
Date
plan for an inclusive audience.
5 Sep 2011 - Jun 2012
6. Living next to a flagship development
R e s e a rc h
What are the possible benefits and disadvantages a al. 1992; Doucet, 2009; Loftman and Nevin, 1995; Majoor, €350 social housing
residential neighbourhood can derive from its adjacent 2011) €550
flagship development, in west European cities? €650 market rent
for sale - mid prices
Papers written by -amongst others- Loftman and Nevin Which mutual, local benefits and disadvantages are
for sale - high prices
(1995), Doucet (2009) and Bianchini et al. (1992) appeared applicable to the Van der Pekbuurt and Overhoeks in
to be extremely useful to formulate the basic understat- Amsterdam?
ing of the issue. The result was a list of possible benefits To be able to give recommendations on the development
and disadvantages that flagship projects could provide of Overhoeks (the flagship development in Amsterdam)
for local communities, as found in the literature study. and Van der Pekbuurt (its adjacent residential neighbour-
This study has shown that flagship development can hood), it was necessary to research the possible local
cause many disadvantages on a local scale, of which the benefits and disadvantages in more depth. Interviews
most important are spatial fragmentation, social polarisa- provided much information to understand the current
tion and an unwelcoming appearance. But also individual process regarding the development of the project and
planning and less resources or attention to the areas the current state of both neighbourhoods. Key actors of
adjacent to the contemporary developments, can have a the private and public developers explained the aims of
negative impact caused by the development of the flag- the development at Overhoeks: in the past it did focus on Current prices of Overhoeks and Van der Pekbuurt
ship projects. (Doucet, 2009; Loftman and Nevin, 1995; local benefits but along the process, these aims were not
Bianchini et al., 1992) applied any more. The municipality did not steer this in a very large park aimed at attracting tourists and inhab-
The most important spatial and socioeconomic benefits an inclusive direction either, on the contrary. In Amster- itants of Amsterdam. Several amenities are planned at
that flagship development can generate for its surround- dam, the rule that developments need to have thirty per Overhoeks, which aimed on the affluent, cosmopolitan
ings and inhabitants are: providing facilities, amenities, cent of social housing aims at diluting the gap between inhabitants. In general, the opportunities to provide
inclusive urban spaces, public transport and the pos- affluent and less affluent spaces. The development of beneficial possibilities that answer to the local needs and
sibility for a housing career. Regarding the developers’ Overhoeks however, was exempted from this rule, and is wishes are present, but not being exploited by the key
planning strategy, benefits can be found in e.g. resident allowed to provide only twenty per cent of social housing. actors. Two important recommendations could help the
participation in planning the flagship development and The research on the two neighbourhoods showed the local benefits being created and exploited by the local
rethinking the goals that key actors formulate, in order to applicability of benefits and disadvantages mentioned in community of Van der Pekbuurt. First, benefits should
be more inclusive and balance the global/regional and the first research question. All of these effects are more or be provided in the flagship area aimed at an inclusive
local needs and wishes. (Doucet et al., 2010) less applicable to the key case. One of the most important audience; second, the disadvantages that prevent the
opportunities is to provide the possibility for a housing surrounding inhabitants of Overhoeks from benefitting
The literature study showed that currently private career from social housing at Van der Pekbuurt towards from the area, should be diminished.
developers rarely aim for local benefits, but concentrate rental housing from the market sector at Overhoeks.
instead on the needs of ‘external‘ users (office users and However, figures by private developers Ymere (2012) and
higher income dwellers, generally connected to an idea Vesteda (2012), showed that the gap between rent prices
of a globalised world). Only municipal aims showed in both areas is far too large to enable a housing career.
awareness of the importance of local benefits mainly in Other local opportunities are for the Overhoeks area to
the provision of facilities and public spaces. (Bianchini et provide inclusive urban spaces, that now consists only of
6
7. Living next to a flagship development
Strategic plan
From research to strategic plan Mission
The research (literature study, interviews, site analysis) Create mutual, local benefits between the flagship development Overhoeks and its adjacent residential neighbour-
provided a list of benefits that a flagship development hood Van der Pekbuurt, Amsterdam
could bring to its adjacent neighbourhood. Several points
can be reached by altering the urban design (page 9) and
others by changes in the planning process, which can be Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3 Goal 4
read here. Reposition aims Inform local Local community Integration plans
community participation
Benefits for stakeholders
The reasons that flagship developers and other involved
Sub goals
actors should create mutual, local benefits in Overhoeks
for the local communities are:
• Focusing on local benefits fits with the idea of Corpo- Put mutual, local benefits on Create enthusiasm amongst Frame the preferences and Make mutual, local benefits
rate Social Responsibility the agenda local communities needs of local residents possible to employ
• Adding mutual, local benefits can help gaining public
approval and enthusiasm for the flagship develop-
ments themselves Create enthusiasm amongst Increase viability of Over- Create enthusiasm amongst Decrease fragmentation and
• Creating benefits for everyone fits in a democratic local community hoeks local communities social polarisation
society
• The outcomes may add to spatial quality of cities,
increasing quality of life Gain public approval and Make Overhoeks attractive Make Overhoeks attractive
• Aiming for an inclusive audience helps to gain a enthusiasm for broader audience for broader audience
greater support for facilities in Overhoeks area
• Enthusiasm of local community can help the develop-
ment of Overhoeks Residents trust expenses of Increase viability of Over-
• The development of Overhoeks becomes attractive for government hoeks
much broader audience
The most important advantage for the developers of
Overhoeks and Van der Pekbuurt is:
• Mutual, local benefits improve the viability of the
development Overhoeks and Van der Pekbuurt
Many of the previously mentioned aspects contribute to
the latter.
7
8. Living next to a flagship development
Goal 2: Inform local community
When interviewing several actors involved in the flagship
process of the key case, I could conclude that the local
community of Van der Pekbuurt feels like they are not
taken seriously by the developers. This is one of the dis-
advantages the local residents experience, and this might
lead to distrust municipal expenses and other negative
perceptions. Whether these perceptions are based on
facts or on personal opinions, it is a perceived disadvan-
tage for the local community so it should be diminished
or removed.
Goal 3: Local community participation
The participation of the local community in the new de-
velopments can be of importance not only for decisions
in the urban design (e.g. the choice for amenities, facili-
ties, urban places), but also in order to make the com-
munity feel involved and feel less suspicious about the
flagship area. When the local community has a say in the
building of facilities and amenities, this can have a posi-
Target group at Overhoeks
tive effect on the success of these, because more people
Target group at Van der Pekbuurt
will make use of these functions.
Area to create benefits
The strategic plan and urban design focus on the selected areas Goal 4: Integrate plans
The integration of urban plans of the flagship are and
Goal 1: Reposition aims
adjoining neighbourhoods is crucial to ensure beneficial
In the answer of the first research question can be read
possibilities. It also means that the development activ-
that none of the aims that private flagship developers
ity of the adjacent neighbourhood can be raised and of
put forward are focused on benefits for the adjacent
course adapted according to the flagship plans.
local community. As Doucet (2009) mentions, for mutual
benefits it is crucial that flagship developers reposition
their aims to be more inclusive. It means that developers
will focus more attention to the adjacent neighbour-
hoods. This can also contribute to the success of flagship
development, as the facilities and amenities can be used
by a broader public and thus be more successful.
8
9. Living next to a flagship development
Urban design
Research to design Concept Phasing
The benefits that flagship developments can bring to
their surroundings and that can be influenced by chang- Residential area
ing the urban design, will be proposed here. Public green area
Facilities, amenities
Facilities area
Benefits for local community should be Phase 1
provided:
• More inclusive spaces
• Provide possibilities for housing career
• Amenities
• Possibilities for transport
Phase 2
• Recreational facilities
• Housing
• Urban places
• Economic opportunities (jobs)
Disadvantages for local community should
be diminished:
Phase 3
• Fragmentation of cities
• Social polarisation
• No public resources for deprived
neighbourhoods
Conceptual drawing of urban design
• Residents distrust expenses of govern-
ment
• Alien, unwelcoming appearance of
flagship area
• Delay, curtailment, failure of projects Amenities, facilities
Welcoming, inclusive appearance
Coherence and connections betw
Transport possibilities
First of all the concept of the design and the phasing of Routing
the project will be shown
Next, the different points that aim at providing local ben- Housing career
efits and diminishing disadvantages, will be explained in Social returns
the form of five goals that answer to all of these points.
Connecting urban fabrics Phasing of urban design
9
10. Living next to a flagship development
Five goals for local benefits
Goal 1: Create social returns
One of the aims of flagship developers should be to create social returns. This means
that the flagship area provides economic opportunities for the local community. Jobs
will be created and this helps to retain social networks, and reduces social polarisation.
Goal 2: Amenities, facilities, transport possibilities
The design and planning for amenities, facilities and transport possibilities should fo-
cus on an inclusive audience. When doing so, the local communities of Van der Pekbu-
urt and Overhoeks can benefit from this type of programme.
Facilities and amenities that focus on an inclusive, broader audience, can be more eco-
nomically viable and thus help the success of the flagship project.
Goal 3: Housing career possibilities
By giving the possibilities for a housing career in the local community’s own (adjacent)
neighbourhood, the social network can be maintained. It has been shown that people
that live longer in one neighbourhood, feel responsible and attached to their environ-
ment (Van Kempen, 2000).
€350 social housing
Public resources aim on the €550
possibilities for the local €650 market rent
community. The residents for sale - mid prices
that live in Van der Pekbuurt for sale - high prices
have more reasons to visit
Overhoeks if their friends/
neighbours have moved
there. Beside that, the area
of Overhoeks appears less
unwelcoming, for a part of
the inhabitants of the area
Interventions:
New building are not from a totally differ-
Buildings ent background, but origin
New building (no groundfloor)
Buildings (no ground floor)
Existing building
Grass space (no cartraffic)
of the Van der Pekbuurt.
Public
Public space (no car traffic)
Public green space
Main roads(all traffic)
Main road (all traffic)
Secondary roads(all traffic)
Secundary road (all traffic)
Pedestrian, cycle path
Pedestrian-, cyclepath Housing prices
Existing:
10
Buildings
Grass
11. Living next to a flagship development
Goal 4: Inclusive, outward focus
The urban fabric of the urban design should be inclusive,
to attract a broad audience on not only the global or
regional scale, but also on the local scale. When doing
so, the flagship area can be more welcoming to the local
community of Van
der Pekbuurt.
This stimulates the
local residents to visit
the contemporary
area and trust the
municipal spending
Residential block sight lines concept on the development.
View in residential apartment blocks
Main attractors
Sightline to main attractor
Network of public squares
Public green space
Network of public places and sight lines to main attractors
Section at canal between Overhoeks and Van der Pekbuurt
11
12. Living next to a flagship development
Goal 5: Connect neighbourhoods
Fragmentation between Overhoeks and Van der Pekbu-
urt prevents the local communities from employing
the future benefits. Creating connections counteracts
fragmentation. Beside that, the groups of people living in
both areas can get more easily acquainted and thus social
cohesion can be strengthened.
Aligning buildings
Pedestrian-, cyclebridge
Bridge (all traffic)
Urban fabric
12
13. Analysis
Centralitieseconomical actvities
/ ACTING IJsselmonde of IJsselmonde
INTER
networks
central places
Regional planning
Description of the project
Chair
IJsselmonde is a region in the Nether- Spatial planning and design
lands, containing the southern part of
the municipality of Rotterdam and other Assignment
smaller towns, such as Barendrecht and MSc 2 project
Ridderkerk. This area is typified by the Group work (4 students)
high percentage of unemployed, and low
income households.
End products
The assignment was to focus on the trans-
Regional plan
formation of centralities in the area. Based
Strategic vision
on a definition of the word, the different
Oral presentation
centralities were identified and valued.
The characteristics of a centrality are: a
density of people, a diversity of activities Key words
and connections to other places. Centrality
The hierarchy and complementarity Network
between centralities were guiding for the Node
strategic plan, that aims at a balanced
network of nodes in 30 years time. Date
Feb - Mar 2010
Legends
infrastructure central spatial function central place in island (small scale)
existing commerce industry
logistics and transportation working central place
national highway o e
national railway creative industry station
metro line sports
tram line sporting park commercial cental place
proposed recreational park
new highway recreation
new metro line education central place out island
residence
new tram line medical facilities central place
13 new recreational route
14. Centralities IJsselmonde
Analysis & theor y
“It has been noted that three main factors contribute The development of a specific and programmatic profile, The area of IJsselmonde is highly dense, in terms of
towards the condition of centrality.” regarding the node and place value, will decrease the inhabitants, and consists of a high percentage of low
risks of competition and can be used as a guiding / ACTING Inter/Acting as a strategic approach
INTER central places
• the density of people, using the centrality princi- income households and unemployed. There is a disbal-
networks
• the diversity of activities of the centrality itself ple for a strong network of central nodes. ance between the density of people Complete the network, providing a coher
1. and the economic
• the connectivity of the centrality with other centrali- Existing opportunities provided in this region. Goal is to improve
connections
situation
ties (Mendes & Morgado 2008) The analysis of different transport networks show the lack the job opportunities at the central-nodes. transportation connections
Add public
- Adress a multimodal approach
of integration amongst these. Goal is to improve these
networks by connecting them at the centralities. 2. the concept of the
The following picture in black shows Transformation oriented development
vision; the next page shows the spatial outlook of the
- Optimize the local conditions for centraliti
regional vision of IJsselmonde. - Spatial integration of activities and the ne
INTER
/ ACTING Inter/Acting as a strategic approach
central places
INTER
/ ACTING Inter/Acting as a strategic approach
central places networks
networks
1.existing
Complete the network, providingstrategy
a cohere
Existing
Vision 1. Complete the network, providing a coherent framework of
connections activities
central economic transform and
Existing situation connections - Add national e ect
public transportation connections nationa
situation - Add public transportation connections a multimodal approach
- Adress e ect
regional regiona
- Adress a multimodal approach local e ect local e
2.access of spatial node to networks
Transformation oriented development transformatio
Train network 2. Transformation oriented development spatial node access
non-
- Optimize e ect local conditions for centralitie
national the nationa
- Optimize the local conditions forSpatial integration of activities and the net
- centralitiesect
national e nationa
- Spatial integration of activities and the network
national e ect nationa
networks
national e ect highway regiona
Metro network national e ect railway local e
regional e ect metro local e
existing strategy
Vision existing strategy
central economic activities transform and
Vision central economic activities transform and strengthen
national e ect national
national e ect national e ect
regional e ect regional
regional e ect regional e ect
local e ect local e e
local e ect local e ect
Tram network access of spatial node to networks transformation
access of spatial node to networks transformation and integration
non- spatial node access
non- spatial node access national e ect national
national e ect national e ectect-central economic activy
national e national
national e ect national e ectect-central economic activy
national e national
national e ect networksnational e ect-central economic activy
networks national e ect highway regional e
Nodes national e ect highway national e eect railway
regional ect tram local e e
national e ect railway regional eect tram
local e ect metro local e e
IJsselmonde in the Amsterdam-Antwerp corridor regional e ect metro local e ect recreation path
14
15. Centralities IJsselmonde
Regional vision
IC
M
M
M
M
IC
M M
M M
M M M
M
M
M M
M M
M
M
M M
M
M
M
IC
M M
S
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
core spatial node
(best integrated with networks
and divers activities)
colour inside / activities IC
LEGEND urbanarea regional economic important spatial node
highway network IC intercity station greenarea sports economic ( well-integrated with networks
national network train station water related business urban economic but not divers activities)
railway network M metro station transformation E education knowledge economic assitante spatial node
metro network tram station other industry S ship building technology economic ( connect to the networks and
not divers activities)
15
15 tram network non-water business special centre (the core nodes have
high quality public transport complementary relationships)
16. Research
GPS tracking Rotterdam Field work
Urban design intervention
Chair
Urban design
Assignment
Description of the project Elective
Group work (field work)
For this project the pedestrian movement Individual work (design)
of 50 seniors (age of 55+) living in Oud-
Charlois in Rotterdam was tracked, by End products
means of GPS tracking devices. GPS maps
With the use of the computer program Urban design intervention
GIS, the tracks were converted into maps Oral presentation for inhabit-
as seen on this page. ants
The tracks exposed the places that are
frequently visited, but also places that are Key words
less often visited. As my project focused GPS tracking
on the social safety of the neighbour- Seniors
hood, the latter was of most importance Social safety
for my design intervention. An individual
design aimed to improve the public space Date
in order to let seniors be more attracted Apr - Jun 2010
to 16 this space.
use
17. GPS tracking Rotterdam
R e s e a rc h & f i e l d wo r k
The field work for this project consisted of two parts: GPS Two out of eight criteria can be influenced by active These indicators were translated into a design, which
tracks of seniors and a questionnaire filled in by the same seniors that live in the neighbourhood: presence of other aims to enable more seniors to use this street, in stead
people. Over 50 seniors that lived in the neighbourhood people, and involvement/responsibility of the neighbour- of avoid using. The first step is to define the rules that lie
Oud-Charlois, Rotterdam, were approached to wear a GPS hood. Several ways to measure and influence them, are at the base of the urban intervention, seen in the image
device for four days and to fill in the questionnaire. mentioned below (the highlighted ones are used for the below.
Afterwards, the data of the devices was -anonymously- urban intervention).
retrieved in GIS. The questionnaire results were converted
to schemes and charts and analysed in combination with Presence of other people:
the GPS tracks. - formal surveillance (police, security)
- semiformal surveillance (street coaches, shop owners)
Oud-Charlois is one of the most deprived areas of Rot- - informal surveillance (neighbours, passer-by)
terdam, based on a high percentage low income house- - feeling of presence of other people
holds, low subjective and objective safety and the highest
crime rate of the city. Therefore, the urban design inter- Involvement/responsibility of neighbourhood:
vention focused on social safety. - low moving tendency
- design of public space
Based on literature of Van der Voordt (2003) and the - ability to recognise co-users
specificities of the neighbourhood, eight criteria were - stimulation use of collective space
selected to measure the social safety in Oud-Charlois: - creating opportunities for semi-public use of space
al Charlois
Social safety*ofcriteria
*note: both actual safety as feeling safety
1. Presence of other people
2. Visibility Current Proposal
3. Involvement/responsibility Small transition zone Large transition zone
No semi public place to Semi public place to
4. Attractiveness of the area show involvement show involvement
5. Accessibility
c
Steps before entrance Entrances on street level
6. Vulnerability of potential target
s Poor accessibility Good accessibility
Criteriaincidents as feeling of unsafety
*note: both actual
for social unsafety*
Cars in the street Exclusion of cars
1. Presence of potential Not attractive for Quiet street, attractive
offender (perpretator)
yellow/green people for yellow/green people
checklist ten
e gebouwde
2. Presence of potential target
Gelegenheidstheorie - rational action theory
17
18. GPS tracking Rotterdam
U r b a n d e s i g n i n t e r ve n t i o n
The Katendrechtse Lagedijk street is one of the streets
that -according to the GPS data- seniors avoid using.
Therefore this street will be the one of the design inter-
vention, aimed to be more attractive for seniors.
After applying the rules of the previous page, the street
sections will look as below:
Katendrechtse Lagendijk
1:500
private
transition zone
public
Section with no transition zone
Section with small transition zone
18
20. Analysis
Spaarne North - Haarlem Masterplan
Urban design intervention
Description of the project Chair
The task for this project was to make an in-depth analysis of the landscape and city of Haarlem. After Landscape architecture
this, formulate a problem statement and an individual masterplan on a part of the city.
Haarlem is an old Dutch city that developed along the river Spaarne in the 13th century. Large expan-
Assignment
MSc1 project
sions followed in the 20th century, instigated by infrastructural advantages.
Group work (3 students: analy-
However, over time the city of Haarlem has formed a spatial fragmented urban pattern which pre-
sis, masterplan)
vents inhabitants and users of the areas to benefit optimally from the possibilities that Haarlem has to
Individual work (urban design
offer. That is the reason for the masterplan to aim for connecting the areas and herewith bring people
intervention)
closer to the possibilities that are already present.
The masterplan shows six principles that have been followed in order to reach the aim of connecti- End products
vity. An elaboration on a crucial detail shows the urban design of a part of the masterplan. Masterplan
Urban design
Booklet research & design
Oral presentation
Key words
Fragmentation
Landscape
Connectivity
Date
Sep 2010 - Nov 2010
20
21. Spaarne North - Haarlem
Analysis
Open space is defined as the space that is unbuilt or rela-
tively low dense. The urban patches in between, are the
relatively high dense areas. What can be found in these
spaces? How do they relate to the edges of the urban
patches around?
We take a look at the green structure and its functions,
and the water functions. Furthermore we investigate the
crossings on the infrastructure, and the building typolo-
gies on the edges that are shown in the right figure.
The fragmentation of Haarlem can be explained by the
historical growth of the city. Haarlem grew to be a fortress
in the 19th century, with surrounding waters, forming the
first boundaries. In the 20th century the city grew respec-
tively along train and car infrastructure. The final expan-
sion area was built with a surrounding green structure, a Nolli-map (and its inverse) of the open space and the built space in Haarlem
boundary that is still there this present day.
The open space (colour), built edges (grey), highly dense area (white)
13th centur y 1450 1822 1915 1930 1960 2010
Development of Waarderpolder, North, and Schalkwijk
First settlement on sandbank Jump across the river Fortress of Haarlem Extension in East and West First major extension along infrastructure Second major extension along infrastructure
21
22. Spaarne North - Haarlem Building on water Building along water Sight line towards water
Masterplan
The masterplan was built upon six rules, guiding the Public space attracts people
design to make Spaarne North be less fragmented, but to stay at the waterside. This
connected in its neighbourhood. ensures a relation.
Spatially it creates chambers
Houseboats and bridges can along the linear space of the
be built on the water. In order Spaarne. The open space is
Building on water Building along water
to be able to create a road pulled Sight line towards water
into the urban patch.
along the eastern riverbank, Public space along water The open space is part cycle path
Pedestrian and
of the Follow shape of waterbank
along water
two bridges need to be estab- open space as well as part of
Car road along water
Building on water lished in theBuildingand south
middle along water Sight line towards water urban fabric.
the
part. Living on the water will
be in the two branches on the The roads are part of the open
East. By building on the water, space as well as of the urban
the urban fabric is mixed with fabric. Therefore it creates a
the open space. transition between the two.
This bank side road is already
The urban fabric is an active
Public space along water Pedestrian and cycle path present at theshape of waterbank
Follow West, but will
spaceBuilding along water
where a lot happens. along line towards water be established in the East, for
Building on water Sight water
Bringing this urbanised space Car road along water pedestrians and cyclists.
close to the water creates a
Pedestrian and cycle path
Public space along water relation between the
spatial Follow shape of waterbank
Following the shape of the
two. along water water bank is copying the
This in contrastroad along water
Car with for exam- form of the space to the urban
Building along water
ple an unused line towards water
Sightindustrial area, fabric. Using this shape not
that denies any relation with only at the riverside, but also
the water. further inland can create a new
relation.
It goes without saying that
Public space along water Pedestrian and cycle path
sight lines towards the water Follow shape of waterbank
along water
create spatial connections. A
Car road along water
traditional way of building is
applied in the design, which
ensures that the sight lines cut
ater Pedestrian and cycle path building blocks intoof waterbank
the Follow shape pieces.
along water
Sight line towards water
Car road along water Masterplan Spaarne North in Haarlem
22
23. Spaarne North - Haarlem
Urban design
This area is approximately 500 by 500 meters, 25 hectares.
Industry in the city is generally slowly shifting out of the
city. For this approach in Haarlem this shifting is encour-
aged. But Haarlem has almost no places where this indus-
try can shift to, so the use of the groundspace should be
intensified.
The Waarderpolder will be transformed into an area
with a mixed function of dwellings and offices. How can
dwellings be combined with offices and industry? The
light industry will therefore be converted from wide, low
buildings, to smaller, high buildings with parking lots un-
derground. The industry should be surrounded by offices,
since in most cases it is not allowed to build dwellings
next to it. Next to the offices can be a mixture of offices
and dwellings.
All of this will be established within the frame of the six
principles.
The new residential areas are developed with green
surroundings. In Haarlem there is a lack of public green
therefore it is good to always keep this in mind when
designing public space.
Some building blocks have an inner garden, but all blocks
have an outer garden or private zone. This makes the
transition zone between public and private. This ensures
that the transition from the open space of the river to the
public space around it to the actual
dwellings is as sufficient as possible.
23
24. Spaarne North - Haarlem
In the image below can be seen how the six principles
have been used in the design. This shows only the new
added principles. There is built on and along the water,
there are sightlines towards the water, public spaces and
continuous roads along the Spaarne, and the shape of the
riverbank has been followed.
View from office building towards water
Crucial detail of the masterplan, showing the six principles View between residential blocks
24
25. & cetera
Selection of works Play - design Paintings
competition
p. 26 p.27 p.28
25
26. Selection of works
Santos New Binckhorst
This renovation project for the Santos building in Rot- This project redeveloped the industrial area ‘Binckhorst’ in
terdam was designed to be developed into a short-stay Den Haag into a mixed residential area.
apartment building for expats. The urban design aims to combine existing industrial
buildings with residential buildings, offices and facilities.
The existing brick monument was covered by an exten- The rigid grid is made out of closed building blocks, with
sion in wood, that made a connection in the surrounding a flexible designed, informal inner courtyard.
urban fabric.
Home zone in New Binckhorst
The existing buildings and urban places form the excep-
tions on the grid to form a lively, vibrant and moreover
legible neighbourhood.
Exterior Santos (model in Maya)
Floor plan New Binckhorst
Concept of grid with industry, residences and monuments or other exist-
Interior Santos (model in Maya) ing buildings Street view along the river
26
27. Play - design competition Design competition
Interior design
Prize
Second prize
Description of the project Assignment
Design competition
The assignment for this competition was Group work (4 members)
to design the interior of the Gasthuisfab-
riek in Amsterdam. A temporary exhibi- End products
tion of young, modern artists would take Maya model and renders
place for two weeks. The winning design Oral presentation for judge
was constructed.
“Play” enhanced the idea of several fo-
cal points in the area, with a clear but Key words
vital and varied routing following all the Play
attractions. The main attraction was a Urban guerilla
specifically designed stage that could Interior design
give place for young performers to show Temporary design
their act. Budget design
“Play” received a second prize in the Date
27
competition. Dec 2007
28. Modern art
Paintings Paintings
Hobby
From left to right, up to down:
Hidden
Acrylic on canvas
Night fire
Acrylic on canvas
Morning rain
Acrylic on canvas
Secret
Acrylic on canvas
View from train
Acrylic on canvas
28
29. PORTFOLIO
by Robin Boelsums MSc.
August 2012
Layout: R. Boelsums
Images: R. Boelsums
More information and download of portfolio,
presentations and master thesis:
www.slideshare.net/robinboelsums
