GE FOU NERAA L LKES WEG
KERKHOFPAD, WAGENINGEN: BACK ALLEY BECOMES OASIS
EG RW VEE Jewish Cemetery (1668-1922)
Generaal Foulkesweg
Kerkhofpad
Veerweg
scale 1/200
kerkhofpad Pedestrian shortcut along an anti bicycle fortification, back gardens, public weeds, some sheds, parking spaces, general shabbiness, a lot of dogs shit and... a Jewish Cemetery. It is one of the oldest Jewish burial sites in the Netherlands.
the jewish cemetery (1668 - 1922) In Jewish tradition a cemetery is considered sacred ground, and graves should never be cleared. The Hebrew word for cemetery literally means ‘House of Eternity’. This aspiration to be eternal makes a Jewish cemetery an exceptional place.
N
the staircase At the moment, the staircase connects the neat roadside (top) with an untidy shambles (bottom). When descending you experience an unremarkable back alley. The redesign should turn this into an experience of leaving daily life, entering a special place.
KERKHOFPAD, WAGENINGEN: BACK ALLEY BECOMES OASIS
ILY LIFE DApolished concrete
concrete slab
lighting element (TL-tube) plexiglass (yellow)
rough vs. smooth
scale 1:5
reference: castelvecchio,
scale 1:50 rough vs. smooth Descending the staircase becomes a transition between high-speed hectic everyday life, with all its impulses, and an oasis around a never changing ‘House of Eternity’, the cemetery. This transition is materialized by a gradual change in texture of the concrete stairs. The rough concrete near the cemetery expresses not being touched by time, while the smooth con-
rough concrete
OASIS crete near the street stands for ongoing wearing through time – like the way stones on a beach get smoother and smoother the longer they lie there.
scarpa
oasis Even without knowing these background ideas, this redesign of the stairs will change the user experience. The changing texture of the concrete, combined with the lighting-from-beneath will distinguish the Kerkhofpad and its staircase from the environment. It will be a mysterious oasis between two streets, instead of a scruffy back alley.