A small community where elderly and young professionals live, study and work together

In this thesis, it describes that spirit is the regenerative power in heritage design, and explained how it was inherited from past and still remain alive nowadays. A certain kind of method will be approached to help with the research on this topic. Since heritage design is the re-design based on the existing building, historical research places an important role during the architectural research. It shows the memory of the site. However, besides historical value and age value, other values such as use value, newness value and rarity value should also be considered in the value assessment, which makes decisions between demolishing, reserving or redesigning more convincing. Furthermore, the value assessment encourages architects reflect on history and find strategies for new design fit for the nowadays and look to the future. The value assessment can help find out the spirit of the heritage and the spirits of the can help to bring building into new life.

This graduation project and the main topic that will be addressed derives from the context of the Hembrug terrain, in which the studio ‘Revitalising Heritage’ is placed. The problem statement, based on the initial site analysis, illustrated that the green and historical character of the Hembrug terrain may disappear due to the new proposed developments. These plans for extra housing and working spaces are pushing the greenery further outside of the city centres and putting
pressure on the ecological quality of the area. This led to the research question that will be explored in this project. ‘How can the re-design of the heritage site of Hembrug facilitate ecological growth and increase biodiversity while contributing to the public awareness on the importance of preserving nature?’ The combination of natural preservation and architectural design is a field that has been developing lately under the term ‘urban ecology’. This research field ventures beyond the traditional approach towards ecology and introduces the city as an ecosystem of its own. The theme of urban ecology is strongly represented in the program envisioned for the area of Hembrug, but also in the design approach for the area itself. The landscape and architectural design should reflect this combination of nature with the existing built fabric and can be viewed as an experiment to test the principles of urban ecological design.

The graduation studio of Heritage and Architecture evolves around the revitalisation of the Hembrug area, which is located between Amsterdam and Zaanstad along the North Sea Canal. The site functioned as military production stores, testing site and as the logistical heart of the “Stelling van Amsterdam”, the defense line of Amsterdam. This former military industrial site comprises of several different building ensembles, which include fifty monuments, historical green and water structures and remains of the former infrastructural system. The set-up of the military site followed a functional approach which, in combination with the former exclusive functions, led to a closed-off, inwards oriented character. Nowadays Hembrug is located in an industrial, excluded area. But the city of Amsterdam is expanding rapidly, growing towards Zaanstad and the industrial areas around Hembrug will be transformed into residential areas. Hembrug will also be connected to the public transport by the metro network. Within this project the aim for Hembrug is to transform the site into a vivid part of the developing Amsterdam-Zaanstad metropolis. The area should not only provide amenities and diverse qualities to the individual area, but also to the upcoming residential neighborhoods that will surround Hembrug. The new design for the Plots in the woods aims to connect people and nature through food and thereby strengthen the relationship between food consumers and producers. Functioning as a platform for urban farming, by means of providing space for food production, education/ innovation and social interactions. To accomplish this the plots in the woods will house the following functions: a food market containing a greenhouse along the south façade with innovative techniques for food production which are accessible through workshops combined with a food market with all kinds of food and market stands; office space ranging from permanent offices to public workspaces with reservable meeting rooms and other needed facilities to study or work; diverse food joints ranging from a small coffeebar to a luxurious restaurant using the local products; an education center which will be used to give workshops, exhibitions and lectures about possibilities to grow your own food within the city and an event hall which will function as a flexible, big open space for all the functions on site. The landscape was just as important for the functioning of the factory as the buildings. Therefor in the new design the earlier mentioned functions are not strictly binded to the interior spaces but will also flow towards the open spaces. There will be a vegetable garden, public square and flexible furniture which can be used in multiple ways.

Harvest. A Burn-out retreat.
 Revitalising 'Plots in the Woods' at Hembrug. 
A former munition terrain. A hidden green enclave in Zaandam where de Zaan, het IJ and het Noordzeekanaal cross. Surrounded by water and boats, industry and a big forest. The vision of the project is to revitalise the ‘plots in the woods’ into a burn-out retreat with a focus on the wellbeing of the visitors and sustainability while maintaining the characteristic values. Just like in the past, every building will have its specific function. And all together they will form the process of the treatment of burn-outs. The three key elements are: preserve the typologies, respect the original materials as much as possible and upgrade the buildings to present-day conditions. In addition: the wellbeing of users, sustainability and reuse will be taken into account. 
The plots in the woods at the Hembrug terrain was a place of violence, but quietly and by its own resources the ensemble recovered. Now it is a space created for people with a burn-out, where they can do the same. The users serve the existing landscape and buildings: the program emerges and is rooted at this location and time in society. There is now a place surrounded by nature, close to Amsterdam to take the time to unwind, wander, connect, disconnect and slowly recover.

A process of research and design has taken place to understand the problems we face in the present and future to transfer that into a design proposal. The first problem as starting point for the design is the extreme rain periods that causes floods due to climate change. The second problem as starting point for the design is a social problem where starters can't afford a house due to the expensive housing market. This occurs especially in popular cities such as Amsterdam. Eventually, a design proposal in Minervahaven (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is made that is liveable in a way how it deals with the extreme rain periods by having different strategies integrated in the design such as using, absorbing and storing rainwater. At the same time, the design proposal will create an affordable place for starters by having focused on creating a balance between 315 qualitative compact dwellings and collective areas in the building. This is realised in the form of collective kitchens, working areas, laundry rooms and shared electric cars. Also, repetition was key in the design to reduce the building costs that helps increasing the affordability of the dwellings for starters. The challenge was to have a good collaboration between architecture and building technology to give something back to the community not only in the present but also for the future.

The main inspiration for my design originates from the great variety of spaces, atmospheres and time layers on site. Preserving this unique quality for the public and making it experience-able as well as using it as a source of revenue are my main focuses. I pose the question:”How can the historic layers of the site be preserved and made experience-able?” To answer this question I introduced the 3 following approaches:

Offer additional programme
Preserve the original building fabric
Establish new connections

Each approach is reflected in a concrete intervention on site.
The site is mainly transformed into a boutique hotel. To attract more visitors and therefore create more revenue as well as to make the site sustainable, I introduce a restaurant and market hall in combination with a greenhouse. Located in the former functional post war stables it also functions as a new public entrance to the site. A big part of the atmosphere on site is characterized by the war damages in the main house. The core idea is to maintain the original atmosphere of the rooms with only a few “images” of the historic rooms while providing modern living standards. All serious damages to the brickwork are maintained and similar to a showcase, in a museum exhibited through a window pane. This is contrasted by the new plaster wall finish around the frames which is painted in a way that it matches the original colour scheme of the room.
Introducing a walkway which connects all buildings on site serves two functions. Firstly it makes the navigation for visitors much easier and leads them from one function to the other. More importantly, however, it serves as a tool to tell the history of Reuversweerd. Leading from one time cluster to the other it shows the visitor the different time layers and atmospheres. By making a connection that was never there before It also creates an entirely new context for the buildings which enables a focus shift towards their history and spatial qualities rather than their beauty.