Abstract: Everywhere in our country there are buildings and neighborhoods that keep history up to date and touch people. They tell stories about where we come from, who we are and how we develop. In the face of major changes in our living environment, heritage offers recognition and gives us something to hold onto, and identity. In addition, monuments and historic neighborhoods first and foremost have values in themselves: they are the bearers of the past that we cherish for their own meaning and beauty. We are therefore pleased to pass them on to future generations. If we look at old photographs of Dutch residential areas, we can see how much has changed. Buildings and squares have been refurbished. Behind old buildings the past has appeared. This is the visible result of efforts to renovate historic buildings. But this can also be done differently; by giving the very same building a new lease of life, by connecting the heritage to the great challenges in our living environment and by making use of the linking value of that heritage. However, as life changes over the years, such transformations are often forced to focus on certain aspects that may influence the assignment. One of those major concerns is the ageing of the population and individualization. Partly thanks to this, we are facing a major problem in terms of housing shortage. When it comes to having enough housing for the market, we must build a second Rotterdam out of nowhere somewhere in the middle of the rural area, which is just impossible. So, the importance of heritage once again comes to the fore. All those millions of square meters with their own values and qualities demand a new, smart life for the housing question. And in addition to these concerns, it should not be forgotten that these, existing buildings that had very different rules in their own time, caused many of these buildings to fail to meet contemporary requirements, which clashes sharply with an important aspect such as living quality. The location of the project is in the neighborhood De Werven, which is part of the first developed land on the Flevopolder, namely Almere- Haven in the city of Almere. When the neighborhood saw its first residents move in in November 1976, the architect Joop van Stigt's idea, inspired by the structuralist movement of that time, was to design small neighborhoods in the whole neighborhood (Dutch= wijkjes in een wijk idee) in a way that the social cohesion between the residents would be very pleasant and strong. The aim was to use the cauliflower structure, that gave the urban development plan its shape, to make the courtyards serve as the dynamos for this idea. Among other things, the general problems listed above, which also occur in De Werven itself, have meant that the architect's intentions, which ultimately made a major contribution to the strong, and by the residents pleasant, village atmosphere, have gradually been lost. Privatization was on the rise, while collectivity gradually faded away. The aim of this project was to provide more housing opportunities without affecting the village atmosphere, but on the contrary to strengthen it by strategically creating the most promising spaces, the courtyards, together with the buildings. In the end, the task, requiring a good balance, focused much more on the existing structure, looking for the answer to be able to afford more housing for both the elderly and the younger classes. This goal has made itself plenary with the vision to direct these existing buildings towards the housing market of the future, and to design as energetically as possible while, just like comfort, the existing image and character of the neighborhood is been kept.
Publication Year: 2020
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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