2015 Graduates Architecture - University of Antwerp

Facult y Of Design S ciences

2015 G R A D UAT E S ARCHITECTURE G R A D UAT E S 2015 Universit y Of Ant werp

architecture graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015 Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

interpretation of bunker-architecture UTOPIA RECONSIDERED 24

A SPACE FOR THE CONTEMPORARY DWELLER

lara schrijvers

50

sven verbruggen

Astrid Nieuwborg 10

38

64

stadtreparatur

Architecture Graduates 2015

urban void

CONTRUCTION AGANCY

14

Karolien Van Put

26

Bruno Spaas

imagine the underground city maze...

dirk van oosterwyck

52 Bart Hanssen

from city park to park city

72

community house

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

56 Marnik Heijligen

christian kieckens

66

european embassy towards

Sofie Mattys Katina Teunen

40

the un

& the wto, geneva

CASABLANCA VILLE SANS BIDONVILLES?

76

johan de walsche

Architecture Graduates 2015

INTRODUCTION

Charlotte Gillain Liesbeth De Bock

fille hanjoul

kempeneiland

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

Annelies Gys

28

16

Rick Hospes

58

from nostalgia to eu-topia

abattoir in situ

Vladdi Theuns Matthijs Bemelmans

78

carrières centrales

Aurélie Ligon David Meeus

30

42

kempeneiland

living under a food tower;

Arne De Crom

the postmodernist settlement

68

balance

URBAN WATERFRONT

34 Vincent Speybrouck

dirk janssen

44

grossform revisited

Klaartje Heyvaerts

Maxime Peeters 2050. a mundaneum for the left

60 Linde Muyshondt

bank of antwerp

18

80

informal city in transition

abattoir in situ

Arnaud Goossens a volatile and contemporary

20

Sophie Peelman extension of a city centre

36

Gregory Boel Rik De Coster park in a city, city in a park

46

Hannes Hulstaert

62

counteractive architecture and

Gitte Vanden Bergh

the space in between [casib]

architecture and film

[CASIB] CounterACtIve ArChIteCture And the SpACe In Between

| hAnneS hulStAert | 2015

70

Eleni Daelemans Silke DeDonder territory in transition

82

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

Laurence Evrard co-parenting families

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

86

koen van bockstal eric wieërs

88

96

Laurien Leemans maison d’inspiration

108

Anneleen Raeymaekers

young families and senior citizens

galler

130 Inez Ubaghs Loic Tybaert

in the city

142

campus paardenmarkt

HOUSING AND THE DOMESTIC SPACE

146

els de vos

Laure-Anne Vets britselei — begijnenvest Martin Denayer

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

Charlotte Vanderplanken Ine Mertens Louize Bogaerts

90

Sofie Bogaerts Natasha Soetens ’t stokt

98

122

110

house of culture and sports

Sanne Vander Linden galler trade complex

132

Elise Jacops

de stoktse tuin

148

vernacularisation in three portuguese

Lukas De Baere onze-lieve-vrouwe college

Robbe Theunis Jens Pemen Jasper De Roover

ART WORKHOUSE

siza during the seventies

Niels Loyens Debbie Verbeek l’autoposition

112

104

jan thomaes

RE-DESTINATION: 116 ANTWERP’S CULTURAL PATRIMONY

134

rijnpoort building

Pierrick De Braekeleer 92

social housing-projects from alvaro

100

beerse heilaarstraat-peerdekensstraat

Stephanie Vanherck Alexandra Masure ‘t stokt

124

126

the antwerp tower

HOUSING THE FACULTY OF DESIGN SCIENCES ANTWERP UNIVERSITY

138 Kim Vanpelt

150

modern versus classical

hans barbier

geert driesen

Titsijana Cornelis Tess Cuyvers nieuwstad

94 Frederik Dierckxsens post industrie

106

Hakan Ulusel 118 sint-lievens college campus amerikalei

Camille Luyten Helen Dierckx Caroline Debray mise-en-scène

128 Valérie Ruiters campus katoen natie

140 COLOFON 154

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

Architecture Graduates 2015

Sofie Feber Inge Stevens konijnenberg

Ardui Charlotte Dekeyser Patrick Schurmans Glenn ver(der)dichting?

120

an alternative type of housing for

Architecture Graduates 2015

Kathleen Nagels

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp | 8 |

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

chair of department

geert driesen coördinator of master’s theses

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

Preface This is the first yearbook since the Antwerp school of Architecture integrated within the faculty of Design Sciences in the University of Antwerp in 2013. In the preamble of this integration, the educational program was thoroughly reformed. However, these new conditions are not visible in the master theses shown in this publication. It is certainly too early to see the effect of them, moreover the new program is not meant to effect on the master projects as a result of it. On the contrary, rather it is the intention of securing the quality of them within the new context in which they will be achieved.

It is obvious that the academisation, will effect in a positive way on the educational program, but it is important to protect the basic values of architectural education in this process.

As the curator for the Biënnale of Venice 2014, Rem Koolhaas didn’t want to focus on the contemporary nor the future. He aimed to rediscover the fundamentals of architecture and confronted them with what modernity did to the condition of architecture. To progress we sometimes need to step back to pick up lost values or at least to reflect on the essentials. Conceiving the new curriculum we wanted to redefine the

basic elements of it, rather than trying to adapt the program to the haziness of transition and change. The bachelor curriculum is rebuild on the three domains; architecture and its culture, architecture and construction, architecture and its context. While the bachelor student through these focusses is introduced in the world of architecture, the master student is exploring how architecture can give form to society, its complexity and contradictions, in a sustainable way. Therefore we insist on connecting sustainability to the fundamental qualities of architecture carried out by its culture rather than seeing architecture as a result of technical research dictated by the building industry.

During the years of exercise the students have built their own framework of qualities and values in architecture. In the master thesis these values are confronted with the specific conditions within their projects. The masterproject does not start and does not end as a design exercise. It starts with the research within the various conditions of the project. These conditions are as well formal, spatial, sociological, cultural and technical. The complexity of this research has to result in a spatial concept in

which has been taken position regarding these conditions. Architecture is not neutral, the student is asked to be clear about the position he takes in a discursive way using a theoretical and referential framework.

The various projects or themes are introduced by different professors. Most of them are practitioners. Within their master studios they carry out research that leads into design projects.

Traditionally a few students choose for a theoretical master thesis, framed by research within the faculty. Despite the different themes and contexts the master studio’s all aim for a realistic and integrated approach, in which one can always recognize the three baselines; culture, construction, context.

The city and urbanity remain dominant focusses, from the projects for the city of Antwerp to projects for Casablanca. In this shared concern re-conversion ( “Re-conversion of the Antwerp patrimony of the recent past”, “Art workhouse”, “housing project for the faculty”, “Constructing Agency”) and densification (“City-region Turnhout”, “Urban Waterfront”, ”Casablanca”) are striking issues.

The “Open Studio” and “Utopia reconsidered” have initially a rather theoretical approach but as in all of the projects the social relevance is always obvious. In this yearbook the master theses are arranged by studio and introduced by their supervisors.

There is often mooted that too many architects graduate in Flanders and Europe in general.

That is an understandable concern. However, a master degree in architecture is not only an entrance to the profession. The master in architecture has developed a wide range of competences to have an important social role in taking care of the built and the unbuilt space.

The global concern regarding the quality of the built environment is no longer an exclusive matter of architecture, urban design and planning, we need people who take care of the quality of space in many disciplines. Therefore we are proud that this yearbook is quite voluminous.

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

dirk janssen

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

INTRODUCTION

Constructing Agency Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

dirk van oosterwyck

annelies gys klaartje heyvaerts arnaud goossens

Constructing Agency

Introduction In architectural design studios, we necessarily This confronts students with the diverse and — and willingly — make abstraction of reality. often conflicting complexities and dynamics of During design processes, and as end results, architectural processes, and allows them to students mostly usually produce representadeal with architecture as a spatial agent that tions of architectural intentions: drawings, modacts with, and on behalf of, other subjects and els and texts. It is common practice for students objects. to develop fictitious architectural projects based on a more or less specific design brief and site.

In terms of content, the studio focuses on three Commonly, the scale of the projects and the interlocking topics: complexity of their context increases over the course of educational training. These process›› The affective experience of architecture: es serve as simulations of ‘real’ architectural subjective space design processes. ›› Architecture as agency ›› The tasks and position of the designer Constructing Agency aims to complement this abstract, self-referential methodology by asking Constructing Agency serves as an explorastudents to develop a concrete project in the tive laboratory, analogous to architecture, but studio and realise this by designing and building cheaper, faster and more flexible. It stimulates temporary constructions on a 1:1 scale in public students to respond to a design brief from a space in Antwerp. This forces them to take highly personal perspective, to rethink and exresponsibility not only for the design process but periment with design methods and to question also for the construction and later removal of the role of architecture – and the position of the the structure. Design intentions and the end rearchitect – in contemporary society. Moreover, sult are inevitably influenced by external factors because their design intentions are implement(permits, budgets, logistics, etc.) and internal ed in real life, the consequences and results can factors (the reality of building). be effectively studied and evaluated.

Constructing Agency

STUDENTS

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Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

Architecture Graduates 2015

CONSTRUCTING AGENCY

annelies gys

Constructing Agency

The slaughterhouse itself and the administrative outbuildings were demolished some years ago. What remains are the stables and the former livestock market. Entering these halls, you will definitely be surprised. The massive facades hide a surprisingly light structure. The glancing light on the modular ceiling adds to the articulation, which interrupts the smooth surfaces of asphalt, precast concrete and tiles. The indirect light coming from the dormer windows creates a certain sacrality, which is reinforced by the scale of the hall. The sacral atmosphere contrasts strongly with the history of the hall and its contemporary use as a sleeping place for the homeless and drug addicts.

The phenomenological experience of the former livestock market became a prominent issue during our research. Analyses showed that a large number of diverse elements contribute to the character of the hall: its structure, the lighting, its scale, textures, smells, sounds, traces of usage, and climate. But how can one reveal those qualities? How can non-architects be stimulated to consciously notice these elements and become aware of the remarkable characteristics of the hall?

interior — frontal

beam detail

My ambition in designing an entrance pavilion is to create a spatial sequence that layers the transition from exterior to interior. The aim is to make visitors more aware of the impressive character of the hall – which will very likely be demolished in the near future.

My design focuses specifically on certain qualities of the hall. It is situated on and oriented towards the former main axis of the hall. It restores and reinforces the impressive perspectival view of that axis. From outside, the pavilion appears to be solid, but in progressing inside the space slowly opens up for us. It gradually discloses parts of the hall and the apparent solidity gives way to a much lighter character, analogous to the massive facades of the hall, and its elegant internal structure. The funnel-shaped pavilion scales the space down to emphasise the huge dimensions and emptiness of the hall. The use of bricks as building material refers to the historical study of the site, and also creates a distinct contrast with the smooth surface of the existing columns.

light detail

langs-gevel

Constructing Agency

The mushroom-shaped gatehouse that used to overlook the approaching cattle is now in a neglected state. Since the closure of the slaughterhouse, many kinds of visitors have left their mark on the site: from dog droppings to syringes, from graffiti to boarded-up windows, asphalt and boundary lines on the ground. The terrain became derelict, a place where everything is seemingly tolerated. But it is also a source of inspiration for artists and architects. Now it’s our turn to leave our mark.

An initial impression of a space is formed as one enters it. Analyses of entrances and circulation told us that one of the gateways is located on the main axis of the former livestock market. This entry borders on the street and is less articulated than the similar entrance to the second hall. Because of the scale of the opening in the facade, much of the internal structure can already be seen from the exterior. This interesting and inspiring place would be the location of my project: a new entrance pavilion to the former livestock market hall.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Slachthuislaan 70, 2060 Antwerp.

Architecture Graduates 2015

ABATTOIR IN SITU

exterior — frontal

klaartje heyvaerts

Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

ABATTOIR IN SITU

The project is located in the former city slaughterhouse at Antwerp Dam. Fifteen years ago the site lost its industrial function and subsequently fell into decay.

Although it does not show on the facade, the construction of the slaughterhouse is based on a skeleton structure which consists of columns placed on a regular grid that carry an elegant arch structure supporting a modular ceiling.

The great height of the building, which is not in proportion to its length, evokes an inhuman scale. The skylights provide indirect zenithal light which, in combination with the scale of the building, creates a sacral atmosphere.

corner detail

spatial composition

Constructing Agency

Constructing Agency

The project’s ambition is to reveal the architectural qualities in order to draw attention to the impending loss of this distinctive building.

Architecture is used to enhance the experience of the existing architecture.

The project consists of a brick pavilion with an enclosed character, perforated by a narrow vertical split on the axis of the hall and four very small viewpoints. The viewpoints were carefully chosen to indicate fragments of various architectural qualities. The pavilion encourages people to look at the hall in a different way, paying attention to the architectural details.

Its shape is determined by the frames chosen.

This places the body parallel to the wall when viewing a fragment.

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The difference in scale between the pavilion and the hall makes the dimensions of the hall even more impressive after a visit to the pavilion.

As the hall serves as the only light source for the pavilion, attention is directed to the large amount of daylight in the hall. The contrasts in scale and light enhance the feeling of sacrality.

light detail

Inplantingplan Schaal 1 : 5000

arnaud goossens

Dirk Van Oosterwyck

Mentor

Afstudeerproject 2014-2015

A

B C

D

E

F

F

A C B

Architecture Graduates 2015

D

Two architectural analyses influenced the design process. Firstly, a graphical analysis of the bunkers located on the Antitank Canal: I started by collecting images of fragments of the bunkers which I translated into drawings and then into scale models. In doing so, I tried to capture the beauty of the sculptures using a medium that strongly relates to architecture. Secondly, a study of the morphology of the casemate: by inverting the bunker, mass becomes space and vice versa, whereby the inner space is placed in a vulnerable, unprotected position.

E F

the inverted bunker — mass vs space

Through this design I tried to create a metaphorical and anecdotal framework which the visitor can use to imagine a more dramatic design which exceeds the built reality; a ruin that refers to a fictional past and tells a story of decay.

A design with its roots in the past and a tangible existence in the present.

Constructing Agency

E

D

C B

A

A

B C

D

E

F

A C B D E F

Constructing Agency

The chosen site at Berendrecht has a strong historical and geographical connection to the old line of defence, as the location where the Antitank Canal debouches into the port of Antwerp. Thus, this theatrical and charismatic hill, located in a typical Flemish landscape, offers a potential starting point and a possible way to emphasise its beautiful trajectory.

Arnaud Goossens

A

Antwerp’s Antitank Canal played the lead role within this framework, with the project aspiring to broach and highlight this beautiful but forgotten piece of heritage.

AGENCY

C B

Architecture Graduates 2015

Inspired by the exhibition of the work of Belgian photographer Stephan Vanfleteren, entitled ‘The Atlantic Wall’, and the book Bunker Archaeology

by Paul Virilio, I decided to use ‘bunker architecture’ as the subject matter of my Master’s project. My ambition was to design and build a contemporary interpretation of the bunker as an object embedded in a certain landscape. This project definition emphasises the interesting contradiction between an evanescent construction and a perdurable monolith.

M A S T E R P R O E F

D

BUNKER ARCHITECTURE

CONSTRUCTING

E

Berendrecht-Zandvliet-Lillo

F

A VOLATILE AND CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF

full scale model

During the design process I tried to alternate between the Atlantic Wall and the Antitank Canal, and their highly contrasting personalities. In a way, this artificial hill combines both characters. It’s an epic and monumental panoramic pyramid standing proudly in a modest Flemish landscape.

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The design acts as a temporary ambassador for the Antitank Canal. It is a modest yet volatile landmark that introduces the 33 kilometre long scar around Antwerp. The design also serves as a vantage point from which to view the extensive scenery.

monolith material — detail

site — Berendrecht

Constructing Agency Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

UTOPIA RECONSIDERED

lara schvrijver

karolien van put laurence evrard david meeus

Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

Introduction Current developments in the 21st-century city raise urgent issues for the future. Differences between cities are growing, both in terms of population and in terms of general living conditions (Dhaka vs Detroit, Seoul vs Stockholm).

This raises a broad spectrum of issues central to modern architecture. Can we organize life in the city? Can architecture encourage a new social sensibility? How do we organize a society efficiently and with a sense of value, and which building types contribute? What is the role of public space and which collectivities may develop in this space?

The explicit assumptions and interventions of modernism and the shaping of modern society are also eminently visible in the urban tissue, as is the history of urban society.

With this, the European city forms an ideal place to study the complexity of modern life within the conditions of an idealized conception of the city.

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Current conditions in Europe, as the place where the polis once arose, and the modern city was later developed, offer a new opportunity to define the ideal city. Based on the knoweldge of architecture history, from the enclosure of the medieval city to the anonymity of modern urban residential areas, this studios seeks a sense of the collective within the highly individualized network city.

Program The primary objective of the projects in this studio is to create a realtively small-scale collective housing project that facilitates the formation of a ‘light community’ in a post-utopian age. As collective life became increasingly fragmented over the course of the twentieth century, the desire for being part of a community has remained. Additionally, the need for densification is increasingly becoming an important requirement within the European city as counterweight against the individualism of the second half of the twentieth century.

The most noteworthy concerns in terms of urban growth are typically related to large metropolitan areas in Asia and Africa. Yet it is within the mid-size European city that the legacy of the welfare state is visible.

The program also requires the insertion of an urban farming component. This aids in formulating a collective project that can be embedded in the existing city, adding a new dimension to the urban tissue.

Studio principles Two cities were identified as possible sites: Antwerp and Rotterdam.

A number of complementary principles were at the core of this studio, all of which are related to the ideal city and the utopian drives of twentieth-century architecture; How can architecture contribute to a sense of community, and what might this look like after the demise of high modernism?

How should we approach the idea of utopia today? is it possible to enable a ‘light community’ with an architectural design?

A research-based approach: the program is studied from the perspective of history, its cultural significance, and the topicality of the architecture debate.

The research questions are approached from a collaborative perspective and individualized towards topic and program definition.

Process In the first semester, students explored theoretical issues concerning utopia in (recent) architecture history, urban farming, and the need for reinterpreting (collective) housing. This led to a number of different perspectives on the logic of collective dwellings, and the question fo how to define such a collective. Subsequently, within these issues the students sought out precedents, best practices and central themes.

In the end, each student identified a different target group for their work, resulting from the research phase in which theory, precedents and urban infill were examined. This collective was defined in text and/or image. Based on the selected group of intended occupants and themes, students selected their sites and set out the design principles for their housing project.

As such, the studio itself formed a ‘light community’ of different perspectives, and projects that take on urgent societal issues in very different manners. Each project seeks a relation between the form of our residential environment, and a measure of freedom for the changing roles of architecture and community within the city.

Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

STUDENTS

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Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

Architecture Graduates 2015

LIGHT COMMUNITIES AND 21ST CENTURY URBAN LIVING

karolien van put

Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

‘Rethinking the European city raises many issues, from the capacity of existing infrastructures, floor-area-ratios that ensure comfortable urban dwelling, and dwelling requirements for a post-capitalist society that seeks to balance hyper-individualism with collective agency’. (Lara Schrijver, Studio description) I started searching for ‘places to be conquered’ that were already present in the urban fabric, places which I could explore, exploit and improve so that they would become a valuable addition to the existing city. I believe one of the strengths of utopian thought is the idea of an experimental model that settles into an urban tissue from which it can expand and grow from within. This eligible urban tissue can be found in many different layers: from hovering in the air, resting on rooftops, or in parasitic relations within buildings, to floating on water or going underground. In this Master’s project I chose to explore this last option within the city of Antwerp.

Almost every major city harbours some kind of lost underground world, as does Antwerp with its ancient ‘ruin’: a 900-year-old brick tunnel network situated right beneath the city centre.

The underground world has always appealed to our imaginations as a secret, hidden part of the city which is seldom brought to the surface. My challenge was to think of a way to translate this space and atmosphere into a functional addition to the existing urban context.

The underground network should be preserved in its function as a whole: an underground city maze on a pedestrian scale, accessible to all. To determine which functions complemented the city, I analysed the places where the underground could intersect with existing urban life, responding to these specific people and their needs. The possible functions are very diverse, including collective living, public activities, alternative routes, urban farming and sports.

The intersection with the life of the city above ground creates a connection, visibility and new opportunities for both.

modele composition

To house these functions, I developed a quite simple but well-considered system of prefab modules which are all derived from various ways of merging two basic forms – the cylinder and the sphere. The particular circular forms originate from the way they determine the negative space. They are incorporated into all of the different sections of the brick vaults of the circulation tunnels, which in employing minimum requirements for living reinforce the power of collectivity.

Because the tunnel is accessible to all, it is important to express and set the specific boundaries that are desirable for each of the different functions. This was done through the design of the modules and their interrelationship. By linking preconditions to these relationships and their placement, a system was created which can continue to grow by itself depending on its success and on demand, and which can also be applied almost anywhere in the world. The underground climate barely changes…

intersection — overground and underground city

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senciale experiance

Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

Architecture Graduates 2015

The search for a suitable location within the existing urban context informed my personal choices in the realisation of this design studio, combined with the wild utopian conceptual models of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and with the urgent need for urban densification also in mind.

Architecture Graduates 2015

IMAGINE THE UNDERGROUND CITY MAZE...

cilinder and sphere modules

laurence evrard

Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

When looking for a solution, the financial aspect is important, but the focus should be on the well-being of the children. In order to achieve this, several aspects should be considered: the form of cohabitation and how far it goes, the necessary degree of flexibility from the parents, the necessity of green surroundings, childcare, playgrounds and recreational areas for the children, etc.

With joint custody, both parents need a home with adequate space for the children. This is expensive and half the time these homes are not fully utilised. For children this is also a difficult situation: moving on a weekly basis rather than having a single stable home.

In order to gain a good understanding of the needs of the target audience, I chose to use a bottom-up principle based on empathy. We started by thinking from the child’s point of view instead of basing the living model on commonly reported problems. Through the participation of the target group we could discover what utopian living means to them: ‘How do they want to live?’ This is contrary to the process in which most (blueprint) utopias are devised, where everything is determined by the designer in a totalitarian way, including the daily schedule of the residents.

fairly, so the child does not become alienated from one or both parents. By living in a stable situation, a child can become more confident.

The decision to carry out the project in Antwerp was influenced by the morphology of the city.

Antwerp is an ancient port city located mostly on the right bank of the Scheldt. It is the second largest port in Europe after Rotterdam. Unlike Rotterdam, which is a garden for experimentation, there is a building tradition within the dense urban fabric of Antwerp. This granularity brings about a sense of security which is not found in the coarse fabric of Rotterdam, where many projects seem to stand alone. collective gardens

The site chosen is small in scale to allow the feeling of safety and security to be preserved in the project.

The result is an assembly of private residences on a collective property, to which some corporate functions are linked, such as childcare and urban farming with a recreational and educational purpose. The houses themselves are privately owned to create a family feeling, allowing the house to function as a single space or as part of a collective project. To achieve the feeling of safety and security for the children, the children’s spaces form a core within a larger house. The properties of both parents nestle themselves around this core.

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Children primarily have an emotional bond with their home. Their overall sense of home is obtained by creating a sense of security, safety, protection and stability. Furthermore, the feeling of a family bond is very important. This can be achieved by dividing time between the parents

parental units — childrens core

Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

Architecture Graduates 2015

If we look at today’s housing problems, it is striking that the housing market has not yet adapted to the contemporary needs of families in which the parents are divorced. The number of families in this situation continues to increase.

Architecture Graduates 2015

CO-PARENTING FAMILIES

outdoor playzone

david meeus

DESIGN METHOD The desolation of the neighbourhood stands as witness for the grateful critics of modernism.

What initially stood for a collective ambition is now reduced to a mere communal entrance portal. Typical of the postwar areas is the lack of a focal point; a centre for the neighbourhood. It lacks a spatial hierarchy.

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The site is divided into four quarters, with two pedestrian axes along which the residents of the three housing blocks move to and from their dwellings. An existing cycle path that crosses the site and the public square also connects the

snede doorheen de woning

food towers — left side

The building blocks are morphologically identical, except for the use of the inner courtyard.

The outer shell of the complete parcel protects the lower courtyard. A street suspended between the building blocks functions as a second circulation pathway for the upper two levels and food production towers. The dwellings mainly consist of apartments and family homes, all with a garden or a large terrace.

The production towers that provide food for the inhabitants are located in the fourth quarter.

They provide an incentive to engage with others.

The vertical circulation is also incorporated into the towers, which become a new focal point for the residents of the neighbourhood, providing food, light and human interaction. The communal elevated street cuts through all three housing blocks and the production towers, embracing the individual components and binding them all together. The formerly generic proposal receives a very specific and expressive appearance.

site impression

Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

SUBURB; BETWEEN URBAN URGENCY AND RURAL GENIALITY The decision to develop the project on the outskirts of Rotterdam city centre was motivated by the fact that this neighbourhood was the site of the rebuilding of hundreds of houses after the fatal bombardments of the Second World War which tore up the city. Thus, the district was developed according to the mind set of that age.

The site is situated at the intersection of two major highways. In the west it is enclosed by modernist, high-rise, slab typologies and in the east by typical Dutch garden houses.

The suburb has enormous potential for the development of new housing typologies that would be suitable for Rotterdam as well as Antwerp.

This is because these modernist areas do not deal with the available space efficiently enough.

Moreover, the context does not impose sufficient preconditions to allow for a generic solution.

site with its surroundings. The building that has been developed is analogous to a small village.

The dwellings are arranged around a central, collective courtyard which can be reached by two narrow, high passages which are situated in opposite corners. Collective gathering is possible but not necessary. The dwellings can be reached by inner and outer streets. The inner streets are connected with the outside, but have a very different character to that of the rougher outer streets which confront the brutal high-rise adjacent. The building merges two urban scales: an intimate, human scale, and a clear straightforward verticality. This collision of scales occurs at every level of the building: facade, street, room and square.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The brief begins with two problems: firstly, the housing problem currently facing Western Europe and, secondly, a future food shortage.

Initially, the research focused on a comparison of the housing history of the Netherlands and Belgium, with the fragmented Belgian landscape remaining a point of reflection throughout the design process.

Architecture Graduates 2015

LIVING UNDER A FOOD TOWER; THE POSTMODERNIST SETTLEMENT

facade view

URBAN WATERFRONT Utopia Reconsidered: Light communities and 21st century urban living

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

dirk janssen

sophie peelman

sofie mattys

vincent speybrouck

katina teunen charlotte gillain liesbeth debock

URBAN WATERFRONT

The left bank This location still struggles with a negative image. Not only is it considered the opposite side, but also as a kind of back side to the city.

Despite Antwerp’s inhabitants being aware of the inaccuracy of this image, it is a persistent myth. The connection between the two banks remains tenuous to say the least, an underground tramline and a pedestrian tunnel, no bridge, no ferry. The left bank even remains out of the picture in the tourist brochures aiming to highlight the city’s wealth.

The spatial characteristics of the left bank offer some underexplored qualities, such as the living environment, but also a variation on the Antwerp vernacular. In developing this potential, Frederik Van Eeden Square could take on a key role. The square is like a navel or a connection point to the right bank. It is a place that is at once a park, a district centre and an important traffic intersection (pedestrian, cyclist, car, bus, subway and water taxi). Today this complexity seems problematical, yet the activation of this undetermined and undefined place could become an impetus for the left bank. This lack of determination makes it an excellent place for exploratory research into both its societal

meaning and its possibilities considered on the spatial and planning levels. It is also an ideal case for design research into the contemporary significance of public space and public buildings. Today this significance is primarily related to context rather than a specific public programme. It is the context rather than the destination that defines the typology of the architecture. “… can we make monuments that somehow help to restore the confidence in the future? I do believe so.

To invest in public transport, public parks, stations or other buildings is a way to give confidence during difficult times. To bring optimism is architecture’s fundamental role. I believe in strong, confident architecture.” — Alexander D’Hooghe

Within this Master’s project the student was asked to examine the various possibilities of the place in relation to its significance within the broader context of the city and the relationship between the left and right bank.

rik decoster aurélie ligon

Het Eilandje The process of city renewal on het Eilandje started in the late 1980s and early 1990s, initiated by an international ideas competition, vzw Stad aan de Stroom, which aimed to revitalise the old harbours on the city’s edge: the areas of het Zuid, de Kaaien and het Eilandje. The competition, run in collaboration with the city, engendered some visionary plans. However, through a lack of political and thus financial support, the project did not succeed in realising its aims. In the late 1990s, the city revisited the process and developed an extensive planning framework as a guiding tool for all further development of het Eilandje. The framework consists of a master plan with two phases (Buro 5), image quality plans for both public space and architecture (Atelier JPLX), a landscape plan (Michel Desvigne) and a water management plan (Urhahn-Vrolijks). All of this was legally translated into a spatial implementation plan.

Construction of the marina and refurbishment around the old docks started in 2000, certain residential projects (Hans Kollhoff, amongst others) coincided with the renovation and reallocation of Sint-Felixpakhuis (Robberecht en Daem) and, at a later stage, the construction of the MAS (Neutelings-Riedijk).

gregory boel

Today, the Montevideo and de Cadix neighbourhoods are in the full process of development. In the longer term, the development will continue on Kempen Island and Mexico Island. In order to update the existing master plan for this second phase, experimental design research is required.

Within this Master’s project the student was asked to investigate the potential of the place in relation to its significance within the broader context of the city and its position with respect to het Eilandje as a whole. The project also addresses the subject of urban densification, as one of its main goals.

URBAN WATERFRONT

STUDENTS

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Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

Architecture Graduates 2015

URBAN WATERFRONT

sophie peelman

URBAN WATERFRONT

‘A person entering the space of non-place is relieved of his usual determinants. He becomes no more than what he does or experiences in the role of passenger, customer or driver. Perhaps he is still weighed down by the previous day’s worries, the next day’s concerns; but he is distanced from the temporarily by the environment of the moment.” — Marc Augé

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When arriving at Frederik Van Eeden Square, the huge open and undefined space is rather unpleasing. The spacious environment gives the ‘square’ an ill-defined atmosphere. Frederik Van Eeden Square is now used as a park area but is mostly a traffic transit zone between the left and right banks of Antwerp. Although the place does not have the morphology of a ‘square’, or a ‘centre’, it is often used as the centre of the left bank (the weekly market takes place in the car park).

Contact with the nearby city centre is minimal, only strategic views close to the water and a couple of tunnels connect both sides of Antwerp.

REVIVAL The ‘revival’ of the square has everything to do with its identity. For the square to function as a proper centre for the left bank, it needs to provide a receptive atmosphere to visitors and tourists. Also, it should capture the existing functions and provide a place for new functions that will combine with the old and complete its identity as a ‘centre’. By adding public functions which can be used by both sides of Antwerp, the square will function as a catalyst to strengthen the relationship between the left and the right banks.

excavated groundlevel

snede doorheen de woning

exploded view

patio

URBAN WATERFRONT

FREDERIK VAN EEDENPLEIN

COHERENCE Coherence is important for the positioning and placement of the volume in context, as well as for the volume itself: the park, for example, becomes a whole through the elimination of the major traffic axis. By designing a dense urban building block which interacts with the surrounding urban structure, a boundary can be defined. Thereby, the ‘emptiness’ of the park is left ‘empty’ and a distinct urban island is positioned next to this green area.

HIERARCHY The combination of existing and added functions can be structured in a hierarchical way when designing the volume. This translates into a public plinth, designed around an urban square, with the metro entrance, local shops, a marketplace, a museum and a library located on this base. On top of this public plinth, on a second level, four housing typologies will be designed and connected with a network of streets in the sky. By adding the housing function, a sense of permanency and social control is afforded to the central square and the surrounding parkland due to their use by residents.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

CONTEXT The left and the right banks of Antwerp have a unique relationship to each other. These two parts of Antwerp have different atmospheres and morphologies. The right side of the Scheldt, for example, consists of a firm building block tissue. The morphology of the left bank of the Scheldt reflects its specific historical evolution.

Over several years, various urban plans have been made for the left bank (e.g. by Le Corbusier & Henry Van de Velde). Ultimately, only small parts were completed, leading to the unique form this area has today: it combines every possible housing morpho-typology, with districts of high-rise slabs intermixed with small holiday homes and dense low-rise neighbourhoods. The mix of different typologies, the green areas and an over-dimensioned structure characterise the left bank. Wide streets, grass patches and a lot of parking space are common sights.

Architecture Graduates 2015

EXTENSION OF A CITY CENTRE

view towards Frederik Van Eedenplein

charlotte gillain liesbeth de bock

The urban void takes a variety of forms. We recognise oversized streets, parks and parking as forms of urban void. These areas are not necessarily physically empty, they just lack a clear identity.

“If a place can be defined as relational, historical and concerned with identity, then a space which cannot be defined as relational, or historical, or concerned with identity will be a non-place.” — M. Augé

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Frederik Van Eeden Square offers one example of an urban void on the left bank. The square has a lack of identity and gestalt, of which we can ask the question: What is Frederik Van Eeden Square? It is a collage of functions without hierarchy: home to traffic, public transport,

In the first phase of the design, the void of Frederik Van Eeden Square was addressed, arranging the square and giving it boundaries.

The square will partially remain empty, as a park, and will be partly urbanised as a square.

At this micro level, we re-created the contrast that was already present at the meso and macro levels. In a later stage, the urbanised square was strengthened by a permanent building, which completed the structure of the left bank. The designed buildings constitute a new building block, which follows the structure of the surrounding buildings and creates an image that interacts with the existing scene. This will enhance the streetscape and simultaneously give function and boundaries to the open space.

The inner area of the building block will be given to the left bank. The area can be used as a market place or as a passageway. Functions such as an entrance to the metro, housing, shops, a marketplace and underground parking ensure permanence and a sense of social cohesion. The empty landscape will be given a structure parallel to the shore and the right bank; this structures the void but allows it to exist at the same time. The structure offers space for a variety of public functions: meeting, leisure, gardens and culture. It can be seen as a foil in the landscape, with the architecture also practised as an continuing event. The combination of possibilities for the foil offers a multitude of impressions, as in Parc de la Villette by Bernard Tschumi, which has become a byword for constant production, continuous change; its meaning is never fixed but is always deferred, differed, rendered irresolute, by the multiplicity of meanings it inscribes.

main plaza

inner courtyard

langs-gevel

void between hangars

URBAN WATERFRONT

URBAN WATERFRONT

When we analyse the left bank, we see a big contrast with the right bank. In the building block structure of the right bank, the open space is defined and shaped by the built environment, forming streets and squares. On the left bank, with the buildings forming different morphological fabrics, the open space is not defined by the buildings but is merely the space that remains. It is not only the morphology but also the banks that stand in contrast with each other.

parking, a market and a park, all in one, making it meaningless. After our study of the urban void we decided that the square was in need of a clear structure. While, on the other hand, emptiness may simply remain empty.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Nowhere in Flanders since the beginning of the nineteenth century have they made as many plans as they have for the left bank of Antwerp.

It was always about comprehensive designs, of which only limited parts were realised. However, most of these designs remained dreams on paper. The left bank had long been an unexplored area and offered the opportunity to experiment with urban models. The result was a mix of different morphological fabrics with lots of open space and an oversized infrastructure. The lack of interaction between these different fabrics leaves the left bank with an undetermined morphology, identity and function.

Architecture Graduates 2015

URBAN VOID

masterplan

sofie mattys katina teunen

URBAN WATERFRONT

We tried to find a balance between the constructed and the non-constructed. In this way, we wanted to delineate a relationship between the buildings and the open space which would provide a certain living quality. Therefore, we introduced the concept of ‘live by growth’. The classic concept of ‘live by growth’, with the possibility of extending inside the volume, can be applied within a flexible system of architecture.

We also provided different typologies, which give the residents the opportunity to choose. In short, we envisaged a manner of living where people from different target groups live next to and with each other.

While designing the public space, we continuously reflected on its relationship with the buildings. On the one hand, we focused on the space between the building blocks, while on the other we focused on the open space itself. These open spaces are supposed to give something back to the city. In addition, the development of the new hospital at Kop Spoor Noord will bring a lot of activity to this area. Oostkaai was also an important conceptual point where we wanted to give something back to the city.

waterside Asiadock

Considering all these elements, we looked for a possible answer to the question of how Kempeneiland could become a unique living environment, with respect to both context and meaning, within the development of the city of Antwerp in general. We focused on the residential environment, density and collectivity. Through this contextual approach we attempted to absorb the character of the location so it could contribute to the spatial diversity of the city of Antwerp.

URBAN WATERFRONT

Het Eilandje has its own history and its own future. The value of the historical elements which remain firmly on the site were important for our project; for example, the dock edges and the use of industrial materials. The location of Kempeneiland makes this site unique in comparison to other parts of the city. We were convinced that Kempeneiland had a lot of potential to grow and to become an active participant in the city of Antwerp. This formed the foundation for a study that focused on the quality of the area, addressing the question: How can Kempeneiland be transformed into a unique living environment?

network of Venice and the Cerdà grid in Barcelona. The link between this specific context and this morphology is a very important step. This adaptation offers new possibilities for architecture to begin to create an identity for the place.

waterside Kempishdock

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In the search for a morphology that fits this environment, we chose to use building blocks. The decision was based on what existed elsewhere on het Eilandje and the belief that a nuanced transition is possible between private and public spaces. In this we were influenced by the urban

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Architecture Graduates 2015

In our Master’s project we aimed to develop a realistic master plan for the project area of Kempeneiland and its surroundings. Thus, we began by looking for a connection with Cadixwijk, part of the island that has already seen major development, and which could help us build on het Eilandje.

Architecture Graduates 2015

KEMPENEILAND

island section

aurélie ligon

Kempeneiland is almost entirely surrounded by water, creating the sense of an enclave, which characterises Antwerp’s Eilandje area. During a volume study, I investigated how the buildings surrounding the courtyards behave with respect to the abundance of open space that can be found in the orthogonal grid of the Eilandje area.

URBAN WATERFRONT

Leonardo da Vinci’s sketch of the ideal city, the Adelphi project by the Adam brothers and Harvey Wiley’s design for the ‘City of the Future’ all depict cities with multiple layers of road systems. Using such layers allows for the separation of pedestrians from motorised vehicles.

Similarly, building entrances can be created on different levels, depending on the needs of specific users.

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Designing multiple layers on Kempeneiland creates the opportunity to provide room for workshops, studios, brick and mortar retail shops and offices. This will increase the diversity of the neighbourhood as well as preserve the history of economic activity in the harbour area.

Inhabitants of contemporary cities demand compatibility between small-scale business properties and living spaces, which is answered by the multiple layers of the Kempeneiland design. The higher ground also provides a board-

Using matrices I analysed multiple neighbourhoods that have strong similarities with Kempeneiland. Specific attention was paid to the access roads, morphology, island headlands and quays. This led me to design quays that function as public spaces with their own specificities related to the adjacent docks. In the vision, ‘Living near the water – living on the water’, the apartments are well connected to the quays.

By investigating multiple ecological neighbourhoods, I gained insight into the aspects that matter most in this space. More insight was also gained concerning collectivity, diversity, mobility and biodiversity using the matrix analysis.

Kempeneiland is a hybrid model where the high diversity of studios, apartments, offices and retail shops will ensure day and night occupation of the premises. These functions will be grouped around collective courtyards with room for collective activities. Inside the buildings, common areas are created for the residents to convene and interact. These public areas are designed with the aim of reinforcing the social fabric of the neighbourhood and strengthening the sense of social well-being. In the same spirit, green biotopes will be constructed in the courtyards, encouraging the residents to play and relax.

promenade

inner courtyard

URBAN WATERFRONT

To design Kempeneiland, I was inspired by ‘Le Plan Voisin’ by Le Corbusier. In his design, the modern and traditional structures blend naturally with each other. The buildings are positioned in such a way that quiet courtyards are created within the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city.

walk with views over the water and the lower courtyards. All of the apartments are located on higher ground, creating a natural boundary between the commercial area and private living quarters.

outdoor scenery

By providing multiple bike lanes and footpaths, the residents are encouraged to reduce car usage as much as possible. Although there is an underground car park to allow residents to reach their apartments by car, the levels and courtyards will ensure the car does not have a prominent place in the scenery of Kempeneiland.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

For this research question, I immediately formulated my vision on the development of Kempeneiland. I analysed multiple themes using matrix analyses, resulting in a theoretical frame of reference that I used to design Kempeneiland.

Architecture Graduates 2015

KEMPENEILAND

island section

vincent speybrouck

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I believe these added values not only consist of the built object but also the context.

The presence of the water, the quays and the isolated island feeling are potentially the additional impulses needed to make a Großform viable. The final goal should be the transformation of the island into one large ‘living machine’, which appears as a single entity to the outside, but can respond to the necessary small-scale needs and thus ensure the quality of life of the individual. Analogous with the existing grid on

The building blocks created consist of a stepped volumetry, wherein the stacked living units shift at each level, thus creating private outdoor spaces of qualitative value. By using perforating patios, the lower levels of the building enjoy maximal light and usage. The underlying spaces formed by the shifting building volumes are orientated towards the central area and lend themselves perfectly to secondary functions, also helping to define life in and around this area. By creating a multifunctional and green area between the building blocks and on the quaysides, a green connecting axis arises between the Park Spoor Noord and the future park on the dry dock site. The landscaping of the park allows it to be utilised for temporary functions such as markets, playgrounds and greenhouses.

With the disappearance of the industrial harbour activities in and around Kempischdok and Asiadok, the demand for industrial buildings and warehouses has declined at this location.

However, with the advent of the new yacht clubs, a new target audience has surfaced, which would benefit from the development of new, specific harbour infrastructure on one end of Kempeneiland and Asiadok-Oostkaai. The creation of some new club infrastructure and self-service boat sheds could create another positive pole of attraction for the area.

isometric overview

URBAN WATERFRONT

URBAN WATERFRONT

Following the existing master plan, phase-two housing forms the core of the programme, supplemented by the necessary secondary functions and a characteristic landmark at one end of the island. I consider that this location creates the possibility to apply and partially revive the Großform as defined by Oswald Mathias Ungers. At the same time, I attempted to avoid the negative aspects of large-scale housing, which has often led to the demise of this form. As Ungers states: ‘Man spricht von Wohneinheiten und meint die Anzahl der raüme, von Wohnblocks und meint die Anzahl der Wohneineiten’.

Here he points to the fact that people talk about ‘units’ but mean ‘numbers’. The ambition of this project consists of supplying a set of parts for the necessary added values. Approaching the Großform as Ungers describes it: ‘Erst wenn zu der summe von einzelteilen eine neue qualität hinzukommt und eine höhere entwicklungsstufe erreicht wird, entsteht eine Großform’.

het Eilandje, the living machine created there can be divided into distinct building blocks. This creates a more balanced scale ratio and a large connecting green area over the length of the island.

scale model — terrace ensemble

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Architecture Graduates 2015

In contrast to the other areas of het Eilandje, the island feeling on Kempeneiland is really tangible. This is due to the long and narrow shape of the island, the presence of water and the open space in front of the proposed hospital site on the south side of Kempeneiland. This unique setting and scale created the opportunity to realise a single design stretching across the entire island. The goal was to create a coherent and secluded entirety.

Architecture Graduates 2015

“GROSSFORM REVISITED”

island section

gregory boel rik de coster

The point of departure for the main concept was the isolated character of Kempeneiland.

Because of the unique context, we defined Kempeneiland as an ‘island within het Eilandje’.

This idea conceives of the area as an enclave, enclosed between the docks and the traffic infrastructure. Within this context it was our goal to create an open enclave that is publicly accessible and enters into a relationship with the environment.

The morphology was a result of the application of three main axes on Kempeneiland. The first is a public quay along Kempischdok, consistent with the existing quay areas of het Eilandje. The second axis is formed by the main park structure, and the third axis is a floating footpath on Asiadok. In between the three axes we generated two types of building blocks. An E-shaped building block forms a front between the public quay and the park structure. U-shaped building blocks are located around Asiadok and open towards the water. Both models are inspired by the Justus van Effen complex in Rotterdam (M. Brinkman, 1923) and the ‘Begijnhof’ model.

The residential areas alternate with open public spaces where the park unfolds and views to the docks are generated.

For the development of the public space and the architecture we concurred with the main objectives of het Eilandje. The architecture defines the identity of Kempeneiland. Simplicity and roughness are important aspects of the design and materialisation. In the final phase of the study, we mainly focused on the human scale and the harmony between the public, collective and private spaces.

outdoor space

masterplan section

langs-gevel

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Continuing with this vision, we conceived of Kempeneiland as a car-free zone. In addition, we put a park structure on Kempeneiland as an under layer for the whole area. Within this context, Kempeneiland forms a ‘park in the city, city in the park’. Our main inspiration comes from the GWL-terrein (KCAP & A. Geuze, 1993) in Amsterdam, where a residential park is combined with a campus model.

URBAN WATERFRONT

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles? — Geert URBAN WATERFRONT Driesen

The first stage of our project consisted of a thorough analysis of the context and theoretical research. This formed the basis for outlining the project area and for formulating a personal vision and ambition. The research area consists of Kempeneiland, Oostkaai Asiadok and the adjacent quaysides. By including all sides of Asiadok in our research, we were able to create a coherent and harmonious whole that matches its surroundings.

Houses are grouped within the park structure, in which generous, open green spaces will appear. The park forms the connection on the spatial, functional and social levels.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The Master’s project ‘Urban Waterfronts – Het Eilandje’ is connected to the overall housing problem in Flanders. The city of Antwerp needs to provide 30,000 to 50,000 new houses and other facilities by 2030. To realise this goal there is a need for new housing types, a mixture of functions and the multiple use of space. Het Eilandje is an important area within this story. It is situated near the city centre, but it has suburban characteristics due to the openness of the docks. It has the potential for a few thousand homes situated in a unique historical context.

Architecture Graduates 2015

PARK IN A CITY, CITY IN A PARK

masterplan

URBAN WATERFRONT a space for the contemporary dweller

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

sven verbruggen

bruno spaas

Introduction The general question asked of students wishing to participate in this Master’s course was: ‘How do you design with a reconfigured notion of commitment?’ The aim was a project in which the student could combine both theory and practice, drawing on strong design skills combined with an interest in architectural theory.

The task was in line with previous Master’s and design studios supervised by Sven Verbruggen.

Central to the recurring assignments is the question of which architectural motives are regarded as crucial today. Concepts such as critical, significant, intentional, commitment, evocation and projection are often defined, interpreted or contextualised differently within the realm of architecture. The student is challenged to make a personal and contemporary interpretation of these concepts as a framework for a specified design task. After writing an initial position paper, the student is set a design challenge, which is determined in close consultation. In each case, the design task aims to comply with the idea of a synergetic project, as understood, for example, in ‘The Ambition of the Territory’, the Flemish contribution to the Venice Biennale in 2012 by AWB and others.

Two students applied. One was declined. An inquiry into various theoretical positions followed, concerning what makes a project either utopian or realistic. A second line of thought concerned the student’s idea of the urgencies affecting the built environment today. In combination, these two theoretical lines created an outline for the design challenge – to make a utopian-realistic design that dealt with three, at first sight, unrelated urgencies and which reflected on the position of possible stakeholders. The urgencies identified were: the need for more trees within the historic city; a policy to deal with early twentieth-century dwellings whose insulation and services are far below contemporary standards; and ways to densify the urban fabric while at the same time creating more healthy outdoor public areas in the city. All of these urgencies were generically defined as challenges recurring in cities worldwide. As the supervisor of this project, I requested a case study of the urban district of Antwerp, centred around the nineteenth-century city park. It was up to the student to distil an inspiring approach applicable to the Antwerp case but which could also work for any other city with a comparable setting.

a space for the contemporary dweller

a space for the contemporary dweller

STUDENTS

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Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

Architecture Graduates 2015

A SPACE FOR THE CONTEMPORARY DWELLER

bruno spaas

scale model — masterplan

a space for the contemporary dweller

a space for the contemporary dweller

evolution strategy

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The project is about living in Antwerp’s nine›› The space that is made available can be built on teenth-century housing belt, and specifically in again or used in a different way. Building higher the area around the Stadspark (the City Park). and/or increasing density creates opportunities Although the urban area within the Singel orfor more urban green space and public outdoor bital road has been made more attractive after spaces. Smart repurposing can lead to improvemany years of urban renewal, the average qualiments in the environment, the quality of life and ty of the existing housing stock is still substandhousing quality. ard. Apart from the traditional herenhuizen (genteel town houses), some of which have now ›› Freeing up space and giving it a new purpose been subdivided, the housing mostly consists is a continuous process that should take place of dilapidated residential council housing built in stages. New insights or societal preferences between 1920 and 1970. These homes were can lead to changes in direction. Each intermebuilt to suit the needs of residents in a bygone diate stage is therefore viewed as a final stage, era. Adapting them to meet modern residential which should represent a step forward in its needs requires structural interventions which own right. are expensive (sometimes too expensive), with owners’ associations often taking a negative ›› New-build housing creates scope for innovation. or cautious approach. In practice, renovation It generates opportunities to do more than simmeans nothing more than a superficial makeply replace housing, making it possible to build over, with the buck passed time and again. The homes that meet contemporary requirements. upshot is that these homes are becoming inLiving in a healthy environment demands more creasingly difficult to sell, resulting in relatively outdoor space, which in turn implies building low market values. Due to the combination of higher and/or increasing density. This can be chronic air pollution and a massive shortage of done in two directions: horizontally and vertigreen space, living within the Antwerp Singel is cally. The zone around the Stadspark is being also unhealthy. How can we turn the tide? What developed as a case study. Its area could be must be done to create affordable, suitable, more than doubled and its perimeter could healthy housing in the nineteenth-century belt? be extended from 1.5 to 7 kilometres. People In the search for answers to these questions, would be able to live in a high-rise building with established rules and prejudices were set aside, panoramic views or peacefully in a detached leading to four key points that could serve as a home. Due to its extensive nature, the park will basis for a feasible approach. have the effect of opening up the centre and linking public functions. This will create space for residents, city dwellers, visitors and anyone ›› Allowing the buying and selling of planning enjoying a leisurely stroll. permissions (rather than building land) will make it possible to meet a diverse range of needs in relation to housing density and open space. This means the system will work similarly to a set of communicating vessels, so that when something is taken from one place it is given to another. This could act as a impetus to improve the quality of housing in Antwerp’s nineteenth-century belt.

Architecture Graduates 2015

FROM CITY PARK TO PARK CITY

housing modules

a space for the contemporary dweller

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE | 54 |

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

christian kieckens

rick hospes

marnik heijligen

maxime peeters

arne decrom

hannes hulstaert

gitte vandenbergh

astrid nieuwborg

bart hanssen

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

Introduction Similarly to previous years, the idea of an ‘open studio’ was also suggested for this year, whereby, through personal thought and research, students are asked to define their own method, with their personal fascinations and reflections being integral to the results of the project.

The entire year process was constructed around the theme of ‘curare’ (to take care, collect, compile). An ‘open studio’ does not mean that any theme, project, programme or site can be accepted. From the start, the project as a whole needs to be founded on and fit into the overall framework of the studio.

The final result will not only be a project/design in its architectural form, but also the presentation of the theory in the form of a brief paper published in A5 book form.

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Prologue A series of three exercises (October-November) developed on the basis of a novel or movie script will guide a search in the direction of a concrete final content that reflects the initial ambivalence between ‘analogy/ideology’. Each of the answers will be understood as a sequel to the previous one, but through the introduction of new

parameters will itself be questioned and turned into something new: analogy becomes ideology, or vice versa. These new parameters will not act solely to fit each step into a larger whole.

Conditions such as boundary limits, related art expressions and other elements will feed each new assignment and will be based on the individual thoughts of the student: their origin, their influences, their cultural drive and personal research. Using their own resources, students will respond in the form of drawings, models, photography, graphics, video, text, etc.

Dialogue Writing up the final programme (November-December) will be the result of the process of development described in the prologue. In this design process, theory will be in dialogue with praxis; form with content; structure with experience; site with context; abstraction with materiality; autonomy with dependence; finer details with the broader city; seeing with understanding; reading with explaining; culture with necessity, etc.

Epilogue The final project will be architectural, i.e. with ‘constructive’ spaces, a clear built environment and materiality. The project will be presented in a formal way through a personal presentation justifying the content of the project. The entire research process will be made by ‘analogue’ drawings. A publication about the quest and the project will substantiate the design.

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

STUDENTS

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Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

Architecture Graduates 2015

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

rick hospes

The project will focus on the revitalisation of Martyrs’ Square based upon the poetics of collective memory, nostalgia and phenomenology; a place for people to reflect, reunite and redefine their identity; a place to retreat and learn; a place for the Muslim, Christian, Druze and Jewish people of Lebanese society to share.

conceptual research

Apart from the lack of public space, Beirut also has a shortcoming on the cultural level. During Beirut’s golden years, Martyrs’ Square was an important location for cultural and recreational activities. The dazzling neon signs of the many cinemas and theatres once found there defined the cosmopolitan character of the square. During the civil war most of these activities simply disappeared and have not returned.

Throughout the centuries, Lebanese society was built on eighteen religions. These eighteen religions will be the foundation of the Beiruti Centre for the Arts, with the collection divided over eighteen spaces. To allow a wider amplitude of use, the eighteen spaces will be of varying dimensions. The two floors will be divided between the temporary exhibition and the permanent collection. Because of its underground status, located under Martyrs’ Square, natural light is not an obvious feature of the museum.

However, due to carefully placed patios and light wells, natural light will subtly illuminate the spaces, creating a sacred light throughout the museum.

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

Within this gap lies the most well-known square in Beirut, Martyrs’ Square, which is perhaps the most interesting place in Beirut’s rich history.

The square has served under many names, but has always been a centre of attention, dating back to the sixteenth century. The square was once an orange grove next to the Palace of the Emir of Lebanon. Later in history it changed from a public garden to Beirut’s most well-used public plaza. During the civil war it became a no-man’s land, joining part of the Green Line that divided East and West; Christian and Muslim. After the war, the square was incorporated

by Solidere into the master plan of the reconstruction. And yet, after 20 years, the square still remains a ‘non-place’ in the heart of the city.

Today, Beirut has a great lack of public space, with the few public areas in the centre of postwar Beirut remaining inaccessible or guarded.

However, there is a pressing call for such space: somewhere for social interaction, with urban greenery, a simple main square for all Beirut’s inhabitants is urgently needed. Recreating the public realm is therefore a necessity.

atmospheric sections

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Architecture Graduates 2015

For over 20 years now, Beirut has been reconstructing its city centre, a city that once was known as the ‘Paris of the Arab World’. The decay left behind by the civil war will slowly but surely disappear from Beirut’s daily life. However, it will never disappear from the city’s history and the memory of its inhabitants. After the war, Prime Minister Rafik Hariri returned the old city centre to a tabula rasa in order to rebuild ‘normality’. Old Beirut was largely destroyed by bulldozers, leaving a gap in the heart of the city.

Architecture Graduates 2015

FROM NOSTALGIA TO EU-TOPIA

GSEducationalVersion

patio

floorplan — corrupted layer

maxime peeters 2050. A MUNDANEUM FOR THE LEFT BANK OF ANTWERP

isometric view — physical public space

isometric view — main floor

isometric view — digital space

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

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district, although only for the short period of the event, after which the left bank goes back to sleep, leaving only the seekers of forbidden love as the true pioneers of the public domain.

People often describe it as desolate, an opinion which can be attributed to the vast open spaces and its mostly elderly inhabitants, seeking tranquillity away from the urban bustle. The potential of the abundance of precious open space is not to be underestimated, but a structuring and lack of attention stands in its way. All the large spaces are owned by the regional government, and thus the grounds are classified as private and their true potential undeveloped, but due to their size they are often claimed as public ground. This clash reached a climax in the discussion of the Middenvijver.

Where privatisation is threatening the promising future of the left bank, my project wants to offer an economically, socially and spatially viable solution, with a contemporary Mundaneum, as was once planned in a project by Le Corbusier for the same ground. This was to be a museum containing all of the world’s knowledge, thus demanding an expandable building. Today, one could read this as the ancestor of the internet, and this is where I connect it to the shifting of the public domain towards the digital. An entropic building containing servers reconnects people with the spatial presence of their digital lives, while the Middenvijver area is conserved as a free space for temporary occupation. To create a heterotopia one needs a border. The lower floors will be offered to the public as the last true physical public space waiting to be digested by the expanding need for digital space.

In response to the ineluctable non-built fiction to which the student project is condemned, I have also started a project to create a mental mundaneum and connect people to this city district with tours, land art, the mapping of the informal, a party and a mobile public space, all of which also function as material brainstorms for the entire project.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

I chose to focus my final student project on entropy and its potential relevance to the built and non-built environment. Out of my interest in the symbiosis between language and architecture, a binary reversal of the natural order arose, in search of the relevance and importance of this scientific law in architecture; as a building always searches for a reason to manifest itself.

Entropy stands for the tendency to disorder in nature: growing, increasingly expanding into chaos and lesser potential, but above all, the irreversibility of this process. From language to architecture. From linguistic curiosity to material relevance.

The left bank of the Scheldt in Antwerp functioned as a case study because it has always stood as an isolated island for experimentation.

From agricultural cultivation outside the city fortification to the first recreational purposes at the artificial beach, followed by its slow ‘residentialisation’, the left bank has developed in a rapid but uncoordinated way. In 1933, the city organised an international competition for this empty space, but the ambitious modernist utopian plans were never executed. Over the years, a typically Flemish mishmash swirled its way freely over the ground level, while the social housing high-rise buildings pervaded the panorama, high into the sky. Today, this city district struggles with an image problem, connected with the ‘Chicago blocks’ and their infamous social problems, which unfortunately and misleadingly became iconic for the left bank. The lack of any visual connection, such as a bridge, is also put forward as a cause of the minor interest shown by most people in this curious piece of land, despite the many excellent yet invisible connections present under the river today. A spatial reminder of the modernist plans can still be found in the omnipresence of free space, generous wide roads and pathways, with the occasional open grass field. This is the main reason why many temporary ‘groot grond gebruikers’ occasionally make use of this

Architecture Graduates 2015

www.2050mundaneum.tumblr.com

collage overview

hannes hulstaert COUNTERACTIVE ARCHITECTURE AND THE SPACE IN BETWEEN [CASIB] winner of the Henry Van De Velde Architecture Price

REDISCOVERY It is not until you stop at Roosevelt Island, an elongated island in the East River, that you find some peace. In the shadows of the Queensborough Bridge, this island is only accessible via one subway line, a cable car or the very iconic two-lane bridge from Queens. With just over 10,000 inhabitants, the island has its own story.

With a rich history of hospitals and prisons – as a place of banishment for those elements that did not belong in New York – it is now a peaceful residential neighbourhood due to its low accessibility. Situated between Upper East Side and Queens, the island becomes an exceptional location within the metropolis of New York. An enclave in itself.

K R OY W E N L A N I M R E T city— terminal New York

room — Roosevelt Island 101

The last stage of this graduation project is based on previous theoretical research, going deeper into the power of this location’s unique character. Taking on the task of designing a sophisticated master plan between two urban masses. What does the space in between mean and how can the gap be filled without sacrificing its uniqueness? Is there still room for architecture that does not surrender to trendy aesthetics?

While the open, empty or non-built space seems to be negligible, it actually plays a more important role than built spaces in landscape-scale architectures. Reflecting on the conceptual exercises completed earlier, providing answers to the design task at different scales, from room to building to city.

building — ceci n’est pas un bâtiment

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

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Empty space becomes a rare element within the urban landscape. Nevertheless, there are still several ‘cut-outs’ inside this mass in the form of plazas, parks and promenades, but these remain overcrowded. New York Central Park, for example, an almost artificial natural reserve with insulating borders, is the best that can be offered as an ‘open space’.

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OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

ESSENCE The concrete foundation and the theoretical framework for the final assignment will be shaped and led by a series of conceptual architecture projects which primarily manifest themselves visually. These theoretical designs are inspired by an in-depth observation of the relationship between the scale of architecture and human beings within their own environment, that is, to see the ‘city’, ‘building’ and ‘room’ as individual objects used and shaped by people, as well as a search for texture, culture and different levels of tangibility.

Architecture Graduates 2015

BEYOND THE URBAN SCALE The scale of the urban landscape has gone beyond that of a person, whether resident, tourist or observer, and this happens when a city has evolved into a metropolis. When we have to transfer between lifts in order to reach the top of a skyscraper; when we sit in a train for an hour and the landscape still hasn’t escaped the grasp of the city; when Gothic churches, like remnants, manifest themselves shamelessly beside high-rise skyscrapers; and when individuals find themselves lost among the petrified architecture, the metropolis seems to be taking a step too far, leaving its inhabitants behind.

Humankind finds the scale of everything, from a hamburger to a building, oversized. Inevitably, a rapidly changing social media and an excitement-seeking pop culture will have a huge impact on the architectural style found within the metropolis.

To live in a megacity such as New York is to live in a heterotopia which attracts increasing numbers of dreamers, investors and conquerors who come and attempt to survive, yet with the side effect of creating more chaos and requiring tremendous effort to keep everything somewhat organised. The metropolis becomes the most noisy place; a place where the scale of the architecture has grown absurdly immense and exceeds the understanding of human beings.

Architecture Graduates 2015

www.cargocollective.com/CASIB

military view — extension Cornell University

astrid nieuwborg

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

Every growing city has scars, whether they originate from wars or sudden changes in the urban approach. These scars appear mostly as gaps; empty spaces that still remain unfilled today. Although their architectural and urban quality seems insignificant in most cases, they should not be left undeveloped. ‘Urbanism’ should evolve into ‘urban building’, carefully implementing architecture in the city.

Thanks to its rich history, Berlin is a good example of a city where this could be carefully rethought. Its scale and dimensions are quite different from other cities. The wide boulevards, over-dimensioned squares and vacant sites – leftovers from the no-man’s land generated by the Wall – give the impression that there is enough space for the new to appear. Nevertheless, this does not mean that Berlin should follow in the footsteps of other metropolises by overbuilding.

It is not only the street frontage that reveals these scars but also the inner courtyards, which are filled with blind facades and unfinished buildings, creating collages in an already shredded city.

Berlin needs Stadreparatur on a big scale.

The vacant spaces that are left today usually originate from efforts to repair the city without careful urban planning. Where the typical Plattenbauten were used to rapidly resolve the growing housing shortage, their geometrical forms did not fit the existing structure. Connections between the existing and the new were avoided and many unused spaces arose.

Mitte, the city’s most central district, faced the greatest destruction in the Second World War. It is also the location where the city’s division is most apparent. The chosen building block, located in this district, was heavily damaged during the war. The block is characterised by fragmentation and occupied by a mix of historic and recently prefabricated concrete buildings.

The inner core of the building block disappeared and the destruction of the street facade created a street-like gap through the block.

This presents an opportunity to design a new core, functioning as a meeting place, keeping in mind Berlin’s apparent polycentricity. A balance between giving space and taking space is a starting point. The creation of a Vorhof, a central Hof and an assembly of small Hofës, results in a sequential threefold with three different spaces brought into a relationship with the city.

isometric view

masterplan section

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

Architecture Graduates 2015

Today, the tendency to rehabilitate inner-city areas through construction at the city borders continues to grow. In this process, instead of saturating the city with new architecture, malfunctioning elements are partially dismantled and then cleverly rebuilt. Urban planning is overruled by urban editing. Far too often the given context is seen as an obstacle and not as an enrichment. By integrating new architecture into an existing city, normalcy and neutrality can be created. Problem-solving architecture or Stadtreparatur cannot be overruled by merely profit-driven architecture.

Architecture Graduates 2015

STADTREPARATUR

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The word ‘Stadtreparatur’ can only be used when ‘Reparatur’, or ‘repair’, is really in order.

The number of gaps in Berlin is enormous due to the destruction of the urban structure during bombing in the Second World War and events afterwards.

inner courtyard

marnik heijligen

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

TOWARDS THE UN & THE WTO The unique soil of Switzerland – an independent nation – expresses itself in its neutral position within the international political field. Therefore, Switzerland is often relied on as a diplomatic mediator: wherever a nation has withdrawn their embassy staff due to various safety or other reasons, Switzerland – as a neutral party – takes over, making sure operational services continue. Analogous to its political position, Switzerland – more specifically Geneva – is home to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.

Considering the mission of the EU, it is only natural that it has a strong representation at the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. There are two specific EU Delegations, oriented to the UN and the WTO respectively, but both are housed under one roof.

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At present, the physical architecture does not contribute to the mission in any way, creating a great opportunity for architecturally empowering the dual Embassy. I aim to bring to the building an expression which fulfils its possible meanings and ambitions of representing a united solidarity. Equality for all.

The embassy is situated in a triangular relationship with the Palace of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, on a site that consists of a public picnic park. The goal is to maintain the original public character and build a harmonious relationship with it. Defining and positioning the embassy on the site is a matter of finding balance: confrontation and reflection.

a secuance of rooms

PLACES, MOMENTS AND TRANSITIONS Creating a sequence of interconnected rooms, searching for a balance between spatial enclosure and openness: no hallways, but rather, circulation rooms with the possibility of a small momentary. Attention will be paid to the formal and the informal; the importance of the main foyer and the atmosphere of a small corner; the bright space and the quality of a dark subdued space. A staircase as a stage. A wall as a room.

The becoming of places.

supporting

serving

core

serving

leading

A selective pallet of materials and textures.

Rich, real and robust. Emphasising a sill, a window opening, a wall cut, a railing, etc. Reflecting light. Absorbing sound.

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

This exercise is about symbolising and empowering the EU mission through the medium of architecture: searching for an intelligent and subtle translation of those cultural values, ambitiously supporting their raison d’être; finding an architecture that confronts you with the paradoxical balance between confidentiality and transparency.

Creating a single neutral and confident face for civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights within an international climate, searching for a bright and meaningful architecture, carefully composed and positioned within view of the Palace of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization Headquarters.

MAIN FLOOR +0 1/00 a clear hiërarchy of space

park view

The feeling of things.

An architecture that surpasses the idea of shelter or a finished functional space. This project is about creating a place that embraces you. An environment of quality and comfort, an architecture that can be touched.

The creating of places and moments as the essence of making architecture.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

ARCHITECTURE AS A CONTEMPORARY DIPLOMATIC MANIFESTO The European Embassy (also called a Delegation) is a diplomatic element introduced by the EU to ensure its representation at different organisations and non-European nations.

Architecture Graduates 2015

EUROPEAN EMBASSY TOWARDS THE UN & THE WTO, GENEVA

circulation room

outdoor room

arne de crom

The Swiss Alps will provide the scenery for this project. Fifteen kilometres southeast of Lucerne in the Swiss canton of Nidwalden, one finds the 2,404 metre high Mount Brisen. On the mountainsides near the small village of Maria-Rickenbach you will also find the former ski region of Haldigrat. A long time ago this was one of many small ski areas in the Swiss Alps.

After it went bankrupt in 1996, the chairlift was shut down for five years, until Kurt Matis bought the lift and the mountain cabin at the top of the ‘Sesselbahn’. Today, the chairlift is operated on weekends and takes mountaineers, hikers and hang gliders up to 1,930 metres. The lift has barely changed over the years, apart from the fact that the majority of seats have been removed, limiting its capacity. The mountain cabin has undergone many changes, its latest form being a hotel and a home for Kurt and his wife.

The cabin has evolved from a pure building, as it was in the 1970s, into the non-coherent building it is today: a mishmash of ad-hoc modifications.

Because the building sites are hard to reach, the materials available will be restricted. In an attempt to avoid heavy equipment on site, the construction materials have to be manageable by hand. The primary materials will be wood and rammed earth, both present in the immediate environment of the building sites.

The architecture strikes a balance between the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi – which is about a strong role for nature, inspiring warmth and allowing patina – and the precise Swiss approach to architecture. The project as a whole will reflect a particular interest in place, understood on a human scale, of being in a certain spot, in a space where one can sit, kneel, meditate, think, speak or write, and so much more.

isometric view pavilion

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

the city. It is not all about a final destination, often it is also about the journey through the mountains and the experience of the surrounding nature. The importance of the trajectory will be emphasised by pavilions along the route.

Each will be unique but similar to the others, each will have their own identity, but all of the measurements will be based on a 3D development of Fibonacci’s mathematical row, starting with a cube with 45 cm edges resulting in a beam of 360/585/900 cm.

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The assignment will remodel the hotel and house and create interventions along the ten kilometre hiking route from the valley up to the mountain hotel. The plan for the hotel and house will aim for a pure and modest architecture referring to that of the mountain cabin of the 1970s. The trajectory is an important aspect for the growing number of people visiting the mountains to get away from the busy world of

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Searching for a balance is inherent to architecture – a balance between different fields and scales determined by diverse and sometimes contrary elements. Some parameters are unbiased and universal, others are subjective and variable in time. It is important for architects to realise that a building has an influence on the presence or absence of balance. This assignment is not only about balance in the project itself but is also staged to regain a balance in the educational process.

Architecture Graduates 2015

BALANCE

extirior approach

site map — Luzern

gitte vanden bergh

ARCHITECTURE IN FILM, ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE IN THE MOVIES OF WES ANDERSON Director Wes Anderson’s latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, proved most clearly that architecture for him does not just function as the background to a film but plays an important role and helps in the telling of the story.

To demonstrate this I not only wrote a critical piece, but also created a video montage based on the theme of the Biennale in Venice in 2014: ‘Elements of Architecture’. This consisted of a series of seven films made up of several fragments of Wes Anderson films, which presented an idea of how Anderson uses architecture to lift his films to a higher level.

“There is surprisingly little difference between one activity and the other… I think the art of the scriptwriter is to conceive sequences of episodes which build suspense and a chain of events… The largest part of my work is montage… spatial montage…” — Rem Koolhaas

Film can provide an answer to a problem that is raised by critics such as Andrew Ballentyne, who argued that architecture should be designed through the eyes of the user. Film can reveal architecture as it should be: in use, in motion, as a succession of experiences, encounters, etc. Two methods borrowed from film which can be used in architecture are montage and the creation of a storyboard. The applicability of both of these methods was investigated using examples from Tschumi and Jonathan Hill.

plaza overview — Ninoofsepoort

A PUBLIC SPACE AT, THE NINOOFSEPOORT BRUSSELS Based on the demands of local residents, the major part of the site of Ninoofsepoort Brussels was turned into a park, with a public space also designed, allowing for a variety of uses.

By regarding the user experience as a montage of fragments, a cinematic stroll shapes the space. Elements such as a long gallery, an open-air amphitheatre, an entrance portal and a canopy are used to define the space. A market hall in the centre of the square can be completely closed in winter or opened in summer. It provides a flexible space in which sports events, markets, exhibitions, etc. can take place. The observation tower was designed using a storyboard, by telling the story of a pursuit, during which a game of ‘see and be seen’ takes place.

storyboard

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

Looking back as a final-year architecture student, in previous years I learned to design, analyse and present architecture using conventional architectural methods, such as drawing plans, sections, 3D models, etc. During ADSL week in February 2014, I followed a course in the studio of Guillermo Guimaraens, in which we investigated how we could design an architectural space for a literary character. From a strong interest in both film and architecture, I wanted to seize the opportunity with this Master’s project to also become familiar with other ways of designing, studying and presenting architecture inspired by film. For this reason, I studied how architecture is introduced in film, and then looked at how film can give value to architecture.

FILM IN ARCHITECTURE, STORYBOARD EN MONTAGE

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Architecture Graduates 2015

“Architects are caught in a vicious circle; in order to emphasize their idea of architecture they often adopt techniques, forms and materials already identified with the work of architects, and learn little from other disciplines. “ — Jonathan Hill

Architecture Graduates 2015

ARCHITECTURE AND FILM

framed view

bart hanssen

Andenne is located in the province of Namur, with 76 percent of the municipality undeveloped and characterised by typical rolling hills. The biggest town, Andenne, is located on the south bank of the river Meuse, where the Condroz region starts.

The site is marked by a monastery which has been rebuilt several times. The original monastery wall encloses the whole site and remains in the new design. It is the most remarkable element present. Community college evening classes currently take place in the monastery, even though the space is hopelessly out of date for this purpose.

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The concept for the redesign is based on the living typology of streets and homes in Bali, where different rooms are grouped around an inner courtyard. When you enter the courtyard through the gate it will not really feel like en-

The double circulation, with the inside mirroring the outside passage along the garden, makes different scenarios possible. This duality spreads an equivalence, yet they are not neutral areas. This makes a statement about spatial layering, which is achieved by changing orientations, light, materialisation and openness.

Users have the possibility of writing their own story lines here. This kind of generosity makes function inferior to form, giving these pure spaces a better relationship to each other.

inner courtyard

On the foundations of the monastery, a theatre with a stage and a small hall with a lobby will be created. There will be large studio spaces for the current evening classes, with smaller classrooms above. Furthermore, there will be a double-height exhibition space, rooms for the academy, with smaller rooms for art, music and theatre above. The final function is as a multipurpose town hall. At the back, each room has access to its own outdoor space. Here, there is also a lower service corridor. The ambition of this project was to not fight the inconstancy of the place, but to embrace it. This gives a special dynamic to the communal courtyard, with a layering of perspectives that have always been there.

interior — exhebition space

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE

There are plenty of community initiatives, but with insufficient facilities. This was the occasion for a functional programme in the village of Andenne, the aim of which was to build a community house.

tering someone’s house. The space in between these independent rooms creates a sequence in terms of degrees of accessibility. Grouping several rooms around the communal monastery garden will create interesting in-between zones.

The rooms will be connected with a modular colonnade arranged according to the enclosed outdoor garden. The archetypal form of the monastery shows how the relationship between inside and outside makes sense when it is referred to circulation. The tour is an example of a spatial development of the collective around an inner courtyard. At each change of function, the promenade moves along this hortus conclusus which is intended to access the rooms.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The actual value of architecture today is fading in importance. The influence and dominance of project investors is growing, and thus there is a need for the articulation of critical conditions concerning the cultural aspects of architecture.

In this last year of my study, I have searched for a way to do this by exploring autonomy in architecture. To reinvent these cultural conditions required a translation into a critical discourse. The question was how the essence of architecture, form and space, are understood by young architects today, including its inherent qualities. The contextual discourse reinforced theoretical knowledge and exposed the typical Belgian problem of the autonomous village and the dwelling village.

Architecture Graduates 2015

COMMUNITY HOUSE

scale model

OPEN STUDIO — CURARE Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

johan de walsche

vladdi theuns

eleni daelemans

fille hanjoul

matthijs bemelmans

silke dedonder

linde muyshondt

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

Introduction The ISTT design and research studio (International Studies, Territories in Transition) has operated for several years in locations where building culture is in rapid transition: the cities and the rural regions in Egypt, Suriname and Morocco.

Starting with the ‘view of an outsider’ as a way to approach contexts, all of the locations investigated were situated in essentially different surroundings, in contrast to the well-known Western European conditions that were explored in previous years of study. This ‘condition of displacement’ shifts our manner of looking.

With a certain astonishment, which stimulated their urge for discovery, students looked at phenomena with which they were not familiar. They tried to grasp the essence of the practice of building and living from the actors themselves, rather than on the basis of routines and obvious assumptions.

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Casablanca This graduate studio continued the work of two previous studios last year that had investigated a district called El Hank, also in Casablanca.

Students could make a quick start by using the theoretical framework and the striking themes, research and project proposals of these earlier

studios. The preliminary research work in this year’s first semester also led to a more profound and in-depth introduction to a first Master’s studio on Casablanca, which took place in the second semester. In the 1950s and 1960s, Casablanca experienced a huge population explosion and did not know how to cope. One of the main reasons for the enormous population growth was migration from the country to the city by people looking for work and better accommodation. Ironically, most of these people ended up in ‘bidonvilles’ (slums), where living conditions were no better than in their original villages. In response to this phenomena, the city council, assisted by several French modernist architects and urban planners including Ecochard, Candilis and Woods, and Azagury, took the opportunity to build new modernistic neighbourhoods, such as El Hank, Hay Hassany (formally known as Derb Jdid), Hay Mohammadi and Ain Chock. Unfortunately, the city continued to grow and these new developments were unable to absorb all of those who needed better homes. The image of Casablanca with its bidonvilles remained an urban reality for decades.

In 2002, Morocco decided to draw on the United Nations Programme known as ‘Cities without Slums’, with a systematic approach to the erad-

ication of as many slums as possible beginning in 2004. Currently, it is said that this ‘Villes sans Bidonvilles’ programme has resulted in better homes for over two million people. In Casablanca, some bidonvilles were upgraded, others have been replaced by new buildings, often on the new outskirts of the city.

As good as this sounds, the reality is more nuanced. The upgrading of existing bidonvilles is rare and the facilities provided are modest and limited. Most of the bidonvilles were literally bulldozed in several phases, leaving an urban platform of ruins for the few persistent inhabitants. This land – which, due to the growth of the city, is often no longer on the older outskirts but is now incorporated into the inner city – is becoming economically very interesting, with various new and prestigious projects arising.

After being pushed towards new housing blocks on the outskirts of the city, usually of poor building quality and unstructured urban layouts, the former inhabitants of the bidonvilles find themselves in new conditions, far removed from their original social structure and far from their original workspaces and the places where they undertook often informal economic activities.

Within this framework, the studio researched the urban territory of what remains of one of the

biggest and oldest bidonvilles in the city of Casablanca, the ‘Carrières Centrales’. At present, approximately 75 percent of this bidonville has been eradicated and what remains looks a little like the ruins of a war zone.

The urban setting around the bidonville turned out to be a very lively place, with a lot of economic activity and markets, due to the street vendors returning daily. It was a specific urban dynamic to cherish. Within the same thematic focus, one Master’s project concentrated its research on the leftover parcels of land between new developments on the outskirts of the city and the nearby old and new informal settlements.

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

STUDENTS

The studio addressed themes such as how to cope with the existing urban fabric of the partly eradicated bidonville; how to deal with low-income housing or re-housing strategies; what kind of buildings or spatial urban articulation are appropriate in a society of self-builders; how to facilitate existing economic and urban dynamics; how to design a generous and layered public domain; and what role or position the architect/urban planner might fulfil in all of this. | 77 |

Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

Architecture Graduates 2015

CASABLANCA VILLE SANS BIDONVILLES?

vladdi theuns matthijs bemelmans

courtyard

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

Following this research, the site of the Carrières Centrales was used as a blank canvas for reconstruction: meaning the re-housing of 10,000 inhabitants of informal dwellings and the construction of a low-income residential community. This community will contain over 4,000 units, organised around a large central square where the mosque, market and public school are located. Surrounding the central area are 47 housing clusters made of three- and four-storey houses, where affordability, expansion, identity and territoriality provide the foundation. Our planning and design approach was, as in Dar Lamane, based on the observation that, for low-income or formerly rural people, public space, pedestrian networks and an interrelationship between housing groups are of the greatest importance, as well as the design of the individual units. This was the approach that formed the foundation of our design as we started to investigate the context for these qualities.

entrance passage

passage

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On the following pages we present a selection of images that give these qualities significance, followed by the presentation of our Master’s design for the Carrières Centrales site.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Following the launch of the ‘Villes sans bidonvilles’ programme in 2004, over 100,000 households in Casablanca alone were evicted and re-housed. The innovative character of the programme was to be analysed with respect to its long-term results, and there lay our aim. Despite the programme’s encouraging figures, our research found that the actual efficiency of the programme is questionable. A thorough study of the re-housing districts gave us valuable insight into their potential and their pitfalls: an understanding of issues such as public space, infrastructure, territoriality, interrelationships, communal networks and overall qualities was gained through the observation of the districts.

Architecture Graduates 2015

CARRIÈRES CENTRALES

masterplan section

SNEDES SCHAKELING UNITS - 1/100 MASTER RESEARCH - ISTT CASABLANCA BEMELMANS MATTHIJS - THEUNS VLADDI

linde muyshondt

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

This shocked me. I assumed that these projects were built to eradicate the poor living conditions and improve the quality of life. The demeaning displacement of a large group of people was deplorable. Taking into account the ever-growing city encroaching on these ‘modern’ housing islands on the periphery, it is perhaps a utopian idea to ‘fix’ this only using architecture. This idea, however, was a trigger to the displacement research and a key part in this project. The project consists of two parts: an analytical and theoretical stage followed by an architectural design.

In the analytical part, requirements and preconditions were defined. This was done to avoid the mistakes of the new housing projects, as I realised that the bidonville had not grown next to these projects but that the project had been inserted there without consideration for the existing conditions. The dimensions of the gap between the bidonville and the housing project further marginalised the existing community.

By further investigating and defining these conditions, the design tries to negotiate between the environment of an informal city and the newly built community only a few metres away.

facade — circulation

The design is focused on two parts: a public space and a set of architectural typologies.

Designing the public space involved the letting go of design architecture. If the public space is correctly dimensioned, the building typology becomes less important, and the space can ultimately work with different typologies.

Designing architectural typologies involved a negotiation which had to take into account the imperfect design and flaws of the existing buildings without completely disassociating from them. The mediation lay in a compromise between the stacking of people, as occurs in the housing projects, and the randomness of the self-built homes of the informal city.

facade

It is important that the approach used takes into account local customs and traditions so that the design results in a more acceptable form of urbanisation for the local inhabitants of the informal city.

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In the project, it was important to take into account that a bidonville is more than a sheet-metal town. These dwellings are not only made of durable materials, they sustain an apparently comfortable way of life. It is not so much a slum as an INFORMAL CITY.

section — circulation

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

The white building blocks and over-dimensioned public space was something I expected to see. However, I did not expect to apprehend a sense of displacement from the inhabitants, nor did I expect to find slums at the border of the projects.

This informal city should be evaluated, not just pushed aside and demolished so that inhabitants can live in white blocks. The project tries not to idealise this way of life, but accepts the informal city as a design condition. A first and important lesson from the bidonvilles is that not all is as it seems.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The origin of this project lies in the fieldwork done in Casablanca during the first week of December 2014 when the ISTT studio visited various sites in the city. What struck me and became the basis of this project were the new housing projects on the periphery of Casablanca.

Architecture Graduates 2015

INFORMAL CITY IN TRANSITION

extirior view

eleni daelemans silke dedonder

The insights gained in our displacement research not only affected our ideas about cultural differences and similarities, but about architecture in general. We realised that we have to step back from the ideal images we create. While we cannot have full control of the evolution and utilisation of a site, the initiative we offer should be thoroughly considered.

extirior view

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles? | 82 |

FOCUS Stimulated by our previous architectural education, we were able to compare the different customs in Casablanca to our own. Visiting the different districts showed us the possibilities and the limitations of some design choices. Along the way, the strong contrasts visible across the city stood out and grabbed our attention along with some other specific aspects. For example, contrary to our own cultural habits, we observed the prevalence of outdoor life; the importance of empty, undesigned urban spaces and the generosity they evoke; and the way inhabitants adapt their property and their surroundings.

In a Research Methodology course, we had previously investigated how inhabitants live and make adaptations.

AMBITIONS In general, a few concepts and values we wanted to preserve were maintained throughout the design process.

Firstly ‘gradation’. We tried to guide our thoughts on three main levels: macro, meso and micro, which translate into the level of the site, the district, the building blocks and interiors.

We also considered the transitions and boundaries between each level. Cooperation between these layers should improve the capacity of the whole. Secondly, ‘integration’ and ‘infiltration’. The design has to encourage coherence between the various differences in the population occurring on the site. We were inspired by the Hay Hassani district, where they have fully succeeded in mixing social classes using different housing typologies. The way these diverse building types function together is fascinating and instructive. We anticipate the fundamental needs of the inhabitants, taking the necessary facilities into account and predicting future perspectives, thus giving them the opportunity to develop and evolve.

masterplan

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Architecture Graduates 2015

OBSERVATION The inspiration for this design research lay in a desire to understand Moroccan living culture.

During our field trip in December, we were able to observe the way of life in Casablanca, which helped us to get a better grip on the complexity and contrasting elements of the city and its urban fabric.

While studying a different culture, our views and opinions about architecture and city development broadened. The impact of this field study was of great importance, improving our theoretical perspective and leading to reflections on life in general. Our previous ideas and definitions of basic architectural themes were transformed and we were also able to reflect on these findings in relation to our own living culture.

Studying Casablanca was intense. Apart from architectural developments, we were confronted by many phenomena linked to many levels of society: financial, economic, social, cultural and religious aspects that influence current tensions. This complexity makes it harder to make the ‘right’ choices, and forces you to think about every detail.

Architecture Graduates 2015

TERRITORY IN TRANSITION

masterplan section

Casablanca — Villa sans bidonvilles?

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT | 84 |

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

STUDENTS

koen van bockstal

sofie feber

stephanie vanherck

ardui charlotte

robbe theunis

erik wieërs

inge stevens

alexandra masure

dekeyser patrick

jens pemen

schurmans glenn

jasper de roover

charlotte vanderplanken

titsijana cornelis

ine mertens

tess cuyvers

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

Introduction In this Master’s studio we focused on the scale lying in between the building and the city. In an urban context, a building is not a stand-alone architectural object but also a constitutive part of the city. Urbanism as a bottom-up strategy is an architectural tool that differs from the tools of the urban planner.

Since the 1970s, a housing policy focused on stimulating private homeownership has led to the transformation of a huge amount of Flemish landscape into almost characterless single-family housing layouts. Although nobody embraced this policy, it has persisted until today.

As a result, the Flemish landscape consists of large city-regions melting together in an endless sprawl.

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In the past decade, the focus shifted towards the old city and its twentieth-century expansions as more sustainable living environments. With a renewed focus on grouped housing typologies, and an interest in forms of collective and shared space, the precise study of morphology as a space-defining means comes to the fore.

Defining the footprint of a building addresses sociological considerations. Buildings carve empty space out of the public realm to become serviceable space for its users. The precision by which this addressing of space is done may define a building’s future value. A sudden transition from public to private space provokes distrust. Collective spaces, in cities in particular, are the intermediary spaces where the town dweller can regain confidence in others.

The city region of Turnhout is a typical outcome of the policy to stimulate private homeownership. The landscape surrounding the urban centre consists of low-density suburban sprawl.

The city council of Turnhout together with neighbourhood villages of Oud Turnhout, Vosselaar and Beerse is setting up a ‘lab’ to search for new forms of living closer to the village or city centre. A research programme on new collective forms of living was started in an attempt to increase the density of the urban centre. The research programme wants to examine new models of densification for different types of neighbourhoods made up of single-family plots.

natasha soetens

The Department of Design Sciences of the University of Antwerp became a partner in this research programme.

For this Master’s project, students performed an in-depth analysis of the existing city structure in the region of Turnhout. In small groups, they focused on developing a master plan for particular areas pointed out by the local authorities. They developed new residential models for a variety of typological city areas, some of which may offer an exemplary strategy for similar locations throughout the Flemish sprawl.

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

louize bogaerts

sofie bogaerts

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Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

Architecture Graduates 2015

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

sofie feber inge stevens

In contrast to the fragmentation of the N12, the building in the forest creates unity. The oval-shaped structure will dissolve into the woodlands due to its rounded, infinite shape, nestled between the curves of the landscape. It will serve as a dam that creates a sufficient distance from the surrounding villas. We designed the outer facade to be quite closed, while the facade of the inner side is inviting and transparent. The difference in the two types of facades is amplified by the choice of materials and the structure. Due the orientation of the building, the possibility of creating a variety of typologies in the oval form arises, thus dealing with the need for privacy. We will also generate a place for encounters within the oval, where people can relax.

A simulation of the worst-case scenario, a tabula rasa of the landscape, suggests a minimum of 50 new homes. The scenario presented in this Master’s project increases this amount by one third, while still maintaining a high level of engagement with the forest.

extitior view

conceptual mapping

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The facade of the construction on the N12 will connect with the existing villa development. This will be done by introducing four separate strips, spreading to the forest and connected with the main facade in the fragmented street. The luxurious living of Vosselaar will be reflected in the strips by using the concept of the ‘immeuble villa’, where the stacking villa becomes the basic idea for the building. In between the strips in the middle, we will create a transition zone bounded by the active N12 and the rural landscape. This zone will be the heart of the living area;

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

Our Master’s project delves into alternative, concentrated forms of housing, reducing the impact on the natural assets by choosing concentrated footprints. The first step of the design is the reuniting of the green area that is now divided by the dangerous Konijnenbergpad and Bergstraat. As a second step, we introduce two radical footprints which will raise residential density. Despite their location in the forest, the two footprints will be completely different because of the different borders, namely, the plot on the N12, which touches on the urban fabric as well as the charming landscape, and one in the forest that is bounded by the existing villa development with their generous gardens.

a meeting point. Galleries will enclose it, allowing various activities to take place. The building will be accessible via one road that leads to a future crossroad on the N12. Cars will enter under the building, thereby keeping the woodlands traffic free.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The area selected is a healthy forest bounded by the centre of Vosselaar and the Antwerpsesteenweg (N12). The forest includes the protected, steep landscape of de Konijnenberg, which has shrunk considerably over the years due to the development of neighbouring allotments.

Despite the alluring green area, the pressure to subdivide is becoming immense. This is because of the border with the N12, which also makes the site very attractive to developers, who want to build on as much as possible of this precious area without any concern for the valuable landscape. The forest as we know it will probably make way for the typical Flemish villa; a tabula rasa of the scenery!

Architecture Graduates 2015

KONIJNENBERG

isometric overview

charlotte vanderplanken ine mertens louize bogaerts

A great deal of attention went to the empty space. Public, semi-public, collective and private open areas alternate and are complementary. Developed with attention for growing population, the green open space will be able to host more people in a comfortable way.

inner courtyard

isometric overview

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STRATEGIES To breathe some new life into the monotonous uniformity of housing blocks, the “Individual Link” is introduced. Within the “envelop” of these existing houses, a new typology of house was created. Both floorplan and façade are based on the original houses. This “Individual Link” will gradually replace the uniformity of the Stokt area. Also, a variety of housing typologies tailored to the demands and wishes of the divers public is being offered.

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

TARGET AREA | AMBITIONS The target area consists of three zones of construction. The block of houses of the “Blaas” is identified as a by verdant degenerated yard with a lot of potential, the pinnacle shaped housing block located between the Brugstraat and the Schipperstraat is characterized by a shredded view of front and back façades and the Canal area which currently is completely cut off from the rest of the borough.

This analysis led to more specific ambitions: to make the Blaas area attractive again by creating public space, the “Stoktse Tuin” and to integrate the Canal area in the borough. Next to this, the block of houses between the Brugstraat and the Schipperstraat should be upgraded to an up to par block of houses.

To turn the Blaas into an attractive public area, the yard needs to provide more access to its environment and to be upgraded by creating social support and more verdant. By duplicating the existing houses in the Rerum Novarumlaan and turning around the original houses in the Brugstraat, two rows of houses with the Stoktse Tuin as their address will be created. On the West side of the public garden, a housing block characterized by private gardens and a semi-public inner area will be created. On the East side, a housing block with five collective courtyards will be defined. The various functions such as the community house, the card-club and the KSj, which are currently scattered around the Blaas will be centralised in a pavilion, the symbol of the Stoktse Tuin. Near the canal, opposite the pavilion is the tower block, a symbol of the new Canal area which can house SME with small footprint.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

RESEARCH AREA | AMBITIONS The Stokt, a “garden suburb without a garden”, is located west of Turnhout City and adjacent to the canal. The borough typically has a uniformity of houses that will, however, slowly disappear.

Here, the first neighborhood working was created as a result of a strongly developed community spirit. Both young and the elderly people are very bound to their area.

Thorough research on the area resulted in three specific goals: to renovate the uniformity of buildings, to generate diversity of housing typology customized to the various generations and families and to create an attractive public area.

Architecture Graduates 2015

DE STOKTSE TUIN

masterplan

stephanie vanherck alexandra masure

The canal and a cell wall of existing morphology in Hertoginstraat define the site. Behind this cell wall we found mainly old and abandoned factories and warehouses. By removing the signs of the old activity, we create porosity in the street facade. This porosity results in ‘siedlungen’ that follow the north-south axis and the morphology of the site. Along new ‘gate buildings’ in Hetogingstraat we create streets that provide access to the new district. The small streets can be understood as residential streets where the inhabitants can meet each other and where the collective atmosphere gradually moves into quiet family life.

street view — school

We used the vocabulary of the district to determine the morphology of the typologies: elements such as a garage, a garden house, a fence, a gate, an annex and corners return in the siedlungen. With these elements we bring variation into the typologies without losing the general image of unity. An important aspect throughout the siedlungen is that the address of every dweller is clearly visible in the whole. This is accomplished by articulating each individual unit. housing passage

A number of elements and anecdotes from the environment return in the facades. In order to connect to the existing district we chose a brick facade. The sports hall provides inspiration for the colours of the material. The whitewashed brick with red-wood window frames give the district a new face.

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The siedlungen will be nuanced according to the principle of ‘Sameness’ coined by Stephen Bates. According to Bates, repetition is a quality.

What really interests him is the variation within

housing passage

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

From the zoning plan for Turnhout, two important green zones can be noted in the area: het Looi park and the Galgenbeekvallei. In this district we saw a transition from a more rural character in the west to a more urban character in the east. This transition will be preserved and emphasised by fragmenting the green space through the new school and residential district.

In this regard, we used the structure of a bar code.

this repetition. The variation in the siedlungen will be apparent in the address of each dwelling.

By means of context and the outdoor space we create a feeling for each address for the dwellers. The siedlungen show a transition from east to west, from back-to-back houses with private gardens to back-to-back houses with a collective garden and to a courtyard around a green inner space. Every siedlung contains a different typology, bringing various households and ages together.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The residential area ’t Stokt is located in Turnhout, between the commercial centre and the ring. The village has a clear profile: dense building blocks surrounded by public functions which claim the open space. The morphology of the district shows a transition from terrace houses in the east to streets with freestanding houses in the west. We want to concentrate on the expansion of the district using a variant of the existing structure in the west. After further study of the district, we decided that the site between Hertoginstraat and the canal had the most potential for expansion.

Architecture Graduates 2015

‘T STOKT

collective courtyard

titsijana cornelis tess cuyvers

FOREST The core is likely to be affected by traditional development, with the forest coming to play a secondary role and eventually disappearing. An inversion of the block, however, will allow for the preservation of its qualities, keeping the core free of motorised traffic. The in-between space will be used to provide the access route. The unfinished rear sides of the existing context will be given a face again. The forest will acquire a public status and form the address of the new housing units.

FIELDS Nieuwstad is still characterised by the fragmentation of typical urban gardens. The outer shell will be finished and will guarantee the preservation of a unique place in the city. The specific identity of the block will determine the shape of the housing typologies, where collectivity is more apparent. Integrating and maintaining these fields will stimulate the original character of Nieuwstad.

The connection between the blocks is an important element of the master plan. The approach to the blocks will be treated with respect. The continuity of the green space will be guaranteed by the introduction of a bicycle path alongside the developments. Ultimately, there will be a passage through various authentic places in the city.

street view — Forest

pessage towards Nieuwstad

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Attracting young families to the city is a current problem. The aging of the population may also be an issue when researching new models. A flexible model will be a priority. Creating compact, affordable housing is the key challenge for

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

The current context reveals a fragmented concentration of building blocks with a certain uniqueness. Despite the need for densification, there will be a need for new typologies that ensure the spatial qualities. The preservation of the negative space is the main ambition of the master plan. The authenticity of these building blocks can be seen as the ultimate core, with the outer shell having a porous urban finish.

One goal is to preserve the individuality of each block, which will create a series of differential experiences. The final master plan covers a small part of the green belt near the forest and the fields.

today’s architects: smaller properties provide an opportunity to reduce prices. The boundary between private and public space should also be less strict, thus opening doors for the private use of public space. The relationship with the forest will be investigated to provide different interactions.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Despite the urban context, Nieuwstad is well known for its untouched green landscape. The open space forms a transition zone between the historical town and the district close to the ring.

Currently, the site is characterised by increasing fragmentation. The remaining open space will be developed mathematically. Research is necessary to avoid a typical residential development. The solution will be found in new models that will provide another way of living.

Architecture Graduates 2015

NIEUWSTAD

street view — fields

ardui charlotte dekeyser patrick schurmans glenn

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METHODOLOGY The first stage deals with the specific context in which a study of the city occurred; the district up to the level of the plot. The analyses revealed that despite the generic nature of the land development area it is still characterised by many details. The second phase involved a temporary abstraction from the specificity of the context, applying the principle of compaction with more pragmatism, categorised according to the sphere of influence. The three categories were compaction of the plot (S), cross-border parcel compaction (M) and compaction which transcends the district (L). Each scale will also link potential collective profits and favourable sustainable systems. In the third phase, the specific context was again of interest. The ‘Blijkhoef’ was the basis for the elaboration of three compression principles: one principle for each scale.

CASE L: SERIES DWELLINGS CONNECT PARK AND SUBDIVISION This principle starts from the potential void.

The analysis exposed the high vacancy rate in the SME area north of the site. This is an opportunity for the green ring around Turnhout to provide space to expand the existing park. The new park can fulfil a city park’s territorial, functional and enclosing role. It is ideally situated to complement landscape restoration currently in progress; for example, by re-exposing the buried Koeybluekenbeek. The flow between the park and the allotment is blocked by the current fragmented (private) ownership structure. The new volumes are perpendicular to the alignment of the existing volumes, like offshoots of the park reaching to the street. In the compaction zone new housing types will be offered as an extension of the current one-sided housing common to the district.

CASE S: TYPICAL BUNGALOW HOUSES ARE TOPPED UP Density is thereby doubled because a housing unit that can operate independently replaces the attic. The proposed methodology will also tackle the problem areas of the base housing. Thus, the new facade will ensure that the basic property meets current insulation standards. The lighting of dark corridors will be achieved by the configuration of the collective entrance.

On first sight, these cases reveal the potential of the area. They show that in order to tackle structural challenges, plots or even a quarter border vision is necessary. The cases indicate that urban compaction can generate added value.

Small — kitchen story

Small — isometry

Medium — kitchen story

Medium — isometry

Large — kitchen story

Large — isometry

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

CASE M: COMPACT LIVING TO AN ECOLOGICAL MICRO STRIP This case stems from the arrangement of housing units in the centre of a block. Each link is a compact house that leverages the depth of the plots. To address challenges such as privacy and accessibility, the house sits on the plot boundary. The ecological micro strip will introduce ‘absolute rusticity’. The landscape will be restored and maximum benefits derived from collective sustainable systems, such as shallow geothermal energy.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

CLIMATE Demographic projections foresee a 13 percent increase in the number of households by 2030.

In addition, phenomena such as aging, greying, migration and smaller families will require new issues to be brought into the dialogue. This will also call for a radical change in dealing with open space. Such landscapes and projections of demographic trends are also useful to consider with respect to the territory of Stadsregio Turnhout. Such a climate is the concrete reason for our research.

Architecture Graduates 2015

VER(DER)DICHTING?

sofie bogaerts natasha soetens

farmyard

The new volumes provide space for 39 units or a minimum 137 people. A car park for 100 cars is provided to replace the scrapped individual garages. The cultivated area is increased by 25 percent. Furthermore, a valuable public space is created, where the neighbourhood can come together.

local farmers market

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT | 98 |

We can achieve our goals through a new way of living, namely, living in a farmhouse. The animals on the site and the numerous nearby schools lend themselves perfectly to the concept. In addition, the public function ensures that living in a green environment is affordable again. Thus, the design did not opt for complete densification. The outer shell of the block was further completed and the core was inspired by collective residential models. As the outdoor areas make up the heart of this design, the project was developed in a reverse manner.

We tried to densify by shaping the surrounding area. Inspiration from beguinages, The Hague’s courtyards (‘Haagse Hofjes’), the ‘Close’ and the farmyard are easily recognised. The paved plaza, the kitchen garden and animal pastures determine the boundaries of the site.

The central axis through the block makes several entries to the block possible. The facades were inspired by historical facades found in the book L’architecture et rural bourgeoise en France by G. Doyon and R. Hubrecht, and also by a thorough study of the facades of beguinages. The entire project was developed in detail. It even goes as far as sustainable ecological provisions. There are underground waste containers, filtering for waste water through a constructed wetland, as well as a cold-heat storage system integrated into the design.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

’t Stokt, a quarter in the north of Turnhout, is characterised by a high population density.

However, there is a single housing block with a lot of green space on the quarter’s edge. It is the last housing block, just in front of het Looi, a nature park near Sint Jozefcollege school. Research revealed the rich history of the housing block. The rural trail through the block dates from the sixteenth century and the ‘Piskappelleke’ from 1909 makes the area unique. The neighbourhood’s flower shop, founded in 1952, has closed its doors, leaving a large parcel in its wake. Furthermore, the green meadows create a cosy atmosphere. The project’s goal is to maintain that atmosphere while densifying the block. Research shows that the abundance of greenery in ’t Stokt mainly belongs to schools, and is therefore not publicly accessible. Het Robsonplein and de Blaas are the only public green spaces in the neighbourhood but do not function properly. ’t Stokt would be an ideal location for residents to gather and enjoy the last remaining rural space within Turnhout’s ring road.

Architecture Graduates 2015

’T STOKT

isometric masterplan

robbe theunis jens pemen jasper de roover

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SITE 2: PEERDEKENSSTRAAT 8 The museum, with art works by the well-known artist, Jan Vaerten (1909-1980), has been housed for years on the upper floor of the former premises of the technical community office. Hidden behind a series of garages, the museum has an anonymous appearance and is difficult to access. What is striking is the charming medium-rise building; an old electricity substation which, despite being set back at a deeper location, is still present on the street side. There-

SITE 3: HEILAARSTRAAT 35 Since the 1950s, the cultural centre, ’t Heilaar, was housed in an aged part of the neighbouring power plant. Due to financial reasons, the former municipal authorities reduced the original, broader plans to a theatre and several offices.

The turning circle located on this site catches the eye as a potential new public square, which will border all cultural entities; cyclists stopping for a drink, a museum for cyclists and other tourists, a theatre for local events and a new library for the residents. Because both the library and the museum are located in quite unfortunate positions at the previous sites, their cultural value can be strengthened by moving them to the tourist routes adjacent to the heart of culture in Beerse: ’t Heilaar. On the west side, a separate zone gives way to a new youth centre and staff parking. The adjacent houses will slowly disappear through a natural process of attrition that will make room for new houses that will enjoy a view onto the canal and the new square. They will reflect a brickyard model in order to contribute to the experience along the canal and not lose the spirit of the site.

scale modle section — public functions

collective passage — powerplant houses

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

SITE 1: HEILAARSTRAAT 6 The library of Beerse is currently housed in the Beersiana (1961), a former reception hall. As such, the infrastructure does not really accord with the needs of a library. The local youth centre is also accommodated in this building and thus finds itself in the middle of a residential area. To utilise the depth of the plot, we decided to divide the building block in half, creating a path in between. The straight passage that connects the two streets is creased, with sight lines showing facades and addresses. At the crease, a thickening serves as a meeting area for all inhabitants. The homes along Heilaarstraat are completed within their own rhythm. The detached villas on Peerdekensstraat, characterised by their over-dimensioning, are completed by a similarly sized care home. Based on its seclusion, the new inner street is surrounded by different typologies: the south-facing rear facades receive a large collective garden while the north-facing rear facades rely on smaller gardens in between two entities. This difference results in different scales of collectivity.

fore, we introduced this quality as a model and repeated the 12 metre tall tower to a desirable density. We will privatise within the collective environment instead of creating a collective space within a private environment. On the ground floor, we will provide three collective spaces that can be used on the basis of common interests of the inhabitants: a creative workshop, a joint kids room or the ultimate man cave.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

During the past 50 years the population of the Belgian village of Beerse has doubled. The urbanised centre threatens to expand north across the canal, increasing the density of the spacious green route to Merksplas. This expansion can be countered by realising densification projects that increase housing within the centre.

Architecture Graduates 2015

BEERSE HEILAARSTRAAT-PEERDEKENSSTRAAT

main public plaza

CITY-REGION TURNHOUT

art workhouse | 102 |

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

jan thomaes

frederik dierckxsens laurien leemans martin denayer debbie verbeeck

art workhouse

Introduction This project explored the possibilities offered by the old Citroën complex in Brussels. Due to its strategic position at the edge of the mediaeval pentagon, the vast site is regarded as a keystone in the renewal of the whole canal area. This research by design undertaken by UA students follows previous projects in Brussels on the Museumplein and Hofberg (2013) and the Ninoofsepoort (2014).

The subject was chosen before the outburst of opinions about the Citroën complex in autumn 2014. The Brussels Region finally purchased the buildings in 2015 and still has the idea of exhibiting the Modern Art collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKB) in the iconic glazed showroom on Sainctelette Square.

Old industrial areas can be transformed just about anywhere into public urban spaces, often with an apparent identity. The success of this indicates not only the merit of the remodelling itself, but especially the embrace of the city, the appropriateness of such interventions, and the necessity of patrimony and testimony.

In the complex Brussels context, it might not be easy to start the development of an area such as this, as ‘a work in progress’, or to systematically remediate a neglected district partly ‘from the bottom up’. It is necessary to dream of a city project where policy, education, employment, art, science and living go hand in hand. Brussels is in need of such an approach – which is not particularly visionary in itself. Architecture and even art can help to de-compose a city, to re-combine it, remodel and thus possibly – stereotypically – ‘save’ it. For example, what the WIELS Centre realises in the suburb of Forest is not so spectacular, but it works.

The project was launched in this open spirit. The sheer size and the transparency of the buildings were linked to all kinds of opportunities and dynamics, leading to scenarios of urban spaces of a diverse range, with a high degree of physical and psychological accessibility. At first sight, the major differences in the spatial and/or physical composition revealed quite a few possibilities: for events, education, exhibitions, workplaces, parking, even housing.

The programme initially proposed to designate two thirds of the available space to the modern art collection and the remainder to a purpose of the students’ choice. However, doubts about the physical feasibility of exhibiting twentieth-century art in the showroom challenged this proposal. This realisation coincided with press reports which questioned the appropriateness of a museum at that location. After spending time looking for relevant alternatives, the complexity of this matter was confirmed during the discussion evening held on 3 February 2015 at the Kaaitheater, where pressure from the real estate market was very obvious. Shortly afterwards, the Kaaitheater itself announced its desire to expand.

Consequently, the projects remain autonomous spatial research. However, the personal assumptions were somehow hampered by the lack of a realistic framework, which meant final choices were sometimes made late.

All eight projects focus on optimisation, addition and replacement in different ways. New constructions were provided on the site of the workshops at Willebroekkaai and on the sites of the office and apartment buildings.

art workhouse

STUDENTS

A dialogue with the surroundings and the city was a design condition, but the grounded social embedding of the new features did not involve the determination of realistic financial or operational parameters, the examination of these issues usually not being within our competences.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

Architecture Graduates 2015

ART WORKHOUSE

frederik dierckxsens

art workhouse

Just like in many cities, the industry is increasingly disappearing from the cityscape. What once represented a location full of bustling economic activity, is now abandoned and dilapidated with only an industrial architectural heritage in the background. From the vision to elevate this location, the creation of opportunities for urban life all around is a fundamental starting point.

The young and multicultural audience that is attracted around these neighborhoods defines strongly the idea to house a major incubator for start-ups. The scale and the open nature of the workplace adopts ideally. The collective workplaces allow a chance to less wealthy starters to launch their own business. On the other hand, the (in) formal character provides a creative work atmosphere that encourages social contact and provokes a certain dynamic.

The different character of the showroom and the workshop incites to programmatically disconnect these firmly. The orientation and structure of the showroom allow us to incorporate a residential program. It is essential that the characteristic elements of the original architecture are preserved and even highlighted.

insometric view

In order to provide sufficient air and light on the rear side of the showroom, the existing apartment buildings and the former Citroen office will be taken down. A new residential building detaches from the original building line and will follow that of the adjacent workshop of the Citroen garage. This creates a more coherent block, which gives a perspective to the monumental showroom. The new, smaller building gives way to an open courtyard between residential programs providing new qualities.

section — inner public space

Where once the monumental central nave made the physical connection between the showroom and the workshop, the public domain now provides a mental connection between the different parts of the design. The public program wriggles under, over and between the residential program and the incubator. In conclusion, we can pinpoint that attention to social and public factors provide an incentive to allow the location to be integrated in the district again.

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To highlight the relationship with the environment and the canal and to create a buffer with the rest of the ensemble, the incubator space is placed on a pedestal. The horizontally expansive

art workhouse

Even though the heritage practically occupies the entire block as a coherent system, it seems to divide itself visually and functionally into two parts. On the one hand, the showroom located at the Yzerplein and in addition, the workshop situated at the rear side. However, the central nave acts as a physical connection between the two parts.

glass façade that characterizes the face of the old workshop thus becomes the showcase for the start - ups and the city becomes the image of the working individual.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The heritage of the CitroĂŤn garage at the Yzerplein Brussels includes an architecture that refers to a glorious and modern industrial past, in which light and space are key elements.

The buildings form an icon for the district and the city for their specific morphology. Even in a contemporary context their identity determines strongly this place. To guarantee the future of this ensemble, these characteristics have to be interpreted clearly.

Architecture Graduates 2015

POST INDUSTRIE

rooftop swimmingpool

laurien leemans

At the macro level, the building and the neighbouring Kaaitheater were considered as a single cultural block or unit. In choosing its function, I wanted to make a connection between districts.

By bringing people in creative and technical disciplines together with people possessing commercial knowledge, interesting synergies could emerge. The focus was on sharing: vision, ambition and dedication. The complex had to be activated and to radiate dynamics.

At the meso level, the complex is surrounded by a nature zone at Willebroekkaai and a zone along the quay, the ‘Akenkaai’. At the moment, these zones are derelict and lack any quality.

By upgrading and connecting the surrounding public spaces, real places will be created and the influence of the building will expand to the different districts.

scale model — inner courtyard

At the micro level and the level of the building itself, a new volume will be added and the workshops of the existing buildings will become more extroverted, oriented towards the district and public places. The new rigid volume will contrast with the existing elegant steel construction and make the connection between old and new. The library, which will be the main function of the project, will be housed in this volume.

art workhouse

art workhouse

The research determined a strong base for the design. It allowed me to gain insight into the local strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of the complex. I made a distinction between the different scales of influence, for the site as well as for the building itself. The site was divided into macro, meso and micro levels. The macro level dealt with the site in its metropolitan context, the meso described its influence on the nearby environment and the micro level concerned the different types of approach. The research was based on the analysis of maps, pictures and a swot analysis. The latter summarised information obtained from interviews, articles in newspapers and personal reflections. As the research developed, my ambitions started to grow and the concept was formed.

The complex will function as a landscape of study, where all kinds of study can take place; the main goal is to create a place where different people can meet. There will be a library, a centre for new media devices, a study centre for languages and a hotel, all of which will activate this process.

By activating places and people, a new atmosphere will be created. scale model — overview

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Architecture Graduates 2015

This Master’s project concerns the Citroën complex in Brussels. The main topics are urban heritage and culture. The site has a rich history and is a real icon in its environment. The building is situated between Molenbeek and de Noordwijk. This neighbourhood deals with very specific problems and the building itself has its own values and problems. This is the reason why background research was very important to this Master’s project.

Architecture Graduates 2015

MAISON D’INSPIRATION

inner courtyard

martin denayer

First of all the building had to be social and foresee equipments for its surroundings. The project wants to offer a momentum and wants to connect to the existing developments of housing. A centralisation of activities will redevelop the urban environment.

gevel

isometric section workhouses

exploded isometric view —extetion of project

enterance

A central steel framework connects the two buildings and the square with the industrial hall activated with sports accommodations. A second passage crosses this hall and connects the park and the canal. An industrial promenade commences at both sides. A colonnade occurs at the canal side.

To accommodate the sports a bigger strain is made by Y columns who carry laminated wood beams. The columns are carefully placed off the grid. The new structure provides a big special openness and a visual connection with the sports accommodations.

Today the garage is located in an environment with few equipments and feels like an abandoned site. The intent of the project is to revive the city area starting by this area.

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The most impressive and known building, the showroom, will take a prominent place as entrance and House of culture where expositions will be integrated. A connection with the theatre ,kaaitheatre, will be made from the inside. The building itself with its famous glass façade will be more transparent because a new semi-public square is created. The square is surrounded by two buildings, the showroom and a Youth hotel, who embrace the square by there arche-

art workhouse

art workhouse

The large scale of the project offers a chance to change its surroundings. The city around the building has the potential to recover its formal glory by enlacing a new program. This master thesis wants to reactivate and reinterpret the urban heritage and its context. A meeting place where sports and culture are merging into one program. The interaction of sports and culture is encouraged by spatial connections and multifunctional use. Different groups of people with different interests are grouped. The idea is that the program offers to the building neutrality and accessibility to people in its surroundings.

type. The two programs meet on the square. A dialogue between the existing showroom and the Youth hotel takes place by the interconnectivity of program, scale and architectural design.

Two different buildings with an own architectural identity construct a tension. The dialogue is emphasised because the buildings are characterized by a strong personality.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The Citroën garage, built in 1933, has an emotional value for the city of Brussels. The site is located on a point of reference and is known for its typical modernistic architecture made out of glass and steel. This steel high-grade structure has the potential to interact with the environment of the city. The emplacement of the building offers a connection with a natural urbanistic environment. On one side it interacts with the canal, which gives the opportunity for the building to expand its influence along this ‘open street’, on the other side a park is located.

Architecture Graduates 2015

HOUSE OF CULTURE AND SPORTS

exterior view

debbie verbeek

The city intends to house the Royal Museum of Fine Arts’ collection of modern and contemporary art in this new museum. This created a major political debate, in which experts proved that the building was not suitable to house collections of modern art. However, there is a great shortage of exhibition space for art collections in Brussels, so the idea of redesigning of the Citroën complex and turning it into a museum is not unreasonable in itself.

art workhouse

The expressive Citroën building certainly has the status and the potential to become a great museum. That is why I wanted to continue with a redesign that would be a museum, but one that would house a different kind of collection, rather than modern or contemporary art.

My museum will house the existing collection of AutoWorld Brussels. AutoWorld has a representative collection of more than 250 vehicles of different origins. The new museum will accommodate a general history and development of the automobile over a time span of more than a century.

In conjunction with the existing programme of AutoWorld, there will also be spaces provided for meetings and events. These rooms can be used in relation to the car, but also rented as external venues. Considering the nearby business district of Noordwijk and the cultural activities in the Canal zone, a great flexibility in the supply of rooms will also be guaranteed.

inner courtyard

The showroom will retain its function as a exhibition hall for cars and this will also be the starting point of the automobile museum. The showroom is connected to the workshop via the horizontal axis, where the car museum will continue. For circulation throughout the museum, I worked with the elements that were already present in the building complex. I wanted to respond to the individual character of the ‘promenade industrielle’ used in earlier conversations on the redesign of the Citroën complex.

Next to a section housing the car collection, the workshop will also provide event spaces, which can be used both for temporary exhibitions of the museum, taking place each month, as well as external events.

exhibitionhall

art workhouse

Architecture Graduates 2015

Brussels has managed to buy the Citroën complex as part of its planned development of the Canal zone. They want to turn the building into a ‘Museum near the Canal’ to attract the people of Brussels and tourists. The museum will add to the existing cultural activities in the Canal zone and the adjacent Kaaitheater.

Architecture Graduates 2015

L’AUTOPOSITION

In the vertical axis throughout the workshop, the museum and the event space will meet each other and work together. This axis provides access to the event spaces and can also be opened up to directly connect with the Canal zone. event hall

The site is not fully completed by the museum and event spaces, with a section of the site also available for the development of residential and commercial space.

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The large and varied collection of vehicles will also offer many opportunities to the remainder of the patrimony, with the retention of its industrial character. The showroom and the workshop will both be designed to house the car collection, meaning that the new function of the Citroën complex will remain related to its former use.

masterplan section

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

art workhouse

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

STUDENTS

geert driesen

hakan ulusel

lukas de baere

anneleen raeymaekers

kathleen nagels

pierrick debraekeleer

sanne vanderlinden

laure - anne vets

camille luyten

niels loyens

Architecture Graduates 2015

RE-DESTINATION: ANTWERP’S CULTURAL PATRIMONY

Introduction In the assignment for this Master’s studio, students examined how existing monofunctional buildings from the recent past may be (or can be made to be) useful and convenient with respect to the lifestyles and housing needs of future generations.

We can no longer rely on the consumption of rural landscape and this fact creates great demand for re-thinking our existing heritage of urban buildings.

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Specifically, the studio focuses on recent (19501980) ‘modernist’ office, residential or industrial buildings (on public and historical sites). Among other things, this heritage, or patrimony, is not adapted to the ever-increasing requirements for energy performance. With respect to history, context, cultural sustainability, etc., which resources can we use to give these buildings a new future? The specific ‘case’ for this year’s studio: researching the potential and capabilities of the buildings on Antwerp’s ‘Leien’ (boulevards) that will/may be transformed into residential or mixed functional units.

Preliminary research for this assignment consisted of analysing texts, concepts and examples of RECONSTRUCTION | REBUILDING | RENOVATION | ADDITIONS for our PATRIMONY, as well as examples of the existing urban fabric.

Attempts were made to define the concept of the ‘INTELLIGENT RUIN’. With regard to a given structure – whether or not it exists – what concept of sustainability does it exhibit? Why are some buildings more suitable for reinterpretation and changing use than others?

The buildings were subjected not only to historical, urban and typological analysis, but also to an examination of their construction and their use of energy. Our research not only examined the transformation or design of the building’s skin, but also maintained a fundamental multidisciplinary approach.

The knowledge gained in the renovation project should lead to a better structure. Under the motto ‘WHAT COUNTS IS WHAT IS BETTER, NOT WHAT IS NEW’, we will relate the old to the new in a comparative study.

THE LOCATION Urban: we continue to view the city as the best area FOR research.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN This is about integrating disciplines (structural, mechanical, etc.), abstractions (form, function) and lifespan (designing, realising, using).

INTEGRALITY AS AN IMPETUS FOR RENEWAL INTELLIGENT RUINS Bearing this in mind we will also research the concept of ‘Intelligent Ruins’.

How do buildings survive the needs of successive generations? Are we building for ‘ourselves’ (alone)? What is the essence of sustainability?

THE PLAN It is essential to have a concept of ‘the living culture’. How do generations/individuals live?

How, generally, do we approach this? Is a notion of collectivity regained, etc.?

COMPOSITION Particular attention is drawn to the notion of composition as a design tool.

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Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

caroline debray

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

helen dierckx

hakan ulusel

Finally, the renovated campus will feature a new point of access from Tolstraat, the back of the building block, to the inner courtyard.

This way, the traffic at the front of the campus can be reduced and the students will be able to enter their school from a much calmer street.

The courtyard will also be merged into one big space, replacing the current fragmented structure. This will allow students from different years to connect with each other during breaks and move around in the courtyard. For the same reason, the cafeteria, library and study rooms will all be made accessible to the whole school.

Furthermore, the new sports hall located at the back of the courtyard will be sunk partly into the ground, with a maximum height of 3 metres, in order give students access to its roof.

section — main building

The design of this school reflects a sustainable whole in which the buildings are connected with each other. The new campus will offer increased flexibility to its future users without losing its character or identity. facad

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Subsequently, the two buildings in the middle will be connected with each other and adapted where necessary. These buildings will also be covered with a new facade which will blend better with the surroundings and serve as a visual and technical bridge across the campus’s three centuries. The double windows used in this new facade will provide better and healthier ventilation and keep the noise of the busy Amerikalei out of the classrooms. These classrooms will also be redesigned with sliding walls for flexible class combinations and activities. An open central staircase will enable more pleasant

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

In the search for an answer to these challenges, the campus space will be newly divided to create an optimum school environment. Spaces such as the library, sports hall, workshop rooms and offices will receive the spatial qualities they deserve. Each space on the campus will be positioned logically in order to facilitate access to the public spaces. This way, several rooms can be shared with external partners so that the buildings can also be used outside of school hours. More specifically, the new sports hall, FabLab, music rooms, exhibition spaces and offices can be shared with existing and future partners in order to maximise use of the patrimony.

and efficient circulation through the connected buildings. In addition, the newly created atrium will wash each floor with light.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Since the second half of the 19th century, the building at Amerikalei 38 has been an important part of Antwerp’s school infrastructure. Formerly known as the Institute of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw and today as Sint-Lievens college, the campus is celebrating its 130th birthday as an education institution. Because of its rapid expansion since 1985, the campus has yet to overcome several challenges: the programme and energy usage need to be approached in a more sustainable fashion if the campus wishes to remain part of Antwerp’s school patrimony. This means extensive renovation of the buildings, though without sacrificing their character to modernisation.

Architecture Graduates 2015

SINT-LIEVENS COLLEGE CAMPUS AMERIKALEI

perspective foyer

kathleen nagels AN ALTERNATIVE TYPE OF HOUSING

Residents can enter both of the private entities from the two adjacent streets, via the shared stairwells or the public courtyard. This transition zone between private and public areas can be reached via a shared stairwell in an outdoor climate that adjoins the private terraces of each residence. This passage is situated on the southward-oriented facade, which creates an interaction between life on the street and in the building. To allow more light into the deep building block on Begijnenvest, a void is included at the site of the original stairwell that, apart from allowing the sun in, spatially connects the storeys and gives the common space near the living studios an extra dimension.

scenery rear balcony

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We will add central cores, shafts and voids that fit amidst the existing supporting elements: a flexible structure of beams and columns and an integrated ribbed concrete floor. The retention of the ribbed floor is interesting in both spatial and structural terms. The building programme

facade — matirialisation and section

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

The uniform, massive and flexible facade of Begijnenvest, built in the 1970s, is worth preserving and renovating to comply with contemporary regulations, while removing the remaining facades allows for the interior area to receive more light and air, increasing its value. By using new, independent doubled facades the existing structure can be retained. The thickening of the wall allows, on the one hand, the rerouting of services, while, on the other hand, it creates a space between the exterior and the interior that can be used in diverse ways. Finally, due to the thickening of the wall, the windows can be placed deeper within the facade, such that the southward-oriented facade serves as a sunblind which limits the heating of the adjacent internal space. The doubled treatment is used differently in the northward-oriented facades of the interior area: in this case, the windows are placed closer to the external surface of the facade so the interior is spatially supplemented with a window seat. A building volume is added on top of the structure, constructed from a timber frame with a sustainable, anodised, bronze-coloured aluminium cladding. Due to the materialisation and thickening of the wall, the facades consist of a plinth, a middle section and a superstructure.

stems from a breakdown of possible alternative housing types: on the one hand, 15 apartments for young families and, on the other, 14 assisted-living studios for seniors. Both functions are set in separate existing and new building volumes, but share common and polyvalent spaces around a courtyard. The combination of these two functions offers a solution that allows each generation to live an independent life, while providing time and care for the other in an efficient way.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

This Master’s project aims to repurpose a former police court from the 1970s, situated in the southern residential part of the Antwerpse Leien. The choice of this site was a result of an analysis of the possibilities available for repurposing: firstly, the site was vacant and, secondly, both of the adjacent built and vacant plots stimulate an interesting dialogue between new development and renovation.

Architecture Graduates 2015

FOR YOUNG FAMILIES AND SENIOR CITIZENS IN THE CITY

scale model — front facade

laure - anne vets

The focus will be on the central courtyard, which will serve as a place for all the inhabitants to meet and relax. It will be reached from an entrance on Britselei. It will be entirely open but include a semi-public threshold, giving access to the collective circulation pathways of the various buildings.

STRUCTURE Because of the favourable structure of the section on Begijnenvest, it is possible to create a new circulation zone in the middle with an outdoor climate. The new floors will be constructed using a metal frame and wooden beams, The crosswise placement of the circulation determines the location of the sanitary and technical infrastructure.

PROGRAM The ground floor could contain small businesses or a restaurant. The existing building has a ramp to the underground garage. This will be replaced by a lift for cars that provides access to the car park and storage spaces. The space that connects the buildings will be a polyvalent room. The enclosed outdoor space will be given an urban vibe with a storage space for bicycles and a place to sit. The other floors will contain apartments and office spaces.

exterior view — Begijnenvest

TECTONICS / MATERIALITY The windows will be based on the existing facades, with the vertical and horizontal lines preserved. At Britselei, narrow and tall windows will be used to maintain an urban impression.

The material consists of concrete panels that resemble the existing material.

SUSTAINABILITY The three parts will be structurally independent, allowing for the possibility of separate renovation. The floor heights, which can serve several functions, the favourable structure, the use of non-load-bearing walls and the placement of the sanitary cells will contribute to the flexibility of the project.

exterior view — Britselei

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

CONCEPT The concept includes the possibilities that the building and its potential functions can offer to the urban environment. The connections between the different buildings and the diverse atmospheres in the surrounding streets will also be important. These include the more business-like vibe on Britselei and the calm energy in Begijnenvest, in combination with the school across the street.

The structure of the building on Britselei lends itself to the creation of a passage and a terrace at the southern span. This will create a connection with the Leien. The circulation will be placed against load-bearing walls of the new building. When people step out of the common stairwell, they enter a communal section before arriving at their own private space and apartment.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

CONTEXT The project concerns premises on Britselei connected to another on Begijnenvest, which runs parallel with the Leien. These buildings used to house a police court. The potential of the buildings mainly concerns their rational structure, the enclosed area, the geometrical facade and the option for expansion to encompass two plots next to the building on Britselei. These plots will be included in the design to create unity with the environment and to recover the ‘wound’ in the general impression of the street.

Architecture Graduates 2015

BRITSELEI — BEGIJNENVEST

inner courtyard

lukas de baere

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

REDEVELOPMENT LOUISA-MARIALEI The area around Louisa-Marialei should serve as a main entrance to the city park. In 1968, the landscape architect Keilig designed this transition zone. However, today his design has to a large extent disappeared. In my proposal, Keilig’s design will be reinstated, but adapted to current needs. A station for the underground Premetro will be provided. Furthermore, a median strip to be added to the green space will contribute to the connection to the city park.

Finally, some traffic adjustments will be made to optimise parking availability and the safety of vulnerable road users.

REDEVELOPMENT PLAYGROUND AND DEMOLITION OF VACANT CLASSROOMS The existing playground, flanked by empty classrooms, has a monotonous appearance and is not very inviting. The demolition of these obsolete classrooms and the further enhancement of the playground appears to be the most appropriate solution. As a result of a colonnade, the new sanitary block will be semi-open and as such will play an important role as a link to the surroundings, thereby improving the school’s involvement with the public.

inner courtyard

RECONVERSION OF OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH (1877) This protected church belongs to the college and is currently only used for storage. An upgrade of this area seemed only logical. In my design the church serves as a multipurpose room. With the reconversion the church will once again play an important role in the identity of the school.

CONCLUSION In my Master’s project I tried to recapture the purity and homogeneity that the old school building had lost over the years. This was achieved through a combination of small and also more invasive interventions, resulting in a greater flexibility of use. The adjustments aimed to respect the history and architecture of the complex. In this way, the building can better meet the expectations of today’s society.

frotal view

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

After initial research on the site, several distinct elements could be identified, each having their own problem definition.

EXTENSION ON NEOCLASSICAL WING Over the course of the years the top floor has become a heterogeneous mix of structures. By renewing the roof and expanding it, it is possible to bring back consistency. Using a flat roof will allow the addition of another level for classrooms and labs. The layout is a modern variant of the monastery typology, which is further manifested in the school. The facade of the extension will be composed of profiled glass.

This fits the sober character and contributes to a refreshed image of the school.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe College in Antwerp is no longer adapted to current societal and educational expectations. The increasing number of students, individual learning paths based on skills and needs, and the opening up of schools to other sociocultural events all suggest a need for the architecture to anticipate the new reality.

In my opinion, the school site offers the potential to better respond to these challenges.

Architecture Graduates 2015

ONZE-LIEVE-VROUWE COLLEGE

masterplan

pierrick de braekeleer

The Antwerp Tower mainly functions as an office building, but because of its rather outdated infrastructure it is now largely abandoned.

Adjacent to the Opera House you will also find a hotel and several apartments. The Antwerp Tower’s ground floor used to house a shopping centre but as a result of the Meir becoming a pedestrian zone several large shopping malls have popped up along this busy street, leading to the demise of the shopping centre in the Tower. Very few commercial spaces are still in use there.

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The Antwerp Tower is composed of a base and a tower. This structure, combined with the Opera House, forms one building block. The base can

renovated facade

The horizontal wall’s articulation and the glass front of the Antwerp Tower interrupts the static and massive designs of the surrounding classical architecture. By adopting the scale and proportions of the architecture in the vicinity, however, I attempt to make the Antwerp Tower one coherent whole. This means that the building’s overall shape will be redesigned in such a way that it complements the surrounding environment.

sketch — enterace subway

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

The renovation of the Leien will also include the addition of a public square in front of the Opera House. The underground is also meant to pass through here, and the plan is also to build an underground car park. By adding this Opera Square, the overhead traffic is bound to diminish, which therefore guarantees a safer passage for pedestrians between the Meir and Astrid Square. After this proposed renewal, the Antwerp Tower will hold a very prominent place indeed.

be viewed as completing the Opera House’s right wing. The western wall faces the future Opera Square, while the southern wall lies near the junction of Keyserlei, Leysstraat and the Meir. The tower, in its turn, will function as an urban landmark. This will also be in harmony with the nearby theatre and the President Building, both of which define the central public transport hub.

During the restructuring of the Antwerp Tower its existing functions will be maintained. These are, of course, the commercial spaces, offices, apartments and the hotel, although the commercial functions will be located on the outer edges. This will then lead to the creation of a centrally located courtyard. The office spaces will be traced back to the base. The tower will be divided into a hotel with several apartments at the top. The main entry will be through Opera Square, leading directly towards the central courtyard. There you will find the separate entrances to the office spaces, the hotel and the apartments. The entrance to the new underground station and car park will also be integrated into the base.

It is with these interventions that I want to reintegrate the Antwerp Tower into its surroundings, paying attention to urban infrastructure as well as the various needs and impulses of the environment.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The aim of this year’s Master’s project was to reallocate the function of a building along a main boulevard with the aim of repurposing Antwerp’s heritage. This was done with attention to the main axis of circulation, where architecture can exert an influence on an urban scale.

I was interested in the area surrounding the Opera House due to the fact that several roads destined for both fast and slow traffic overlap there. These are the Leien and the footpaths connecting Antwerp’s main railway station to the city centre. Due to its proximity to Rooseveltplaats, with its bus service as well as the nearby underground, this is also a major hub for public transport.

Architecture Graduates 2015

THE ANTWERP TOWER

exterior view

camille luyten helen dierckx caroline debray

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Typical for urban tissue is that the ‘old’ is always accompanied by the ‘new’ and that each specific combination of buildings affects the quality of life and the functionality of the city. We focus on a group of buildings where renovation, restoration and new constructions go hand in hand with the design of a large in-between area, and where this project will exert a certain influence on the surrounding neighbourhood. The location, and especially its remarkable morphology, were the reasons why we decided to perform an intervention on this particular building block, which may also be of value to the city on a larger scale.

The corresponding building block, ‘Goudbloem’, is enclosed by two leading urban axes (Italiëlei, Van Maerlantstraat) and two smaller streets (Goudbloemstraat, Violierstraat). It is located in Antwerp 2060, east of the boulevard and is centrally located between several major squares (Rooseveltplaats, St.-Jansplein, Koningsplein, Ossenmarkt). The building block is situated between the inner city and its suburbs.

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The core of the building block is a spacious, open garden. But remarkably, this area behaves antisocially towards the surrounding buildings instead of connecting with them. This is the consequence of the history of the site and the many changes that have occurred to the building block. From 1911 to 1975 the inner area, a plot in Van Maerlantstraat and a plot in Goudbloemstraat belonged to the Sisters of St Julienne. They built a church and a retirement home which occupied most of the area within and prevented a connection with the surround-

In relation to our project, our ambition was to analyse and work on this dense, specific building block at a micro level. Our aim was to improve the quality of life in this area after the model of a small city garden. We looked at this block as a micro city, a dense core where life and public functions should work together to provide a comfortable living area. After some analysis we noticed that a number of buildings situated in one corner of the block had the biggest impact on the green area. We divided these ten buildings into three parts in order to work in a realistic and detailed way. It became apparent that each building had a certain character and this resulted in an integrated project that works as an ensemble. We were very grateful to be able to work in cooperation because it enabled us to maintain a more critical approach to our work.

residetial renovation

gallery

inner courtyard

facad datail

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

The urban in-between tissue as a connecting structure

ings. The surrounding buildings were built to abut the walls of the church with little space left for greenery. When the plot was donated to de Goudblomme (an NGO) in 1975, they decided to demolish it entirely and build a new modern retirement home. A large part of the open space was made accessible, but remained the property of the retirement home. For this reason, the garden could only be used by the inhabitants of the home, with other surrounding buildings excluded from the garden by fences and walls. The two buildings that form the retirement home are situated on Van Maerlantstraat and Goudbloemstraat and are connected by a first-storey construction on the garden within the building block. The retirement home is turned inside-out on the corner, which means all the other buildings have almost no sunlight. All of these elements contribute to the fact that the garden is considered to be antisocial.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

“La mise en scène, réglant les moindres détails, a pour effet d’assurer le jeu de chaque acteur et l’harmonie générale de l’exécution.” — Wikipedia.org

Architecture Graduates 2015

MISE-EN-SCÈNE

facade

anneleen raeymaekers

The ground floor and three upper floors of the new building have the same floor levels as the existing Galler building, with the exception of the double height of the first floor, although the cornice shares a height-line with the neighbouring structure on the right. The vertical rhythm of the distinctive Galler facade will be continued in the new building through the placement of the columns. However, the building will not simply be ‘the little brother’ of the Galler building, but will have an independent appearance, with a gridded facade translating its structure. It is a readable facade in its simplicity, but it gains stratification in the finer details and recessed windows with integral window frames. The recessing of the building on the perimeter is a gesture of reverence and above all demonstrates the connection to the Galler complex.

The facade has a generous opening onto the courtyard and also emphasises the shop on the double-height first floor.

facade — Italiëlei

facade — inner alley

voor- en achtergevel Italielei / 1:100

voor- en achtergevel Italielei / 1:100

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The point of departure for the overall design was the fact that the Galler business was founded in 1845 and has always been a functional family-owned business. This strong internal character was the guiding principle throughout the design. This resulted in the design of a pleasant

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

But how do we deal with such an opportunity as well as the existing heritage? Galler is a workspace that has an architecture that should be treated with great respect, but it also requires adjustment to the needs of the twenty-first century. Therefore, rather than ‘conservation’ we chose an ‘addition’ by the current generation.

Maintaining the existing elements of quality was a first priority, but the fragmentation which had occurred over the years needed to be purged.

The interpretation of the empty site required a search for a balance between harmony and contrast. The new building had to show respect for the design by Stynen, but required its own signature, not merely imitating the existing buildings.

courtyard area with clear circulation, which also contributes to a high-quality outdoor space.

The three buildings, even though they represent different functions, will act as a whole. The new building retains a family character by referring to the features of the historical development of Galler as a design, engineering and business complex. The parking remains on the ground floor, the first floor houses a shop with Galler tube furniture, and the remaining floors can be used as offices or studios.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

The Galler retail complex, located on Italielei and Rijnpoortvest in Antwerp, accommodates shops, offices and a warehouse. The current structure was established over three building phases between 1941 and 1963, according to the design by Leon Stynen. During the final phase, Stynen was assisted by Paul De Meyer. The warehouse responds to a purely efficient design, with unpretentious architecture as a continuation of brick modernism. The commercial building on Italiëlei (1961-1963) expresses a refined brutalism as a homage to Le Corbusier. In 1971, two adjacent buildings were demolished to create parking for the commercial complex. The open space interrupts the repetition of buildings along the Leien. In these current times of work and housing need, this is no longer justified.

The site offers an opportunity to create a new building that is integrated with the existing structures.

Architecture Graduates 2015

GALLER

passage tawards inner courtyard

sanne vander linden

To establish a clean footprint, both the vacant building behind the warehouse and the lower section between the shop and the warehouse will be demolished. This creates a free inner space in which only the connection between the two buildings is preserved.

The ground floor and the first floor of the new building will connect the Galler shop and offices. At the back of this new building, a second connection between the shop and the warehouse will also be created. This will ensure smooth circulation and also create a balanced plan. The zone between the two connections will form an inner street covered by a glass roof.

Inspiration for this space and the nature of the construction of the roof was based on the FelixArchief, Metahaus and the Dordrecht Museum.

The top floor of the warehouse will be used as a polyvalent space. This double-height space with mezzanine levels can be used for temporary exhibitions, lectures, receptions, etc. In addition to the existing entrance along Rijnpoortvest, this space will also be accessible from Italiëlei through the roofed inner street.

collage — inner alley

facade — Italiëlei

The facade along Italiëlei will be completed by the insertion of a new building volume connecting in height to the neighbour on the right-hand side. The facades of the new building will be cantilevered from the support structure. They will consist of a concrete structure, the rhythm and form of which is inspired by the different facade designs by Stynen.

collage — inner alley

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

While searching for a suitable site for the Master’s project this one caught my eye immediately. For this project I sought to improve and expand the current structures on the site, thereby adding another phase in the entire evolution of Galler. In particular, the subject of this Master’s project became the adaptation of the existing buildings and the construction of a new building on the empty site to complete the facade on Italiëlei.

The current facades along the inner street are in red brick. To create a unit, the new walls along the inner street will be built using brick in a similar tone. These new bricks will be longer than the originals in order to differentiate between old and new. This is an analogy of the materials used in the renovation of the Kolumba Museum by Zumthor.

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The Metalen Galler company has been a going concern in the city of Antwerp since 1845. The shop and offices are located at Italiëlei 22-24, the warehouse at Rijnpoortvest 9-13. Over the years it has been constantly expanded and rebuilt. The current form developed over three consecutive building campaigns between 1941 and 1963. These buildings were designed by Léon Stynen, who was assisted by architect Paul De Meyer in the final phase.

Architecture Graduates 2015

GALLER TRADE COMPLEX

facade — inner alley

Rijnpoort Building Typeplan

Masterproef Niels Loyens / Promotor Geert Driesen

niels loyens

Several other building projects are being developed around the building, such as a new building with student apartments situated next to the Rijnpoort Building on Stijfselrui.

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The Rijnpoort Building includes three volumes that gradually change in height. The volume on the corner has eight levels, on Stijfselrui the building has six levels and the volume on Rijnpoortvest has five levels. The gradation in the height provides a better connection with the height of the adjacent buildings. The depth of the building on Stijfselrui reaches as much as

Today, there is a large need for care and accessibility. In Flanders, there is a shortage of residential nursing homes. This topic, and ‘ageing’ generally, is much discussed by the government.

In residential nursing homes it is important to keep in mind possibilities for change and the growth potential of spaces. The needs of residents might change over the years and the spaces will have to evolve accordingly. When rezoning a project, it is interesting and relevant to apply a function that includes and emphasises the multi-functionality of a building. The different needs and requirements of people can be reflected in a number of simple adjustments to the building. Keeping this in mind, I focused on the aspects essential for this function, attaching great importance to the rules and legislation concerning care and welfare infrastructure, so that the execution of the plan is efficient while also taking real needs into account.

floorplan

facade Rijnpoort Building Gevel Noord Stijfselrui

Masterproef Niels Loyens / Promotor Geert Driesen

The three volumes are visibly separated from each other, creating three different entities which each take on a different function in the residential care centre, and each with separate access zones. Serviced apartments for people who can still live partly independently will be located in the wing on Stijfselrui and will have a separate entrance to the building so that residents are not obliged to walk through the care centre. In the central part of the building there will be twelve care rooms on each level, each with a team of carers, who will have their own living spaces situated in the wing on Rijnpoortvest.

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

The building considered to have the greatest potential as a rezoning project was the Rijnpoort Building. This building is situated on the corner of Stijfselrui and Rijnpoortvest. This majestic structure from the 1970s has architecture characteristic of this period and finds itself in an incipient state of disrepair. The construction includes a few commercial areas and parking space on the ground floor. The floors above house offices, and there is also an apartment for the concierge at the entrance on Rijnpoortvest. The rear of the building looks over Sint-Antonius Church, which is currently being renovated. An interior space is located between this church and the Rijnpoort Building, currently being used as an extra parking space – a structure covered by a corrugated roof.

20 metres, which allows little natural light to reach the centre of the site. This fact prohibits the planning of any functions in the central part of the building which would require a lot of natural light.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

In the search for a location along Antwerp’s boulevards (Leien), I focused on the different circulation flows and changes planned for these boulevards. The north side of the avenues most appealed to me because it will be reconstructed and equipped with extra facilities such as tram lines and stops which will make the centre of Antwerp even more accessible. The traffic flow from and to the left bank through the Waasland tunnel will also be simplified. This renovation is planned in combination with that in the north of Antwerp, which is gradually being upgraded.

Architecture Graduates 2015

RIJNPOORT BUILDING

scale model — inner courtyard

Re-destination of antwerp cultural patrimony of the recent past

Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences — Antwerp University | 136 |

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

STUDENTS

hans barbier

valérie ruiters

Architecture Graduates 2015

HOUSING THE FACULTY OF DESIGN SCIENCES ANTWERP UNIVERSITY

inez ubaghs

Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences — Antwerp University

Introduction In order to further develop as a faculty which The following steps were part of the design can compete with other European educational process: programmes in architecture, interior design, product development, etc., both in teaching ›› Based on literature reviews and visits to schools and in research, the Faculty of Design Sciences of Architecture in Flanders, Denmark, the Nethat the University of Antwerp needs space. The erlands, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Great current premises no longer meets the goals and Britain the following subjects were examined: ambitions of the Faculty. ›› The typology of architecture schools ›› The relationship between education and A policy that provides a perspective on the architecture future is urgently required if the Faculty is to ›› The relationship with the city of Antwerp: realise its ambitions. There must be clarity the meaning the city has for the school of about the need for space, knowledge about the architecture and the meaning the school has sites available and research on the possible for the city scenarios for the organisation of the facilities that inform this policy. During the 2014-2015 ac- ›› Investigation of potential sites in Antwerp city ademic year, Master’s students in architecture centre elaborated a master plan to accommodate the Faculty of Design Sciences. ›› Based on the analysis of the research findings and the vision of the educational programmes, different views to accommodate the Faculty were developed

During the 2015-2016 academic year, the ‘Campus Paardenmarkt’ master plan will be further developed by a design team made up of graduates from various programmes of the Faculty of Design Studies and the Department of Architectural Engineering of the Faculty of Applied Engineering Sciences.

Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences — Antwerp University

loic tybaert

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›› The development of one or more scenarios for a building or group of buildings

valérie ruiters

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In the final part of this section, different locations for the accommodation of a design school were proposed. The Katoen Natie on Ellermanstraat was ultimately chosen as the location for this design. The other buildings of the University of Antwerp are within cycling distance from the location, thus preserving the close connection with the University of Antwerp. In addition, the Faculty will become part of the tissue of schools that have already been established near the location. The proposition for this neighbourhood is to focus on the preservation of the old warehouses in this area. The maintenance of the brick walls and the original roofs not only accords with the local vision, recommendations

masterplan section

Being an architecture student, it was clear from the beginning that the workshops and the library would constitute the vital heart of the design school, with the workplaces for the students located around them. Another important factor is the relationship of the building with the neighbourhood. The advantage here is the significant need for a revival of the area. The transition from public to private was a difficult question, but led to the creation of an urban plinth, where not only local residents will be welcome but also students from other schools, as well as new enterprises, which will find a place on the ground floor. The superstructure offers enough privacy for students and teachers, functioning separately from the public plinth. architecture workshop

The students’ learning process and flexibility were essential to the project. Students can learn from and work with each other; therefore, the most important aim was to turn the housing of different educational programmes in one building into an advantage that ensured that this occurred. On the basis of the investigation in the first part of the project, it became clear that the numbers of students can vary greatly from year to year. Flexible locations and exhibition rooms can adjust to these changes and allow the design school to operate as required.

Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences — Antwerp University

Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences — Antwerp University

The first part of the project investigated the current campus. A lack of space and the horizontal stratification of the different partners were the most important points of criticism. After this, eleven different design schools in Belgium and abroad were visited and documented in a standardised way to gain a better idea of what is required for a properly functional design school.

and rules, but also with the kind of identity the school would like to create. The processes of thinking, discussion, creation, cooperation, exhibition and learning will all be located behind these walls.

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Due to the great diversity in theoretical courses, interspersed with practical courses, the Faculty of Design uses space differently from other educational programmes at the University.

Considering the theme, ‘Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences’, it was found that little or even no research has been done to understand the needs and the demands of this education programme. Research was thus important in order to understand the different elements a design school needs to consider in the education of its students. The research included the history of architectural and general education, the current situation and the history of Campus Mutsaard, as well as a study of different architecture schools in Belgium and abroad. In this way, we gained insight into the requirements of an architecture school, which was very helpful in the final design.

Architecture Graduates 2015

CAMPUS KATOEN NATIE

hallway

inez ubaghs loic tybaert

Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences — Antwerp University

In relation to the effect of the design, we chose an interesting duality between old and new, where the new elements often reflect subtle references to the older buildings on the site.

transition old-new

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At the start of the academic year, we were attracted to the possibility of investigating and designing a building we have inhabited for several years. Our interest was also provoked by the fact that this was not a fictitious design, but tackles an actual existing problem. For that reason, after extensive location research we also chose to work on Campus Paardenmarkt. This location possesses several qualities that increase the realisability of the project. Not only can it house the whole Faculty, but it is also centrally located in the university neighbourhood, which ensures the enrichment of the patrimony of the University of Antwerp. Moreover, it is currently the home of a school, and the site is in the hands of the city, which makes any transition easier. The fact that there is also a possibility of a symbiosis between old and new architecture completes the list of qualities of this location.

Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences — Antwerp University

For the actual design assignment, the knowledge that was gained during the theoretical part was used to determined clear ambitions.

Initially, the emphasis was placed on flexibility.

This was because our research made clear that the nature of architectural education changes rapidly, requiring a building that can evolve along with such changes. Another essential focus was increasing the compactness of the existing building, to insulate it naturally. Other ambitions, such as addressing affordability, spatial bonding, an urban plinth and clear circulation, were added, with the aim of making the site part of the bigger picture of the university neighbourhood.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

This Master’s project can be described as an analysis of architectural schools. The work during two semesters was divided into two parts of equal importance. Before going further into this dichotomy, it is necessary to explain the theme of the Master’s project in its entirety. Essentially, this concerns the development of a conception of architectural education in general: not only the actual context but also seen from historical and future-oriented points of view. The research discusses the views of the consumer and the spectator: theories and practices are tested against each other. The first part, considered as research for the Master’s project, is called ‘Kunstfaculteit zoekt huisvesting’. It presents a discussion of the different views on architectural education and an investigation of the evolution of these views in relation to architectural education ?. After visiting a number of architectural schools, eleven were investigated and compared, which led to a description of the current state of architectural education. The second part of the project involved the actual design.

Architecture Graduates 2015

CAMPUS PAARDENMARKT

facade — technical detail

circulation

Housing the Faculty of Design Sciences — Antwerp University

Housing and the domestic space in Belgium and Portugal | 144 |

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

HOUSING AND THE DOMESTIC SPACE Architecture Graduates 2015

SUPERVISOR

STUDENTS

els de vos

elise jacops

CO–SUPERVISOR

kim van pelt

fatima pombo

Architecture Graduates 2015

IN BELGIUM AND PORTUGAL

‘I sometimes feel the need to write, so I write. […]

When I think about Architecture, I always take my example from writers, and in particular from the Poets, the most skilled inventors of register and sound, the inhabitants of solitude.’ — Álvaro Siza Vieira

In addition to a Master’s design project, some students also choose to write a Master’s thesis in order to investigate a certain topic in detail.

One central theme concerns the interdisciplinary field of the home, the domestic sphere and the housing environment. The home is an extremely fluid and contested site of human existence that reflects and reifies identities and values, values related to nationality, social class, interests. By means of their home, and especially the style of the facade, inhabitants express something of their own identity or that which they want to display to others. At the same time, the acquisition of a home is not a completely rational process – a certain contingency emerges. The neighbourhood, the distance from work, etc., influence the decision to buy a certain house.

In this regard, Kim Van Pelt scrutinised a number of pairs of houses in the broad region of Antwerp which stood in various contrasts to each other. In studying these pairs of houses, whose style can roughly be labelled as classical versus modern, she revealed what the styles meant for their inhabitants and how they were perceived.

Elise Jacops was more interested in the macro scale. She studied three Portuguese housing projects designed by Alvaro Siza. After framing them in their political and historical context, she showed how the houses are the result of an intelligent combination of the Portuguese vernacular with modernist projects.

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Housing and the domestic space in Belgium and Portugal

Introduction

Housing and the domestic space in Belgium and Portugal

nathalie vallet

elise jacops VERNACULARISATION IN THREE PORTUGUESE SOCIAL HOUSING-PROJECTS

Housing and the domestic space in Belgium and Portugal

Some of the most interesting and best works created under SAAL are three specific neighbourhoods of differing scale designed by the architect Álvaro Siza: São Victor (Porto/Figures 2 and 3), Bouça (Porto/Figure 3) and Quinta da Malagueira (Évora/Figures 4, 5, 6). On this basis, I will examine vernacularisation in Portugal using a qualitative approach, namely a literature review and a study of experiences on site.

It was through Álvaro Siza that I first came to the notion of vernacularisation. The critic Kenneth Frampton attributed the origin of the architectural movement known as ‘Critical Regionalism’ to Siza’s architecture of the 1970s.

In his essay, ‘Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance’, written in the early 1980s, he discussed:

The hallmark of this critical movement is that, on the one hand, the universal aspects of modern architecture are partially applied while, on the other hand, there is a quest to bond with the context.

Vernacularisation appears to be an important theme in the Portuguese architecture of the 1970s. Social housing before the 1970s is often synonymous with the stereotypical image of anonymity or the lack of a collective identity. Can the design strategy of vernacularisation deliver character and quality to projects? ‘Vernacularisation’ is an architectural term that refers to a process of recording local elements, such as building techniques, built forms and materials used in a specific location. Therefore, in its essence vernacularisation is an expression of loyalty to local traditions and regional diversity. It is an outcome of the influence of historical, social and cultural processes, which involves observing a method for the treatment and preservation of space. A study of landscape and context and the new relationship between both is required.

By referencing local archetypes, vernacularisation provides the basis for the creation of new architecture. Furthermore, vernacularisation is considered to be an important factor in addressing the immediate impact of architecture on the collective identity of the inhabitants. It is this new approach to architecture that will ultimately allow the inhabitants to maintain their connection with the location, the architecture and each other.

Summerroom — Quinta da Malagueira

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›› ›› ›› ›› ›› | 148 |

Culture and civilisation The rise and fall of the avant-garde Critical regionalism and world culture The resistance of the place-shape Culture versus nature: topography, context, climate, light and tectonic shape ›› Visual versus the tactile

Housing and the domestic space in Belgium and Portugal

Architecture Graduates 2015

Based on my fascination with Portuguese regional architecture (Figure 1) and an interest in how ‘collective identity’ is created in social housing, I decided to investigate some of the achievements of SAAL (Serviço Ambulatório de Apoio Local, the Portuguese service for social housing) during the economically and politically critical years of the 1970s. In the recent history of social housing, SAAL presents us with one of the most interesting and unique development processes. Among other things, SAAL entailed the innovative involvement in and commitment of residents to development, which also relied on the cooperation and willingness of engineers from across the country and the participation of the SAAL architects.

Architecture Graduates 2015

FROM ALVARO SIZA DURING THE SEVENTIES

Summerroom — Évora, vernacular context

kim vanpelt

From this view, different questions arise about the personal interpretation of the terms ‘modern’ and ‘classical’, the reasons for relocating, the requirements that should be fulfilled by the home and its surroundings, the importance of the style in the choice made and different attitudes towards a variety of architectural styles.

Although my research question is not a primary or acute problem for today’s society, it demonstrates the importance of the bond between the occupant and their home. In other words, while it is not in the least a current subject of controversy, it is nonetheless one that is worthy of investigation.

For my research I went looking for images similar to those of Van den Boom, but located in the districts of Antwerp (Photos 2, 3 and 4).

These images are not only expressive, but also possess a certain neutrality, with subjective opinions about the ugliness or beauty of a property left for the reader to decide.

The decision to focus on such typical cases was one thing, while determining the research question was quite another. To unravel the spectrum of possible influences, I initiated in-depth interviews with the residents and systematically collected photos and plans of the buildings.

The material gathered from the interviews and the theoretical bases were incorporated into Part I: The Thesis, while all the plan and photo material, accompanied by identity data sheets, were included in Part II: Case Studies.

In this autonomous photographic bundling, the ten pairs examined were placed next to each other. Although dealt with in a separate part of the thesis, the photographic material plays a crucial role in the interpretation of the many statements made by the respondents in the interviews.

© Herman Van Den Boom

© Kim Vanpelt

Completing this thesis has been an enriching experience and although no major general conclusions can be made, I hope to have provided some new insights into the debate between diversity, modernity, the occupant and their home.

© Kim Vanpelt

Housing and the domestic space in Belgium and Portugal

Housing and the domestic space in Belgium and Portugal

Why do people choose a modern or a classical house and what is their attitude towards other styles on various scales? It was my intention to understand the possible motives regarding the choice or non-choice of a modern or a classical house. Furthermore, I also explored how people look at existing diversity on the scale of the adjacent house, the street and an overall image of living in Belgium.

To indicate the given contrast in their appearance, I speak of the modern and the classical house. This does not mean that the dwellings are understood according to one definition of ‘modern’ or ‘classical’. It was not my intention to restrict the aesthetic of the modernist house to the typical Flemish fermette. The goal was to illustrate the diversity of meanings underlying the debate about modernity.

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Architecture Graduates 2015

Starting with an image of Van den Boom (Photo 1), I want to illustrate my fascination with Belgian residential landscape, where many diverse styles and typologies coexist. It is on the basis of this sense of intrigue and the urge to understand the living reality of Belgium that my research question grew.

Architecture Graduates 2015

MODERN VERSUS CLASSICAL

callaga — modern versus classical

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp Housing and the domestic space in Belgium and Portugal

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

2015

Architecture Graduates 2015

STUDENTS

dinpro

charlotte ardui

maxime peeters

matthijs bemelmans

jens pemen

gregory boel

anneleen raeymaekers

louize bogaerts

valérie ruiters

sofie bogaerts

glenn schurmans

titsijana cornelis

natasha soetens

tess cuyvers

bruno spaas

eleni daelemans

vincent speybrouck

lukas debaere

inge stevens

liesbeth debock

katina teunen

pierrick debraekeleer

robbe theunis

caroline debray

vladdi theuns

rik decoster

loic tybaert

arne decrom

inez ubaghs

silke dedonder

kim van pelt

patrick dekeyser

gitte vandenbergh

artin denayer

sanne vanderlinden

jasper deroover

charlotte vanderplanken

helen dierckx

stephanie vanherck

frederik dierckxsens

karolien vanput

laurence evrard

debbie verbeeck

sofie feber

laure - anne vets

minion pro

YEAR OF PUBLICATION

linux libertine ( c )

2015

INSTITUTE architecture

PAPER multidesign original white

150 g/m²

faculty of design sciences university of antwerp

PRESS

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

albe de cocker

charlotte gillain

PUBLICATION MANAGERS

REGISTRATION AND COPYRIGHT

dirk janssen

isbn

chair of department

geert driesen coördinator of master’s theses

BOOK DESIGN & EDITORS marnik heiligen hannes hulstaert

9789057284946 legal deposit d /2015/12.293/21 © 2015 University of Antwerp. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written agreement of the publisher.

arnaud goossens

bart hanssen

hans barbier

marnik heijligen

els de vos

klaartje heyvaerts

johan de walsche

rick hospes

geert driesen

hannes hulstaert

fille hanjoul

elise jacops

dirk janssen

hallelu jah

christian kieckens

laurien leemans

lara schrijver

aurelie ligon

jan thomaes

niels loyens

nathalie vallet

camille luyten

koen van bockstal

alexandra masure

dirk van oosterwyck

sofie mattys

sven verbruggen

david meeus

erik wieërs

ine mertens linde muyshondt

EDITING | 154 |

linguapolis

SUPERVISORS

annelies gys

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

architecture graduates

TYPOGRAPHY

CO–SUPERVISORS

kathleen nagels astrid nieuwborg

fatima pombo

sophie peelman

nathalie vallet

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TITLE

Architecture Graduates 2015

COLOFON

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp

Faculty of Design Sciences — University of Antwerp | 156 |

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Architecture Graduates 2015 Architecture Graduates 2015

s e c n e i c S n g i s e D f O y t l u c aF

5102 S E TAU D A R G ERUTCETIHCRA S E TAU D A R G 5102 p r e w t n A f O y t i s r e v i nU