Kanaalhaven Front

KANAALHAVEN FRONT Jan Karasek 4044096

Welcome to Kanaalhaven industrial area (and port) on the West edge of the city!

Like most of the industrial areas, it is suffering from the detachment from the city core...

the problem is caused because, despite the area being somewhat important for the city (with its port and production and logistics capacities), it is intentionally being ignored and pushed away. The traffic needed to supply it is being added, but without improving the public space. The development is privatised, but totally uncontrolled. And the further intentions seems to refuse to acknowledge that all, and want to transform the area into another general business park.

... it is being hidden behind the green curtain...

...but...

Big potential and importance for the city...

... it is allowed to be totally monofunctional, not making enough attraction...

... and the traffic infrastructure is without respect to the surrounding public space

Chapter #1 - The Problems in the Streets

More specifically, the symptoms include:

Generally poor quality of the public space and the materials and the city inventory

The unpleasant scenery and living environment quality Uncontrolled quality of the buildings and absent communication with theirs outside

The streets (almost) without any activity and life

Chapter #2 - Fighting the Problems Koopwardijweg street has been chosen as the most suitable area for the implementation of the instruments, while keeping the needs for sever interventions to minimum. The area is currently also interesting by its spatial configuration and potential for usage, its central position in the neigborhood and its vicinity to the planned ringroad (almost making it the joint area)

The crucial concept in the fight with the aforementioned problems, set by the group strategy, is to integrate the area back to the city, but not to limit its (important) production capabilities!

This is helped by the concept of ringroad, but it needs to be seen more as a city street, or “boulevard”, instead of a mere highway. More important however becomes the relations and flows in the area. People must be brought in! And not to be afraid to stay! The buildings must start to communicate with the public space, which - in turn becomes habitable and safe, more intimate place.

The INSTRUMENTS residential

production & business

The industry

REGULATING THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BUILDING AND THE SPACE

leisure & culture RINGROAD AS A MEANS OF CONNECTING THE CITY DESTINATION

complementary services/businesses

The logistics area of interest

FLEXIBLE REGULATION TOWARDS THE INSIDE OF THE PLOTS

the port

complementary services/businesses

The residences other businesses NEW DESTINATIONS TO INTRODUCE FLOWS OF PEOPLE

CONTROL OVER THE PUBLIC SPACE: INTIMATE, HUMAN SCALE AND SAFE

Chapter #3 - The First Design So the CONCEPT was born! The neigborhood will get its FRONT and its BACK. The BACK will be the functional, the productive area with limited regulation, while the front will house its amenities, services and will become the new face of the neigborhood.

The FRONT

The BACK

casual customers

freight target customers

commuters

+

Visibility Regulation

-

There is an established relation between the amount and purpose of people, the visibility (needed for appeal to casual visitors) and the regulation needed and the distance from the ringroad, which advise on the program that can be used.

Once the functional regulation (as the de facto only regulation on the private land) was set in place, the public space became the concern. The idea was to create sort of a new “main square�, which, however, is not a square, but a series of spaces a road, where the all the flows of people meet.

Pocket Park Small area screening the supermarket supply area. Accessible from the restaurant and allowing for the extension of the terrace

The HUB Beginning of the route, the ENTRANCE. Major traffic (public transport, pedestrians) node on the ringroad, spread area for the large services and retails and area for events Restaurant

Tranquility Garden including

PARKING

Functional Map Retail and Offices (city-wide) (general retail and corporate offices) Retail (general stores, supermarket, pharmacy...)

Services (restaurant, pub, hairdresser...)

Leisure (gym, bowling alley...)

Small Free Trade (workshops, repair stores, studios...)

Private Backyard (part of the surrounding Trades) Front-Back Interaction (screening)

The Square Place to stop by and relax. Major leasure area, connected to leisure facilities as well as services and retail.

OUTLET + PARKING Attractor, the other end of route.

Only major city-wide facility including area-wide parking situated on the access to the ringroad

Industries screening

Chapter #4 - The First Design Evaluation That was finalized in this Masterplan - you can notice, hat the public space was design, but also the floor count and behaviour towards the public space is regulated (as mentioned before). From the spatial point of view, the result was somewhat more “urban-like” environment.

Then the problems arose... when evaluating the plan, it became rather obvious, that this area cannot be dependant on the workers in adjecent factories as originally hoped for - there would not be enough to form the customers core, and their daily mode would not support most of the services.

The OUTLET STORE + PARKING

Retail : Small Stores

Manipulatio/ Supply

Free Trade: Bakery

Services

2F

2F Retail (city-wide) The SQUARE 4F

Leisure Bowling/Club

Services: Restaurant

Services: Restaurant

The concept became reliable on the customers from outside - not necesarilly a bad thing, considering the position adjecent to the ringroad, but in that case, we need to ask, why people would come here? The question is...

1F

1F

Retail: Small stores

Pocket Park

2F

Although the flows in the area remains the same, the interaction between people and program will actually be different than expected.

2F

Manipulatio/ Supply

Retail Large Supermarket

2nd, 3rd, 4th Floor: Offices/Retail

3F 4F Free Trade (Studios)

Retail (city-wide)

2F 2nd Floor: (Studios)

COMMUTERS

DAILY SHOPPING

VISITORS

COMMUTERS

LEISURE

VISITORS

COMMUTERS

SERVICES

VISITORS

COMMUTERS

RETAIL

VISITORS

Tranquility garden (semi-private)

Marketplace/ Events „podium“

2F Services (city-wide) GYM

The HUB

First Masterplan Map Building Alignment Private Area Border (open) Building Entrance: Open to Parterre Building Entrance: Public Building Entrance: Private 2F

Floor count

Targeted Car Traffic (customers) Building Alignment Pedestrians (commuters) Pedestrians (casual visitors) Pedestrians (targeted customers)

...WHAT CAN THIS AREA OFFER, THE OTHER CANNOT?

Chapter #5 - The Concept Changes The answer is SPECIAL GOODS AND SERVICES, sort of a modern WORKSHOP QUARTER. Those that are difficult to find in the city centre, be it for special spatial requirements, or legal limitations, or simply need for easy connectivity. The services you do not need daily , but is good to have them around! Those that produce, but are in direct contact with customer. The gray program zone between industry and business.

BIKE SELL & REPAIR ARCHITECTURE HAND OFFICE FURNITURE MANUFACTURES PRIVATE WORKSHOP CAR BREWERY SELLER SMITH BAKERY CARPENTER ARTIST‛S STUDIO

WE SEEK:

To attract the investors, we offer the FLEXIBLE FRAMEWORK. The framework that uses the current advantages of the area - the connectivity and the free regulation - instead of trying to seek new advantages and transform the area into another “general” city neigborhood! Instead of imposing the programs, it will create attraction and suitable environment - to attract private investors as well as the customers.

Essential for the area here, is the regulation of private property. This regulation might exclude some usage, but it will naturaly support different. Following general conditions were used previously on some plots, but now apply area-wide, while other regulations has been cancelled: Chapter #3 - The First Design

The FREE BUSINESS ZONE

freight target customers

commuters

+

Visibility Regulation

-

There is an established relation between the amount and purpose of people, the visibility (needed for appeal to casual visitors) and the regulation needed and the distance from the ringroad, which advise on the program that can be used.

Pocket Park Small area screening the supermarket supply area. Accessible from the restaurant and allowing for the extension of the terrace

The HUB Beginning of the route, the ENTRANCE. Major traffic (public transport, pedestrians) node on the ringroad, spread area for the large services and retails and area for events

Tranquility Garden

The Square Place to stop by and relax. Major leasure area, connected to leisure facilities as well as services and retail.

OUTLET + PARKING Attractor, the other end of route.

Only major city-wide facility including area-wide parking situated on the access to the ringroad

Industries screening

PARKING

Any business is allowed as long as it is according with local laws and guidelines, and the following rules:

Functional Map Retail and Offices (city-wide) (general retail and corporate offices) Retail (general stores, supermarket, pharmacy...)

Services (restaurant, pub, hairdresser...)

Leisure (gym, bowling alley...)

Small Free Trade (workshops, repair stores, studios...)

Private Backyard (part of the surrounding Trades) Front-Back Interaction (screening)

Various sizes of plot are available. All of them with marked and compulsory entrance position, some of them with back entrance. The place in front is public space, and cannot be built on!

PLOT PROPERTIES

VARIABILITY Customers will naturaly flow on the ringroad, and will be further brought in by adding popular destination

The BACK

including

FLEXIBLE REGULATION

CUSTOMERS

The FRONT casual customers

Once the functional regulation (as the de facto only regulation on the private land) was set in place, the public space became the concern. The idea was to create sort of a new “main square”, which, however, is not a square, but a series of spaces a road, where the all the flows of people meet.

Restaurant

WE OFFER: GREAT CONNECTIVITY

So the CONCEPT was born! The neigborhood will get its FRONT and its BACK. The BACK will be the functional, the productive area with limited regulation, while the front will house its amenities, services and will become the new face of the neigborhood.

Spatial configuration is as follows: The front facade must be built in its full width. The depth of the building, or their shape is not prescribed.

SPATIAL PROPERTIES

RELATIONS

Most important, the building must communicate with public space: In the way of connecting with parterre (visually, functionally), as well as advertising itself.

Chapter #6 - New Functional Plan The result is the new FUNCTIONAL MAP of the area. It is not directly prescribing the functions, but rather a general program, indicating and the “visiblity” (the exposure of the building front to the flow of people) and the basic properties mentioned before.

The FUNCTIONAL PLAN 1:1000 P

P

OBLIGATORY BUILDING FACADE PLOT BORDERLINE

SUPPORT COURTYARD

P

PROGRAM must include PARKING

VISIBILITY

SUITABLE FOR

High

Shopping (Planned)

Med-High

Services

Med-Low

Businesses/Services

Low

Businesses

Keyword: DIVERSITY The very advantage of this flexible regulation is in natural diversity. With people, the area will no longer be limited to “contact-less” businesses, but will allow a wider range of functions to be realized, only in the discretion of the investor.

Chapter #7 - New MASTERPLAN Design of the public space more or less follows the previous concept of a series of PLACES, each with its own character, potentially attracting different programs.

TRANQUILITY GARDEN

2

THE AGORA

2

3

2

1

2

2

THE SQUARE POCKET PARK

The SHOPPING MALL/OUTLET STORE w/PARKING

ENTRANCE HUB

The MASTERPLAN 1:500 ENTRANCE PASSAGE

2

NUMBER of FLOORS

The road goes throug the street, but the customer parking is allowed only for a short time on the pavement. The parking places are integrated on the sides of the other roads in the area.

2

Chapter #8 - The FINAL EVALUATION The SPATIAL QUALITIES The design tries to achieve the spatial quality by using the advantages of current situation - the scale and material variability - and adds to it the variable public space.

THE SPATIAL DIAGRAM The Main Route Pedestrian Accessiblity Spatial screening Enclosed Space of interets Open Space of interets

The REALIZATION The redevelopment of the area will be done in phases (beginning with the ringroad construction) and not by a single developer. The shopping mall project will generate revenues needed to cover the redevelopment of the pulic space, while most of the area will be available for private investments.

FLOOR SPACE AREA AVAILABLE: 1/ THE SHOPPING MALL + PARKING 2/ THE PRIVATE INVESTMENTS (services, businesses)

5 385 + 5 480 20 965

PUBLIC PARKING AVAILABLE

55

STRENGHTS - Spatial and functional diversity - Public space of higher quality - Various destinations for visitors - Ringroad (city-wide) connectivity - Mixing of car and pedestrian traffic - The shopping mall spatial quality - No residents in the area

- the place where events and markets take place; the meeting point

OPPORTUNITIES - Free regulation is flexible to deal with unforeseen development - Repeatability of the fraework in the adjecent areas - Possiblity of housing development THREATS - The lowered control over quality

The PARK

- tranquil place for relaxation, leisure, dinner

The SQUARE - the spread-out place, entrance area to the mall and other services

POSTPHASE 2 PHASE 1 development

The STRATEGY EVALUATION

WEAKNESSES

The AGORA

m2 m2

PHASE 2 development

According to the group strategy, the neigborhood achieves the (partial) integration of the industrial area by protecting and extending spatial and functional diversity.

Flow of the people is generated by the single, activation investment into the shopping mall and by its direct connection to the ringroad. Despite the introduction of this new function (which is due to the location a rational choice), it is strongly supported by the land-use plan and the masterplan, that the area retains its production capacities, in the form of smaller businesses. These needs to be reliable on direct customer contact, thus integrating the production with the activity on the street.

It is not, however, the goal of this strategy to emulate the strongly active life of the city centre, thus artificially extending the city boundaries. The aim is to provide safe and human-friendly environment on the city periphery, with program that does not entirely alienate itself from the pedestrians. It also aims to be a valuable asset to the city as a whole, by offering these rather specialized, not entirely daily-used services (thus the shopping mall is rather supporting than major development).

The potential danger lies in more liberal approach to the private investments in the area, which are not controlled by the city or single development, and thus the program and material quality can vary and it is not guaranteed that it reach the desired quality. On the other hand, the diversity of investors is the only way to achieve true spatial and functional diversity, that is slowly d isappearing from our cities.