Graduation project within the studio of Heritage & Architecture. Dealing with existing (post WWII) industrial heritage. Conversion of an old military complex into a spiritual center.

The Westfort Leprosy Colony in Pretoria, South Africa, was built by the Department Publieke Werken of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek in 1898-1898 under supervision of the Dutch architect Sytze Wopkes Wierda. It is the only leprosy colony of its kind that is still (almost) intact. It is part of to the national history of South Africa and has an international connection with the Netherlands and its colonies. Since 1997 the colony is abandoned. Illegal inhabitants took possession of the site and form an informal community of +/- 4.000 inhabitants. Currently the site is heavily in decay and some of the most characteristic buildings are destroyed. Most recently, in April 2016, the octagonal Dutch Reformed Church. The site is also under pressure of upcoming low cost housing developments. Despite several positive initiatives, the inhabitants of Westfort, and the surrounding neighbourhoods, live in squalor. Crime and safety are daily uncertainties. The project shows a vision about how to transform the historical centre of the former Westfort Leprosy Colony into a vivid work incubator. A place were the inhabitants and visitors can live, work, learn and recreate. The main theme is separation & connection. This tension touches every topic of the project. From the function that is about connecting people from the different sides of the city that is still characterized by the town planning of the apartheid era, to the design that is about the tension separation and connection on the site. The project shows small interventions can have a large impact by looking closely to the site and its needs.

Disclosing the military city Lisbon My project involves a former military site located in the edge of Lisbon. The project is located in the district Beato located near the harbor north of the center of the city. This project is closely related to the studio of Heritage & architecture as it is not only worth keeping, but can and needs to be used to improve the quality of the neighborhood. With this project we find a new use and purpose for the unused site and near urban surroundings. We analyze the area and use this knowledge to create a funded design that shows the quality of the existing and the future. This project is a socially relevant project as it is being redeveloped at this moment by the municipality of Lisbon. A MODERN MANUFACTURING COMPLEX The manufacturing complex is the name for the new purpose of the project. The complex consists out of an upper floor zone with semi-private functions like creative workspaces, schools, conference rooms, hotel, craft brewery and winery. The ground floor is a public area with public spaces, craft shops and a museum. The area can be used by local inhabitants, young skilled entrepreneurs and eventually tourists. The site has zones where the different target groups can conduct their daily activities. The upper part will offer contemporary housing for new users. THE MEETING SPOT The focus of the design is in and around the old warehouse. This area is a meeting spot where all users and target groups can come together and enjoy and experience the qualities of the complex. This area is focused on recreational and cultural activities like a market square, exposition spaces, a food hall, tasting rooms, sport center and activity center. This area is the main entrance of the enclosed complex. This results in a design that is the mediator between the outside world and the manufacturing complex. MATCH The old warehouse has a new public use. This building located in the meeting spot is an old building with a new purpose where the old can be seen, touched and experienced. The focus of the building design is on the relation with the surroundings, the strength of the building characteristics and the relation between old and new. THEMES The project has focused on the problem statement translated into the research question ‘How can an enclosed industrial area work together with the urban surroundings as a tool to become reconnected that will serve as an incubator for future developments?’ With the help of themes the project uses the existing to create a new purpose without losing the values and character of the site. The themes are input for the design strategy and concept. The following themes related to the heritage studio are determined. The main theme ‘unite‘ is overarching social related. Bringing together different target group by promoting social cohesion on site. A new purpose is needed for the complex, but this might have negative consequences like gentrification.

The Manutenção Militar Complex (MMC) is situated along the river just outside of the city center of Lisbon. Within the industrial complex they produced food, uniforms and other goods for the Portuguese Army. Whilst the Portuguese Army reached 200,000 men in the 1960s, it is now reduced to 20,000 active soldiers. This meant that the factories of the MMC complex finally closed leaving a large industrial area ready to be transformed for future use.
For the design a transformation framework was created considering the cultural values, the social and economical values of the MMC and my own fascination. With this thesis I want to answer the following question: How to transform the Manutencao Militar Complex into a social, multiple generation community while maintaining its distinctive character?

The MMC is a secluded military zone that used to produce food for the army of Portugal in times of war. The area is vacant and decides the neighborhood of Beato, but it is now open for public development. The proposition in this paper is to transform the main production factory (milling factory) in a Culinary Art school. You will read about the struggle and scientific research that led to this design. The Culinary Art school interacts with the city on different levels of scale. The masterplan that accompanies the design reinstates the rich and royal green history of Beato. The design focusses on telling the narrative of Beato and the milling factory as singularities of this industrial heritage.