WORKS OF ARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURE, IS LIKE PHILOSOPHY, A WAY OF
THINKING AND REASONING
DISTILLING ARCHITECTURE COEXISTING WITH A BUNKER AS A REFUGEE FROM THE CITY DE HOGE VELUWE NATIONAL PARK, SCHAARSBERGEN
TRANSFORMATION OF A WWII BUNKER INTO AN ESOTHERIC CENTRE OF ATTENTIVE TRANQUILITY “Every conception that a man can find is in the stone itself, already there concealed in excess, but will still require a hand to free it that obeys the mind.” – Michelangelo
Formerly referred to as ‘The ugliest monument in the Netherlands’ by the GBA itself, it immediately established itself as the exquisite opportunity to employ the envisioned strategy.
Perceiving value, beauty and meaning in objects, buildings and places where others do not, and subsequently exposing these qualities as such through sensitive architectural intervention, was the personal aspiration and main competence that instigated the conception of this individual graduation assignment.
The project started off by focusing on what type of latent qualities could already be found onsite, hidden within the archaic fabric of the bunker. The subsequent aim was to distill these valuable characteristics and make use of these potentials, mainly by exposing and extracting what already exists on site; hence the name ‘Distilling Architecture’. The research question was as follows; In what way can the potential qualities of the existing building best be utilized in an architectural redevelopment, that shapes a new use and future of the bunker, while respecting and contributing to the physical and psychological identity of the site?
A fascination for the transformation of ‘unusable structures’ lay at the basis of the initial idea to start exploring the boundaries of architecture. After sketching the outlines and goals, and further specifying the brief of this personal project, several tutors - among which the University Dean – became enthused by the exceptional scope of the proposed undertaking. Because of its uncommonality, the topic was not covered by the offered graduation studios. Having good faith that the project could successfully work around the standard curricular system, the tutors were willing to be involved in the project and participate in the architectural journey that would follow. Also, the Dutch Government Buildings Agency got notion of the perspectives that this project set out to discover. They showed their interest by offering to open their registers of obsolete monuments as a source of possible case studies. This led to the discovery of ‘Diogenes’ - a colossal WWII bunker in the woods near Arnhem.
Thorough analysis of the existing building and site was of utter importance in order to gain insight into their immanent qualities and characteristics. Eventually a three-partition of interrelated fundamental pillars was devised knowing; Building–Context–Use, each of which subsequently consisted of a hard- and software component. The main themes that would both fuel the project and at the same time constitute its essential core, naturally emerged from these motives. The most important ones being; (non-)relation between the closed bunker and the surrounding panorama of open nature, the
bunker’s sober materiality and detailing, its rigidity, austere spaces and solemn atmospheres, and of course its place in history. All these idiosyncrasies were definitions of the building’s identity. In order to come up with a new function that would be appropriate to these characteristics, it proved necessary to attain the perspective of a culture whose framework of values would treasure these potentials as qualities. Also the new use would have to be able to adopt to the building’s physical and psychological identity and vice versa. All while offering sustainable value to the current and future society, in all its versatility, as well. This shifted the scope to the humble and sensitive aesthetics of Japan and Buddhism, and in this symbiotic fusion of themes, motives and qualities a new hybrid use originated; an open esoteric centre of attentive tranquillity. In its future condition, the bunker will become a harmonic place for ceremonies, rituals and withdrawals from everyday life, with the goal of reaching mental growth and spiritual cultivation. Instead of being completely shut off from its beautiful and one-of-a-kind surroundings, it incorporates its natural environment into its new use. Exposing the building’s latent qualities through sensitive interventions allows the building to retain its architectural qualities. In allowing the users to ‘reterritorialise’ the building’s spaces, imbues the bunker with new meanings and values, in an atmospheric environment that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.
DE MARKT, NATUURLIJK ! MARKET HALL, SHOPPING CENTRE, URBAN PARK & APPARTMENTS ROTTERDAM
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DENSE AFFINITIES: URBAN HOUSING IN CAMPERDOWN APPARTMENTS, MIXED USE, URBAN PARK, BOUTIQUES & CAFÉS SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
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STRAATKINDEREN´ TRANSFORMATION OF TIMBERFACTORY INTO CREATIVE INCUBATOR MAASTRICHT, NL
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BUILDING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPING DETAILS SUPPORTING THE ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT
PRODUCTION & PARTS SUPERIMPOSING VAN EMBDEN’S GRID EINDHOVEN, NL
PICNIC CONTEMPORARY AESTHETICS FOR A MODERN DINING TABLE
WIREFRAME MAZE GETTING LOST IN TRANSPARENCY
ESSENCE OF ABSENCE NEW TOWER FOR ANTWERP’S GREAT CATHEDRAL
AORTA TURNING THE BLACK GOLD INTO A GREEN UTOPIA
SCHNEIJDERBERG.COM
INSPIRATION COMES FROM THINGS BIGGER THAN OURSELVES, NOT JUST SIZE WISE