Portfolio of Laurens Versluis by Laurens Versluis

P Rt O F Li Laurens Versluis MSc

Laurens Versluis MSc |

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context- chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan, city plan in a regional plan.â&#x20AC;?

- Eliel Saarinen -

Content |

Student Housing | Delft|

Randport | Amsterdam-Utrecht-Almere region |

Park Connection | Apeldoorn |

Residential + | Levent | Istanbul |

Shoebox|Rotterdam

Making a Point| Amsterdam

Profile Alegre| Porto Alegre|

Cupa Porto Alegre|Porto Alegre |

Welcome in Holland!|Delft|

Atlas van Initiatieven|Delft|

Adaptive Urban Design in the city harbours of Rotterdam | Delft|

Student Housing | Delft | Master 1 Architecture | Multifunctional Building |

Although the city of Delft is known for its Technical University, there is a severe lack of student housing. The task for this project was to design a multifunctional building with housing and facilities for students. The of for this project is located next to the central station and Delftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historical centre. The life of a student is changed dramatically at beginning of their study. New city, new friends, new experiences, new life! In this time of change it is comforting to have a home, a place where one can process all these new experiences. The three major destinations for a student are the university, the city centre and the train station. In this project I designed a building which is formed by the flows between these destinations. The flows cut through the site and merge in two courtyards resulting in S-shaped building. The basement of the building contains a large parking garage. The ground level facilitates the students with a bar, exposition centre and supermarket. Some small offices are available for students and graduates who start a small enterprise. The upper layers of the building consist of various types of housing for students and young professionals. During their process of becoming an engineer, students can move, within the building, to a more suiting type of housing. By keeping students and young professionals on different levels in one building, a synergetic interaction can occur within the collective spaces. 4

upper left; Preliminary sketch down left; plan of the ground floor right; Facade and its detailing

15560

B 1

12560

2 3 4 5

8 9

9560

Detail B 1:5

6560

11 14

3560

C Detail C 1:5 0

This project started as a regional urban analysis of the area surrounding Amsterdam, Utrecht, Amersfoort en Almere. After analysing this region, opposing forces quickly revealed themselves. At one hand expanding economical activities and infrastructure were threatening ecological areas like the Waterlinie and the IJmeer. On the other hand, the ecological areas limited the growth of the economical and infrastructural networks. We tried to make a symbiotic relation between these forces. Economical, social and ecological goals could be reached by making strategic interventions. In the case of the booming city Almere this twofold perspective is made clear. Almere is predicted to contain more than 400.000 inhabitants compared to todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 200.000. The need for housing is therefore extensive. At the same time, ecological main structures surrounding Almere needs to be maintained.

up left; proposed ecological networks down left; proposed infrastructural networks

sports & recreation multinationals & tourism

right; regional design for the landport area media & high society

green & cultural

transit & centrality

Lelystad: airport & â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;outside legâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

23 ays hw hig in a r t

After the regional analysis, which was done by all the participants of my design atelier, individual strategic projects were identified. The future development of the agriculture within the Landport region was my design project. Although this land has the same agricultural function, it differs in soil, parcelling and landscape. Therefore it should be treated differently. Roughly one can distinguish two separate regions; Eemland and the Flevopolder. The Flevopolder features rigid, large scale parceling and was made purely for

sports & recreation multinationals & tourism

media & high society

green & cultural

transit & centrality

6 25

lightrail

Bio

product

Bio

energy

Bio

product

Bio energy

Bio

product

right; urban plan for the fringe of Almere left; proposed transition between urban area and industrial agriculture

large scale agricultural production. Originally the Flevopolder was meant for the increasing demands for crops and grain after the second World War. A few settlements were designed but they were never thought to be big booming cities. Now 60 years later the situation has changed dramatically. Almere and even Lelystad are growing rapidly. This growth has the form of urban sprawl and pushes back the agricultural fields. The relation between the city and the agricultural lands are becoming more and more hostile. A new relation between Almere and its agricultural lands is needed. My proposed strategy is a gradual integration of the city and the surrounding agriculture. There are two distinguished agriculture typologies: productive-agriculture and consumer-agriculture. The productive agriculture consists of even

more rigid parcelling, suitable for big industries and sustainable energy production. This type is concentrated in peripheral areas and has no connection to the city. The consumer agriculture has an attractive character and features low scale functions, which serve the inhabitants of the city. Instead of large scale agriculture, farmers near city borders choose to provide a variety of functions for tourists and city inhabitants. These range from recreational campings, educational programs, to a shop for biodynamic grown vegetables. My design creates a transition between consumer-agriculture to productive-agriculture. It begins in the city with an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;urban farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; connected to a urban park. Then, in the agricultural area just outside the city, new types of housing are introduced. Parcelling and roads slowly change from an organic to a more orthogonal structure. The transition ends in large scale agricultural fields with windmills and other suppliers of sustainable energy. 9

The city of Apeldoorn is best known for its parks and its green areas. The parks in the northern part of the city are either small, fragmented or badly connected and only work on a local scale. The canal and the industrial areas along the canal form the biggest barrier. This design project proposes a continuous recreational route that connects all the northern parks. By using the same reddish stones on the different paths the continuation of the route is strengthened.

part of Apeldoorn. The different parks now work as one big park. It can reach far more people than the sum of all the parks separately.

upper-left; the northern and southern cluster of parks. The cluster is identified by analysing the region in which a pedestrian can reach the park within 10 minutes

The continuation is strengthened by using the same reddish stone path everywhere. Along fragile parts more trees and greenery are introduced. The canal is crossed by removing the industrial areas along the canal and creating physical bridges. In the north the connection over water is made even stronger by a square, a cafe and a small recreational harbour. The recreational route not only connects the northern parks of Apeldoorn, it also connects the segregated eastern and western 3

right; proposed connection between the ‘Verzetstrijderspark’ and ‘Park Doggersbank’

down left; impressions of the used materials and greenery to form continuous route between the two parks

The system I proposed in Istanbul gave an answer to increasing changes within a city. When an architect designs a building or a space for a specific client, his task will run into several difficulties. First, there is the difficulty of the translation of the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs into a specific design. This problem can be overcome if not for a second problem; the changing demands of the client during his usage of the building. The third problem is that one building can have multiple owners and users in its lifetime. All with different needs. What kind of architecture can cope with these problems? Flexibility is the answer. By transforming neutral space through personalization a unique space, tailored for the needs of the client, can be created. Because of its flexibility the space can also be transformed back into the same neutral space it orientated from. The goal of continuity is reached. But what kind of structure can offer this flexibility? The most flexible element that we know is just space. By creating space without limits or conditions, the actions within can manifest themselves freely and can be altered and changed according to the needs of users. Adapting to change and being flexible can be divided in two major concepts. Transformation and Growth. Transformation alters the space within the structure which confines that space. Growth extends the amount of space. But in reality this concept of growth is very difficult. 12

WORK-space-unit

PUBLIC-space-unit

SPORT-space-unit

CORE-unit

HOUSING-space-unit

To realize these ideas and principles we introduced two urban entities namely the core-unit and the space-unit. The core-unit provides the building with services, structure and transportation. The space unit provides space for actions such as living, working, sleeping, eating, resting, sporting, praying, walking. Both units consist of a steel frame with build-in piping and electrical wiring. This ensures that every space within the structure has access to these facilities. We propose rather a process than a design. The building is shaped by the needs of the users. Because the usage of space changes through time, the structure changes through time. The core units and space units can be constructed by any developer. In every stage of the structureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development, the municipality has 30% ownership in order to maintain a level of control. This control is essential to provide the structure with light, air and internal infrastructure. The space-unit as well as the core-units have an dimension of 8 x 8 x 8 meters. Within the spaceunits the space is divided in 2 x 2 x 2 meter grid. Space is rented and bought according to this grid. These rules ensure that multiple users can develop within one space-unit. Although bound to certain rules, this system can change and grow much like an organism. A three dimensional city which can grow, shrink and alter through time. 15

Shoebox|Rotterdam Furniture design|

Space can be designed on different levels of scale. Designing a shoebox for my sisters birthday gave me chance to design on a small scale. The idea for this shoebox is creating a functional yet dynamic cabinet that could hold more then 30 shoes. Instead of a solid and static object, it should lightly touch the ground and play with the surrounding space. The dimensions of the biggest shoe was normative for the whole design. By creating two levels, each with a depth for four shoes, a cube shape was formed. Because the reserved space could contain more then three of these cubes, an playful composition could be made. Placing

the cubes in an 30 degree angle resulted in useful space on top and under the cabinet. Although the cubes are shifted from one and another, the planks of the cubes interconnect, making it one structure, one object. The lines within the structure do not end. They seem to go further within the surrounding space. It becomes part of the surrounding space. Because of the angled structure, the cabinet only lightly touches the ground on its corners. It seems to fall down yet stands tall. The shoebox will indulge its shoes to be part of this dynamic game.

right; photo of the realised Shoebox down left; render of the Shoebox

Making a Point| Amsterdam Graduation project | Architectural and Urban design|

P+R

P P+R

P P

P+R

P P P+R

P+R

Car network

Metro network

Tram network

Bus network

Train network

Mixed funtions

Land value

Industrial functions

Retail functions

Commercial functions

Niet Westerse afkomst

Autobezit

Meer

Minder

Cultural origin 18

Minder

Car ownership

Criminaliteit

Werkloosheid

Opleidingsniveau

Meer

Minder

Crime rates

Minder

Unemployment rates

Minder

Education level

P+R

B P+R

B F

F W

W P+R

S B

Combined accessibility

Site’s accessibility Fiets Tram/Bus Watertaxi Auto Metro Trein

Detail Handel Kantoren Bedrijven Onderwijs

Economical clusters

Social-economical borders

Site’s position between economical clusters

Site’s position on a socio-economical border

This Graduation Projects is part of the Hybrid Building U+A lab and proclaims the need for Urban Architecture. By combining an extensive urban analysis and a furrow theoretical research within the design process a more context sensitive architecture can be introduced. My graduation project combined my fascinations for urban networks and social aspects of increasing mobility. After analysing the economical, the infrastructural and the social network of Amsterdam, the remarkable position of the 1.7 km long industrial island called Zeeburg stuck out. The urban network forms the structure underneath the network society. The concept urban network has been described in many ways. Dupuy is a theorist who has created a social-spatial explanation of the concept of urban network. In his book ‘Ville de reseaux’ Dupuy has researched many older theories on urban networks and has summarised it in this visual model of the urban network. Dupuy has defined three ‘operators’ of networks. At the first level there are the suppliers of technical networks, such as streets, highways, cables, wires, sewerage and so on. They are in charge of providing the physical elements of the networks (infrastructure management) and the services on the networks (exploiting the infrastructure). Within this project I will refer to the infrastructure network. At the second level there are the suppliers of functional networks. They use the level immediately below to provide services-production,

Speciaal programma

Lage Levensstandaard

Hoge levensstandaard

Site plan 21

RAMP UP

10000

RAMP UP

10000

consumption, distribution-to the upper level. This level will be known as the economic network. At the upper and third level the operators are people in their daily life. This network can best be seen as a socio-spatial network. Its industrial functions donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t serve surrounding neighbourhoods and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t connect to surrounding economic activities. Furthermore, Zeeburgerpad lies between the Oostelijk Havengebied with its high social-economic classes and the Indische Buurt with its low social-economic classes. Zeeburgerpad North side elevation is positioned directly on the social friction line Zuidaanzicht >1:200 between these two neighbourhoods. In the analysis of the infrastructural network it became clear that Zeeburgerpad is well connected but does not exploit this advantage by means of interconnecting different transport modes like tram, bus, metro and car. By connecting to the economic, social and infrastructural urban network, Zeeburgpad can potentially play an important role for the city of Amsterdam.

RAMP UP

10000

Groundfloor plan

The network lines run through or parallel at the Zeeburgerpad. They are all in close vicinity but do not give the path any vitality. It seems that the Zeeburgerpad is stuck in an urban void but has the 10000 potential of being a hub for the multiple 10000 surrounding networks lines. My master-plan reconnects Zeeburgerpad with its surrounding AG fabric.AHIt uses existing and new physical urban 23

connections with surrounding neighbourhoods in order to connect different transportation lines within a hub. By introducing new public spaces on important crossings, an interaction between the inhabitants to the north and to the south of Zeeburgerpad can occur. The plan connects the retail economy in the south with private enterprises in the north by mixing the industrial areas of Zeeburgerpad. Other connections are a continues â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;green lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which connect parks in the north with parks in the south and a recreational connection between the historical centre of Amsterdam and its green outskirts. The design of the transferium tried to translate all the theory on TOD and urban networks in spatial structure. It features a transit with mixed public functions, high density residential towers, quality pedestrian friendly public space, good local and city scale connectivity. The design consists of three residential towers and a curved roof which marks the transferium. There are transportation flows running from every direction on different heights. The landscape of Zeeburgerpad is being torn up in order to connect all the flows. The curved surfaces are accentuated by the use of rough harbour like corten-steel, which increases the legibility of space and route. Underneath the torn landscape, space has been created for public functions like a supermarket, a library, a cafe and much more. The combination of functionality, accessibility and public space creates a place of connection and meaning. 24

Aerial view on the south side 25

4 20 10 5

17500

201

3 6

Isolatie glas met geluidswerende PVB folie Houten Kozijn Houten Onderdorpel Houten Lekdorpel

5 6 4

21500

120

right; section and details of facade construction

Houten vlonder Waterkerende laag Kooltherm vloerplaat 100 rc 4.75 Breedplaatvloer 300

left; render of north facade

3 7

Houten schuifpui Houten onderdorpel Houten stijl en regelwerk

20 10 11

13500

Mortel Hoekstaal Stalen strip op vloer

4 5

3 6

10 5

100

PIR isolatieplaat (100) Rc4.75 Aangestorte console T-profiel Hoekijzer Microbeton gevelelement (992)

17 20 106

9200

Stuclaag 5 Vezelcementplaat 30

6 4

B etontegel 60 Waterkerende laag Dekvloer Kooltherm vloerplaat 100 rc 4.75 Waterkerende Dampremmende laag Breedplaatvloer

4000

Rockwool Glaswol (200) Rc 6

Aan breedplaatvloer gestorte ligger (1000) U-profiel met boutverbinding

6 3

Veerrails

Gelaagd isolatie glas (U=1.2) Stalen kliklijst Waterslag Stelrubber

Cortenstaal (10) (Prefab gelaste verbindingen

Betontegel (60) Waterkerende laag Dekvloer (100) Kooltherm (100)(Rc4) Waterkerende Dampremmende laag Constructie Druklaag TT-plaat (1050) Veerrails

TL Armaturen Cementvezelplaat (30)

Profile Alegre| Porto Alegre| IFHP Design Competition | Collaboration with Chris Karelse and Stephan van Berkel|

The st. Tereza hill is beautifully settled within the city of Porto Alegre, a green and lush area within relative proximity to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centre. Due to the appropriation of the waterfront area as a major site for the World championship 2014, the real estate pressure towards the st. Teresa area will strongly accumulate. Triggered by commercial interests, an ongoing process of urbanisation on the adjacent lands will be intensified, in a scale that does not match the organically grown urban fabric of Porto Alegre. New urban developments, linked to the world championship in 2014, will â&#x20AC;&#x201C;without interference- enhance the dichotomy existing between the riverfront and the mixed city inland. These developments, canalised by FIFA-directed policies, would be directed towards regional use. This somewhat finite type of urban development, ignores the social character of Porto Alegre. It disregards the opportunity to present the city as progressive, social capital of Brazil. When it comes to creating a city of the future, in which social issues as living in communities, and dealing with socio-economic inequities are centre of discussion, public involvement in the creation of especially these urban projects would be indispensable. In contradiction to a commercial approach, we propose to facilitate an urban development that will engage the interests of surrounding inhabitants. 28

Aerial view on Saint Tereaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hillside and World Cup stadium 29

+ 65

+ 55 + 45

+ 65 + 55 + 45

+ 65

+ 55 + 45

+ 65 + 55 + 45

- 40

- 30

- 20

- 40

- 30

- 20

right; 1) the underlying landscape 2) The existing interesting ecological and architectural parts 3) Essential facilities are inserted into the landscape to allow occupation of specific parts of the slopes 4) By adding an extra layer of public spaces (roads, paths, stairs, squares) the different galleries are merged into one spatial coherent neighbourhood. 5) In between the galleries the building plots are situated. Uses of some of these plots are assigned for specific public use through the process of “participatory budgeting”. down-right; section and elevation of possible housing the slopes left; proposed transition between urban area and industrial agriculture

The actual architectural intervention consists out of several urban layers that are set to create a mixed urban addition that both conserves and strengthens local spatial qualities: •

•

Parts of the underlying landscape are designated to preserve and accommodate the existing natural flow of water, which directs the growth of trees. The existing interesting ecological and architectural parts of the hill are put into public use, in order to reduce risk of future expanding of informal settlements. A church on top of the park acts as a visual reference. Along specific heights, galleries containing the essential facilities are inserted into the landscape to allow occupation of specific parts of the slopes. By adding an extra layer of public spaces (roads, paths, stairs, squares) the different galleries are merged into one spatial coherent neighbourhood. In the park, the galleries tap into the natural water flows, thereby facilitating growth of plants on the whole of the hill, reducing apparent risk of erosion. In between the galleries the building plots are situated. Uses of some of these plots are assigned for specific public use through the process of “participatory budgeting”. 31

Cupa Porto Alegre|Porto Alegre | IFHP Design Workshop |

As a result of our participation on the design competition for the St. Teresa hill, we got a chance to participate in an design workshop which was part of the International Federation for Housing and Planning conference held in the same city. The workshop tried to find an urban strategy for Porto Alegre for it to cope with enormous amounts of football fans during the World Cup in 2014. The biggest problem of the event quickly seemed to be the capacity of infrastructural network of the city. Transportation in Porto Alegre and Brazil in general is mostly car-based. Numerous bus lines provide some service but are limited by the congested road network. The congestion cumulates in the city centre. Here, all the bus lines and the car traffic converge leaving no space for pedestrians. Besides problems of the current infrastructural network, the FIFA also demands that alternative routing to the stadium should be created. Our strategy is based on the existing radial infrastructural network of Porto Alegre. Instead of converging all the major roads in the city centre, we propose to interconnect them through a new metro line which runs around the centre. On the crossings of the metro line and major arteries, transportation hubs are introduced. They provide parking facilities so that car users can leave their car and walk or use public transportation to enter the centre. Because all the bus lines terminate at 32

this metro lines, people can quickly transfer to bus transportation as well. Within the city centre a shuttle service is introduced which originates from the hubs. A service to the stadium is also proposed. We also proposed new reserved bus lanes along the major arteries from the highway towards the centre. Football fans who arrive by car can easily park them at hubs along the highway and change to a fast bus to the centre or the stadium. By extending the metro line to the stadium we complied in a durable way to FIFA demands for alternative routing. Because of these measures there is less need to enter the city centre by car which leaves more public space for pedestrians and greenery. The historical centre is once again an attractive place to go to.

right; proposed infrastructure network in order to improve the accessibility of the centre and to stimulate public transport

Regional Highway

Parking

Metro stop

Radial roadstructure

Transit

Bus stop Pedestrian friendly area

Grid roadstructure Metro connection

Regional parking

Bus corridor Shuttle network Waterbus network

Road improvements

Welcome in Holland!|Delft|

Overnight stays

Nearby recreaional space

Facilities

Day-visitors

My first project as a researcher at the Technical University was the preliminary research for a book called ‘Welcome in Holland!’. Currently in production, the book researches touristic environments of interaction, specifically clusters of cultural facilitates in cities, commercial tourism and tourism along the Dutch coast. The latter was the main focus of my research. The research consisted of analyses on; the amount of day visitors, the amount of overnight stays, the statistics on the amount of facilities for tourists, the percentage of commercial tourism, the amount of accessible natural areas, the amount of tourists in the wintertime (season dependency), the pricing of touristic facilities, touristic taxes, ground prices, the socio-economic demographics, amount of people within 60 minutes of travel time (both car and public transportation) The data of the analyses was combined with research on the morphology of existing settlements along the coast. The result was the touristic typology of the Dutch coast. The types range from ‘City at sea’ , ‘Satellite village’, ‘Sea harbour village’, ‘Dune village’ , ‘Seaside resort’, ‘Village at sea’ to a simple ‘Beach entrance’. Next, the current trends and development along the Dutch coast but also along other coasts abroad were examined and summed up in to basic perspectives on future tourism along the coast. The research resulted in a clear strategy for the future development for each of the different types of “coast destinations”.

Connectivity

Preliminary research for a publication | DRO Amsterdam | TUD|

Strandafslag Vakantiedorp Duindorp Satellietbadplaats Dorp aan Zee Badplaats aan Zee Havenplaats Stad aan Zee

Spatial Typology of Tourism along the Dutch coast 35

During the last centuries the Rhine-Scheldt delta has been transformed many times by the Dutch. It began as a difficult struggle against the powerful sea. Over time the natural dynamics of the delta is fixated to form a more safer and functional delta. By creating dikes, draining the water of the inner dike areas and later the closure of the whole delta, the delta lost its flow of river water in the ocean and its natural balance between sweet and salt water. In the last decades the quality of the water in the delta has severely diminished. The National Delta Program has the task to restore the balance between safety, ecology, economy and

urban development within the delta. In order to succeed the program needs to have broad debate on all relevant issues. The two Delta Programs involved with the Rhine-Scheldt delta appointed the Technical University of Delft to make a booklet which tries to support these discussions by providing a comprehensive collection of different visions, plans and designs for the Rhine-Scheldt delta. With more than 600 copies, this booklet is inspiring many experts as well as laymen to develop ideas for the future of the delta.

type

+ + +

In het kader van de prijsvraag ‘Delta Water Award’ hebben

gemaakt voor de Grevelingen. Het hoofdconcept is het

locatie specifiek ontwerp recreatie, openzetten Brouwersdam

termijn >

middel

gebied >

Grevelingen

BAM Infraconsult, Deltares en Lola Architecten een plan

thema >

2. De ecologische Delta

Van meer naar Delta | Lola Landscape Architects | BAM | Deltares | AM | 2009 +

transformeren van het Grevelingenmeer naar een zeearm die open is naar de zee en weer onder beperkte invloed van getij staat. Dit proces heeft ecologische voordelen.

Door het toelaten van een beperkt getij in de Grevelingen

en het Volkerrak Zoommeer zullen volgens de ontwerpers de waterkwaliteit en natuurwaarden toenemen. Het gehele gebied zal vooral een recreatieve rol spelen. Door

de opening naar zee zal de pleziervaart nu vanaf de Grevelingen naar zee kunnen varen. Het plan ondersteunt het waterrecreatie extra door het introduceren van een

jachthaven. Het beperkte getij en de opening naar zee zal

volgens de ontwerpers ook de bewoners en de recreanten meer bewust maken dat het gebied onderdeel is van een delta. [8]

right; cover of the book ‘Atlas van Initiatieven’ left; example of the book’s content

Adaptive Urban Design in the city harbours of Rotterdam|Delft Research Report| Clean Tech Delta |TUD|

The harbour of Rotterdam is moving more and more to the sea in order to support bigger ships and is leaving the old dock-lands near the inner city. This provides the city of Rotterdam the chance to develop huge areas close to the centre. At the same time, the municipality, the province and the Delta Program Rijnmond-Drechtsteden are struggling to keep the city safe from the rushing seawater and the strong river dispersals, especially the outer dike dock-lands. These areas do not have the protection of a dike ring like the inner dike areas have. Their future depends on the global development in sea level rising, and stronger river dispersals caused by climate change. Different regional strategies that counter the water are found. All having different spatial consequences for the development of the dock-lands. This problem calls on adaptive urban strategies for the Rotterdam inner city dock-lands which can cope with different climate scenarios and different regional strategies. This research has found different urban strategies on house, block and neighbourhood scale which can sustain different water levels. The strategies were then tested on the Merwehaven harbour to see their effect on spatial quality, urban environment, the relationship between inner and outer dike areas, density, functionality, public space, usage of the water in the harbour and phasing. The most promising strategies have then been elaborated to site specific design proposals that were the basis of following study. 38

4 meter NAP

3 meter NAP

The height map of the floodplain of Rotterdam 39

Laurens Versluis MSc