LEEGHWATERPLEIN BOS

PUBLIC SQUARE, & LONG TERM HABITATION

LEEGHWATERPLEIN, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS FIRST YEAR | 2020-2021

The brief consisted of reinventing the public square where my planned protest [page 7] took place; The Hague, Netherlands. The square lies between a residential neighborhood and a highly trafficked boat canal. The open space should be able to hold a gathering of 100 people. These protesters should be able to inhabit the design for over 30 days.

Sketches, iterations, diagrams, and models embody my thinking process up to my 'final' iteration. I have adapted my design to work with the surrounding natural environment (the canal, as a body of water); ultimately developing a symbiosis between the design and the tides of The Hague.

The idea of designing and implementing a habitable forest in the city spurs from the book ‘The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate’ by German forester and author Peter Wohlleben. In this book, Wohlleben presents the overlooked inner life and connectivity of trees

The underground tree root systems are known as The Wood-Wide Web, or mycorrhizal networks.

The proposed deciduous forest is outlined and grown between the canal (North) and the city of the Hague (South). Human movement on the grounds of this green landscape is limited to conserve and protect this new habitat and its wildlife. Hence, the majority of movement and habitation will be brought into the canopies of the forest.

ARVOREST HEADQUARTER + TREE NURSERY

HERITAGE REDEVELOPMENT STATUS: CONSTRUCTION PHASE

ANCIENT STORAGE COMPOUND, CÔA VALLEY, PORTUGAL PROJECT HEAD | 2020-2023

This ongoing restoration project involves renovating an old agricultural storage building in the Coa Valley, Portugal, into an office space and a self-climatized tree nursery using repurposed materials - specifically, unused regional timber utility poles. The design was carefully crafted to address the existing unstable architecture of the agricultural storage compound, ensuring the new proposal coexists in a mutual relationship without relying on the existing infrastructure.

Collaborating closely with local farmers and biologists, plans were handed over to the local constructor and engineer for implementation.

Hydrological Site Plan

A hydrological site plan has been developed in parallel with the “Arvorest Headquarter and Nursery” project to return the ecosystem’s original flora and fauna.

The plan involves the implementation of contour swales and water harvesting systems, designed based on geographical studies of precipitation and solar analysis. Optimal locations for rain collection and storage ponds have been selected, and swales have been designed to follow the natural contours of the land.

Construction began in 2021 and is being carried out by the local construction team and the author.