MICHAL BOLERÁZSKY
INTERNSHIP REPORT
Š This report contains material which is property of H+N+S and can not be distributed without the permission of both author and H+N+S Landschapsarchietcten.
STUDENT / AUTHOR
Michal Bolerázsky
A. Hlinku 50/75 921 01 Piešťany, Slovakia
MASTER’S STUDENT AT
Mendel University in Brno
Zemědělská1/1665 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
EXCHANGE STUDENT AT
Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein
Larensteinselaan 26a 6880 GB Velp, The Netherlands
INTERNSHIP BUREAU
H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten
Soesterweg 300 3812 BH Amersfoort, The Netherlands
INTERNSHIP SUPERVISOR
Frank Talsma
f.talsma@hnsland.nl
ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR
Ad Koolen
ad.koolen@wur.nl
INTERNSHIP PERIOD
5th March 2012 - 5th September 2012
The H+N+S crew
CONTENT 06
INTRODUCTION
short description of structure and content of the report
07
LEARNING GOALS
my personal expectations
08
BUREAU H+N+S
history, structure and organization of the office
11
PROJECTS
description of projects I worked on
49
FINAL REFLECTION
final evaluation of the internship
INTRODUCTION
As a part of my Erasmus exchange program at Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein I have chosen to attend an internship at H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten in Amersfoort for period of 6 months, starting from March 2012. During this internship, I have learned the true meaning of teamwork and multidisciplinarity in the field of Landscape Architecture. I would like to thank all the members of H+N+S team for their patience, motivation and inspiration as well as my teachers that have transmitted their knowledge and making all this possible for me. This report should illustrate my work within H+N+S and show whether my learning goals were achieved or not. This way I can reflect on my own development and improve in the future. The report contains a collection of projects that I have been working on during my internship and also day-to-day experience I have been living since its beginning. In the first part I will write more about my personal goals and expectations, the office and its administration. In the following part I will describe the most important projects I have been working on, starting with a short introduction to the project, an explanation of my contribution to the final product and a conclusion of what I have learned. The final part consists of the feedback of my internship and an evaluation of the results obtained taking into consideration my initial expectations.
06 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
The ground floor of H+N+S office
LEARNING GOALS
Before I started to look for an internship in The Netherlands, I had to make clear for myself what are my goals and expectations, based on the fact that I could apply to a few offices which I considered could fulfil my goals. One of my main goals was to try something I will not be able to do at home in Slovakia. In my country the field of landscape architecture is not developed as well as it is in The Netherlands. The offices are usually quite small and they deal with small or middle scale projects mostly in urban areas (private gardens, parks, squares, historical gardens, etc.). The field of “landscape architecture�, as you know it in The Netherlands, paradoxically usually does not deal with the landscape itself that much in Slovakia. Therefore, I desired to try if I can be an useful member of a bigger office, which deals with large scale projects and works with landscape itself to understand the way the offices operate. I hoped I could become a part of the team and be involved in every phase of a project from its beginning until the final product. I was determined to apply all the knowledge and skills I acquired during my studies and - at the same time - to gain as much as possible from the professional co-workers. I wanted to find out, what I am good at and which skills I have to develop more for my future career. I also wanted to see how this kind of office works on a professional level - the structure and organization, how they deal with different projects, how they treat their employees, etc. and maybe to gain some new contacts for my future career.
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BUREAU H+N+S ABOUT THE BUREAU
WAY O F O P E R AT I O N
H+N+S Landscape Architects is a medium-sized practice by Dutch standards. Since 1990, the studio has been designing landscapes which “work”, which have a robust beauty about them and which fit people, fauna and flora like a glove. H+N+S Landscape Architects has all the in-house know-how, expertise and design talent needed for a professional practice of landscape architecture. It has a staff of some 25 enthusiastic people, three-quarters of whom are trained landscape designers. The remainder fulfil management and supporting functions.
Every week H+N+S team starts with the bureau meeting - so called “Bureauvergadering”. It is a weekly meeting in order to discuss and present the projects the office is currently working on, so everyone is kept up-to-date with the current state of affairs. These meetings are also about internal tasks and general announcements and usually it sets the table for the upcoming week, so everyone knows his/hers own tasks.
Dirk Sijmons, Lodewijk van Nieuwenhuijze, Jandirk Hoekstra, Hank van Tilborg and Nikol Dietz are the directors of H+N+S. The practice works for a wide range of clients, including organizations concerned with area development in both official and private domains: national, provincial and municipal government bodies, water boards, large nature conservancy organizations, property development companies, special interest groups and private clients.
08 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
Usually every employee is assigned to more than one project and works with more than one team, therefore the issue of time scheduling is took very seriously. If somebody is in a “dead end” with a project or does not know how to solve out a problem or which decision to take, he/she can organize a design consultation - “Ontwerpoverleg”. It is a kind of brainstorm where everyone can participate and contribute with some new ideas and sketches to help his/hers colleague. This way of working seems to be very efficient, because sometimes, when you get stuck on something, this kind of consultation cheers you up again, gives you a lot of inspiration and enthusiasm for next work.
A lot of attention is paid to organizing of the digital files about projects. Every project has its own folder with number:
-1821 Ruimtelijk Ambitiedokument A15
This folder is divided into two parts - work in progress and final products. The work in progress part is further divided into more folders based on the format of the files it contains - Illustrator files, Photoshop files, CAD files, GIS files, JPGs, PDFs, etc. Each file in one of these folders is then named with the actual date, initials of author and a short description of the file:
- 20120512 MB Traffic analysis.jpg
All of this helps when somebody is looking for a certain file. You immediately know, which file is the most recent, who created it and what it contains. All these files are saved on the private office server and every employee has access to it from his own computer. All of this makes the working process very easy, quick and effective.
The first floor of H+N+S office
My work space
The conference room
The lunch table
BUREAU H+N+S BEHIND THE SCENES I consider the way the office works “behind the scenes” remarkable. It means all the things which are not directly connected to the projects and work itself, but are also very important to keep the company healthy, progressive and successful. To achieve that you have to keep pleasant working atmosphere and your employees motivated and enthusiastic. This is what they realize in H+N+S pretty well and the way they treat their employees is exemplary. Each employee has its own table and personal computer, they have lunch every day plus fresh fruits and drinks all day long and as much as they want. Also the food which is provided to the employees is always the best quality and organic. Serving organic food (bread, cheese, milk, fruit, vegetable, beer, wine, etc.) is one aspect of H+N+S’s strategy - they do not only create sustainable plans for the future, but they are trying to bring the sustainable way of living to their everyday life. The H+N+S cares about the career growth of their employees - the directors have short meetings with each employee when they talk about his/her personal goals, satisfaction with current situation, plans for the future, contribution to the office, opinion about way of operation and what could be improved .
10 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
Several times a year they organize bureau day - “Bureaudag” - when they evaluate the past season, present projects the office was working on and discuss the bureau strategy for the future. Important part of these meetings, especially in nowadays economic situation, is the financial side. The financial situation of the office is not a secret to any employee, not even the interns and if there is any problem, they try to find a solution all together. These may be the reasons, why H+N+S doesn’t have any serious financial troubles even in times of economical recession. In H+N+S they care about education and motivation of their employees as well. To get some new inspiration and references they do bureau trips every year, attend exhibitions and different events. To break the daily working routine and support the team spirit they sometimes goto a theatre or to a nice restaurant for a dinner all together, celebrate everybody’s birthday or other life event,or just have a “borrel” after work. All of this makes you feel the members of the H+N+S crew are more than just colleagues, that they act like friends or a small family.
The H+N+S library
PROJECTS
I was assigned to different projects in different phases during my internship. In this chapter I describe five main projects I was officially assigned to and I spend the most of my internship period working on them. I kept the same “working titles� of the projects as we used in H+N+S, even including the folder number. Based on that, you can get a picture of how many projects is the office working on at the same time. The H+N+S usually works on long term projects and that is the reason the numbers of the projects in my report are not chronological - for instance I was working on project No. 1837 from the early phases and besides that I was assigned to the final phase of project No. 1816 which started a few years ago. For each project I make a short description what the project was about, in which phase of the project I joined the team, what were my tasks, what was my contribution to the final product and what I have learned. Except these five main projects I participated on, or better to say helped with a few other projects. These were usually just small minor tasks. I was correcting and cleaning up the AutoCAD drawings, creating 3D models, converting files to different formats, scanning documents, preparing posters for print, editing graphic outputs, participating on design consultations, sometimes even picking up the post - basically everything the intern is supposed to do...
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Image for presentaion of the project Ruimtelijk Ambitiedocument A15
18 21 R U I M T E L I J K A M B I T I E D O C U M E N T A 15 ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION
M Y TA S K S
This was the first project of my internship that I was officially assigned to. The project leader was one of the directors of H+N+S - Hank van Tilborg and the other landscape architects, who participated on this project were Arjen Meeuwsen and Frank Talsma.
From the beginning my tasks on this project were mostly analytic. The first thing I had to analyse was related to the new bridge, which was supposed to be built over the river Lower Rhine as an extension of the highway. The new bridge was meant to be a new icon of this area.
The assignment was to create a document about spatial ambition of the new extension of the highway A15 further to the east. This document had to contain analysis, recommendations and building principals, which should ensure the new highway extension would fit the current landscape and the impact on the quality of surrounding landscape will be as small as possible. The matter of enjoying the highway as a driver was taken in consideration as well. The H+N+S team worked out different principals how to work with vegetation along the highway, where and how to create vistas to the landscape, which types of sound screens, bridges, signs and other highway elements, should be used. One of the recommendations was also how the new bridge over the river Lower Rhine (Nederrijn), which should be a part of the extension of the highway, should look like.
Therefore, I had to analyse what kinds of highway bridges there are in The Netherlands. What I was especially focused on was, if these bridges are icons and landmarks in the landscape and why is the effect iconic. If it is because of their construction shape - vertical, horizontal or arcuate, if they have any interesting colour, what is the material they are made of, etc. My work started with searching the highway crossings and collecting the images and information about different bridges. The result was a poster with a selection of about 50 images of highway bridges from all over The Netherlands with a small location map. Every Friday there was a consultation meeting, which usually took place at H+N+S. For that reason, the tasks/analysis I was working on, should be done before these meetings, so it could be presented to other cooperating offices and investors.
The next analysis I was working on was about so called highway elements - signs, street lamps, crash barriers, sound screens, bridges, etc. I had to analyze, what kinds of these elements are used on the existing part of the A15 and whether they are somehow related to the surrounding landscape. To analyze that, I was virtually - using Google Street View - driving up and down the highway and taking print screens of all these objects. Afterwards we found out, that only the sound screens and bridges are different, all the other elements are always the same. Then I worked out the final product - poster with images of the sound screens and bridges with their location on the highway (page 14 - 15). The conclusion was that there is no relation between the highway elements and the surrounding landscape or any other rational order what so ever. In the latest phases of the project I was creating images for the final report. I created a few cross-sections illustrating the principals and recommendations how to fit the highway to the existing landscape on certain spots (page 16). I also drew an image to illustrate how to work with vegetation along the highway and how to create vistas to the landscape (page 17).
I was assigned to this project in later phase, only a few weeks before the final report was supposed to be handed in. From the beginning this was the only project I was working on. Therefore I was working on it full time - 5 days a week. Later on, in the phase of finishing the report, my help was not needed on this project that much anymore and I also got assigned to another project.
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18 21 R U I M T E L I J K A M B I T I E D O C U M E N T A 15 E VA L UAT I O N What I found really interesting about this assignment was the fact that landscape architects are involved in such a project as building a new highway. In Slovakia the landscape architects are not involved in these kinds of projects at all. That is why I find the experience of working on this assignment very valuable.
01 02 03
Working on this assignment allowed me to practice my analytic skills as well as my computer and graphic skills. I learned something about the process of planning highways and I understood the highway infrastructure of The Netherlands a bit better. I had to organize my time schedule well to be able to meet the deadlines every week. Except practicing my computer skills I even started to use a new program I haven’t been working with before (Adobe Illustrator) and I learned something more about the programs I already worked with (Adobe InDesign, Google Street View).
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Analysis of the A15 highway elements 14 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
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Cross-sections for the extension of the highway A15
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Image to illustrate principals how to work with vegetation along the highway and how to create vistas to the landscape
Photo of sketches in my personal notebook
1812 V E R V O L G R I J N - L E K D I J K ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION
M Y TA S K S
This assignment was about reinforcement of the Rhine - Lek dike. The H+N+S office already created a document with main principals how to deal with reinforcing of this dike in its whole length. Now they had to focus on one part of the dike from the city of Hagestein to the city of Opheusden. This part was further divided into three shorter parts: Hagestein - Fort Everdingen / Fort Everdingen - Ravenswaaij / Ravenswaaij Opheusden.
At first I started to redraw models of building principals for the final report (page 20).
Each of these parts was elaborated by another office. Therefore, the H+N+S cooperated with two other companies on this project - Abe Veenstra Landschapsarchitect and Infram. Each of these companies had to create a landscape plan for one part of the dike. The H+N+S was in the position of leading company, which was responsible for putting all three plans together and creating the final report including the landscape plan. Except landscape architects there were also other water and dike specialists, architects, civil engineers, ecologist and different advisors participating on this project. Although I was assigned to this project in phase of finishing the final product, this phase took more than two months. I was assigned to this project to three days a week. Besides this project I was finishing my work on the A15 highway project and afterwards I got assigned to other projects. The project leader was Pieter Schengenga and the other team members were Thijs de Zeeuw and Marieke Brouwer- te Molder.
Afterwards I got more accountable task - to create the final landscape plan. During the first consultation we decided the size of the final report will be A4 and the landscape plan will be in scale 1:2000. After that I calculated that the whole plan will be almost 17 m long and will take 56 A4 size pages (page 21). This was for the first time in my life, when I was supposed to draw a plan of such huge size. I started with the first step - I had to clean up the AutoCAD drawing, which we got from the engineering office. I deleted all the elements we didn’t need and kept only those we wanted to show in the final plan. Already in this very first phase, there were a lot of spots in the plan, which were not drawn correctly or even problematic spots, which were not technically solved. Sometimes I was able to solve out some of those problems myself, when it was a problem, which was repeated more times. However, many times I had to consult with the other teammates or even call the engineering office to fix it. This struggling was slowing down the whole process and took a lot of the time we needed to finish the project on time.
Next step was converting the drawing into Adobe Illustrator, but at first I had to figure out, how I can split the drawing into smaller pieces to make it workable in Illustrator. For that I needed a few tryouts to be sure, the program can really handle it.I tried to illustrate this process on pages 22 - 23. Then I had to think about the graphics - what the plan will look like. I had to choose suitable underlayer, create signs for all technical elements, pavings, borders, houses, different kinds of vegetation, etc. I had to create convenient colour scheme, which should illustrate the dike three-dimensionally. Even in this phase there were still many unresolved problems and mistakes that had to be corrected or changed. Almost every week, after consultations with participating parties or the investors, there were several issues that had to be taken into account and translated to the landscape plan. In some cases I had to get back to the original AutoCAD file, apply the changes to the drawing and afterwards translate it to the final plan in Illustrator. I guess I redrew almost all the plan about three or four times. Finally, after about ten weeks of work, with many corrections, changes and additions during the process, I successfully finished the landscape plan (page 24 - 25). The plan is a part of the final report, which has over 200 pages.
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Models of building principals for the final report
20 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
1812 V E R V O L G R I J N - L E K D I J K E VA L UAT I O N This assignment allowed me to practice mainly my computer and graphic skills. I had the opportunity to apply my knowledge and even learn something more about other programs.I also gained someknowledge about the process of dike building, which in The Netherlands is such an important issue. However, there was not much time to teach me something from this field, but I found my place in other fields. I was able to work independently on my tasks and I confirmed I could be a useful team member even in this kind of big scale project. I was actually responsible for the final landscape plan, which was very important part of the final report and was presented as a H+N+S product to the investors. I learned the importance of good communication and coordination in the process of creating such a huge project. Each participating person has to be reliable, responsible for its own tasks and has to meet the deadlines. The right time scheduling is very serious issue as well. Every small mistake or delay in the process could cost a lot of time in the end. Therefore, there needs to be qualified and very experienced team leader, which has to coordinate the working flow. After I went through the hard copy of the final report and I found my name written on the last page among the names of the other landscape architects, I felt very pleased, that I could have participated on this remarkable project, which is really going to be realized.
Draft print of the landscape plan in its whole lenght
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Process of creating the landscape plan - from the AutoCAD drawing to the final product
Part of the final landscape plan for Rhine - Lek dike
The protected view of the lighthouse on the island Schiemonnikoog
18 3 8 S E C O N D O P I N I O N S C H I E R M O N N I KO O G M Y TA S K S
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION The assignment took place on one of the Dutch islands - the Schiermonnikoog. Basically, there were two parties, which had a conflict. The first party was the municipality, the second party was a local organization, which took care of the historical heritage of the island. The second party was our client. The problem was, that the municipality wanted to extend a few existing buildings and turn them into cultural and educational centre. The aim of this intention was not what created the conflict. Even the fact thesebuildings were located on the border of an area, which was protected as a historical and architectural heritage of the island, was not problematic. The problem was, that the new extension of the buildings was crossing the protected historical view to the architectural icon of the island - the old lighthouse (page 26). The next problem was that to achieve the aim the municipality had, the current spatial plan (“Bestemmingsplan�) had to be changed as well. Our client was suspicious, that the new volumes and heights of the buildings, which were supposed to be allowed in that area, would totally destroy the view of the lighthouse and the historical image of the place.
H+N+S got this assignment from the lawyer of the second party - the local organization. The office was asked to elaborate a document that would objectively evaluate the influence of the new spatial plan on the protected area. This document was supposed to be used as evidence at court.
The first step in this assignment was the fieldtrip to the island Schiermonnikoog. I made the trip together with Adam Hofland. Our task was to get familiar with project site, understand the local conditions and to collect all the data and documentation we needed to elaborate the final report.
This was my first assignment I worked on from its beginning until the end. I was assigned to it for three days a week and we had to hand in the final product in three weeks. Except this project I was still finishing the landscape plan for Rhine - Lek dike and I got assigned to next project, which is described in the following chapter. My co-workers on this assignment were Hank van Tilborg, who was the project leader and Adam Hofland.
In the second step we had to analyze the impact of the new extension of existing buildings on the protected area as well as the impact of the new spatial plan on the view to the lighthouse. We discussed how we are going to analyze these problems and how the final report should look like. We already had the project documentation for the extension of the existing buildings, which helped us a lot to make the analyses. We also had the current spatial plan as well as the proposal for the new one. Based on the documentation we had we could divide our tasks. I was analyzing and evaluating the project for the extension of the existing buildings and creating the graphic partsof the analysis - cross-sections, site plan, 3D model, etc. Adam was evaluating the spatial plans and Hank was supervising and coordinating the whole process. After I understood the project for the extension of the existing buildings and I got all the information about both spatial plans from Adam, I started to draw cross-sections. These were illustrating the impact of the new building extensions and the building volumes, which were allowed in new spatial plan on the view to the lighthouse (pages 30 - 33). Then I created a 3D model that showed how the new building mass would effect the view from pedestrian’s perspective. Unfortunately, I lost those images and I did not receive them from H+N+S before I finished the report, so I could not put them in.
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EXISTING BUILDINGS NEW EXTENSIONS OF EXIST. BUILDINGS UNDERGROUND EXTENSIONS OF EXIST. BUILDINGS LIGHTHOUSE POINTS OF VIEW P R OT E C T E D A R E A ( H ATC H )
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The plan view of the project site
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Cross-section which shows the impact of the new building and the new spatial plan on view of the lighthouse from pedestrian’s perspective
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Cross-section which shows allowed heights and volumes of the buildings according to the current spatial plan
18 3 8 S E C O N D O P I N I O N SCHIERMONNIKOOG E VA L UAT I O N This project was again something completely different compared to the projects I worked on before. This was purely analytic assignment, where we had to work very precisely, because every little mistake we would do could be used against our client at the court.Unfortunately, I left the office before the report was used as evidence, so I do not know whether it helped to our client or not. I knew the field of landscape architecture is very wide but I never thought I would ever work on the assignment like this one and that I would actually have to evaluate work of other architects.
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Cross-section which shows allowed heights and volumes of the buildings according to the new changes in spatial plan
Photo of my sketches of the turtle enclosure in my personal notebook
18 37 TO M I S TO M AV E R B I J F A R T I S M Y TA S K S
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION The H+N+S got this assignment, which is quite unusual for the H+N+S, thanks to Thijs de Zeeuw. He is interested in designing enclosures for different animals in zoos and some of his designs were already realized. The Amsterdam’s zoo Artis asked Thijs to redesign one enclosure in lizard’s pavilion and he brought this assignment to The H+N+S. The enclosure, which had to be redesigned was for one rare species of crocodile called False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii). These crocodiles come from Southeast Asia and are listed as an endangered species. Their population is estimated at below 2 500 mature individuals. The Artis zoo is the only zoo in The Netherlands, which keeps these crocodiles and they want to try to breed them. However, the current enclosure, which is quite old fashioned and in bad technical shape, does not meet their demands anymore. Due to their size, they can grow up to 4 m in length, the enclosure has to be extended and completely redesigned. The Gharial’s enclosure is actually one huge enclosure, which is divided into three parts by fences and is shared by three different species. Besides Gharials, small water turtles and giant land tortoises occupy the enclosure. Because of the extension of the Gharial’s enclosure the other two species had to be moved to other places. To move the small water turtles was not such a big deal, but the giant land tortoises needed a new enclosure. Later on it was decided they would be moved into the enclosure, which was left empty after the famous hippo Tanja died. Therefore, the H+N+S got next assignment - to design the enclosure for the Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea).
At first I was not assigned to this project. However, when it was decided that the H+N+S is going to design the turtle’s enclosure as well, they needed to extend the team. Back then, I was about to finish my work at Rhine - Lek dike and most of the time I was working with Thijs. Sometimes we were talking about the Artis project and he probably saw my interest in this topic. I was always very interested in work with animals, especially with lizards. So when it had to be decided, who will become the new team member, probably after some Thijs’s intervention I got assigned into the Artis’s project. I worked on this project for two days a week and later on for three days a week. The official project leader was Hank van Tilborg, but he was more or less just managing the process. Thijs was designing the Gharial’s enclosure and I was working on the Aldabra’s enclosure under his supervision.
When you start to design an enclosure for some animal, at first you have to gain as much knowledge as possible about the certain species. You are going to design its future living environment and the animal has to feel pleasant in there and it has to meet all its demands. To achieve that the amount of information you can get from literature and internet is not enough. You have to talk to the animal’s keepers, who have the knowledge, how the animal behaves in zoo. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to talk to them in person and I never visited the Artis zoo either, despite the fact that we planned it several times. It was always me or Thijs, who was busy with other projects and we could not synchronize our schedules to visit the zoo together. Therefore, it was always only Thijs who visited the zoo and talked to the keepers and other staff from Artis. Then he explained tome what he found out. One of our design purposes was to create the enclosure to look similar to the natural environment of the tortoises, that is the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. This way you can educate the visitors not only about the animals themselves, but also about the living environment of one of the largest tortoises in the world andabout the importance of protecting this environment. Therefore, one of my tasks was to find out, what their natural habitat is and how it looks like.
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Design principals for the Aldabra giant tortoise enclosure
36 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
18 37 TO M I S TO M AV E R B I J F ARTIS M Y TA S K S After that I elaborated list of design principals, which we were about to apply in the design (pages 36 - 37). For instance, I had to figure out how to protect females, which are much smaller, against the males. The males can sometimes act aggressive towards females. Therefore, they need to have some place to escape and be safe. When I finished my research and the design principals I started to build a “working” model. Actually, it was model of the hippo’s enclosure inside which I could “play” with the terrain, vegetation, stones, etc. Everything inside the model was removable, so I could change the design anytime I wanted. I found out the enclosure is such a small area, that it is going to be easier to create the design in the model, then draw it, This way I had better clue about the scale, terrain modelling and human’s perspective. I worked out totally four concepts (pages 38 - 39). After I finished each of them, I took pictures of it, discussed it with my co-workers and destroyed it. Then I built next one and so on... This way I got to the final concept, which was afterwards presented in Artis.
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Model of the concept No. 1
38 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
Model of the concept No. 2
Model of the concept No. 3
Model of the concept No. 4
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Model of the Aldabra giant tortoise enclosure under construction
18 37 TO M I S TO M AV E R B I J F ARTIS E VA L UAT I O N This assignment was something really special and unusual. I had no idea landscape architects could work on this kind of projects. Itwas the first assignment, where I could make my own design and even build a model. It felt very good to make something different for a while and to work more creatively and also manually by building the model. I was working on the design quite independently only with occasional consultations with my co-workers. The working process was very smooth, I felt free to try anything I wanted and there were no strict deadlines, so I did not have to be in a hurry. Unfortunately, I finished my internship before the design was introduced in Artis. Therefore, I don’t know whether they liked it or not and what changes had to be done. I was also a little sad that I could not visit the zoo myself and see the project site and the animals. Nevertheless, it was again a great opportunity to try something completely different, that I probably will not have chance to try again.
Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea)
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Photo of my notes about history of the Lefortovo Park in my personal notebook
1816 L E F O R TOVO PA R K ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION
M Y TA S K S
E VA L UAT I O N
Lefortovo Park in Moscow has been declared an object of shared cultural heritage by the Russian and Dutch governments. The park was partly designed in the 18th century by the Dutchman Nicolaas Bidloo. One of the directors of H+N+S, Hank van Tilborg, has drawn attention to the poor state of maintenance and the urgent need for the restoration of this park. The office planned to conduct design research together with students from Delft University of Technology, Amsterdam Academy of Architecture and the Universities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. During a preparatory workshop, which was supposed to be held in Moscow in early September 2012, participants would carry out historical analysis of 18th-century Dutch garden design and the specific development of Lefortovo Park. In addition, the objectives of the current project to restore the park would be defined. On the basis of the findings, a concept would then be developed for compiling cultural-historical atlas. The atlas would form the basis for possible design strategies to revitalise this work of cultural heritage.
Because I was working with Hank on a few projects before he already knew my skills and asked me, if I would be able to create a 3D model of the Lefortovo Park. After a short discussion I got assigned to this project for two days a week. On our first design meeting he explained to me what exactly he wants me to do.
This assignment was again something completely different from those that I worked on before and it shows, how varied the profession of landscape architect could be.
This was the last project of my internship that I was assigned to. From the beginning it was only Hank’s ‘’hobby’’ project and a few years ago he started to do some research on his own. He organized a studio in collaboration with the universities mentioned above, the National Institute for Cultural Heritage (RCE) and the Moscow Architectural Institute (MARCHI), which hosted the international workshop in Moscow. The H+N+S office was officially assigned to it and Hank even succeeded to get a grant from The Netherlands Architecture Fund (Stimuleringsfonds voor Architectuur).
My task was to create not only one, but more 3D models of the park in different time periods. The models had to show how the park had been developed over the centuries. Thefinal product was meant to be given to the students participating on the workshop in Moscow. They could use it for better understanding of historical development of the park and further on for their own analysis, visions, concepts, designs, etc. I started to study all the materials, maps and literature about the Lefortovo Park that Hank had collected over the years. I also did a bit of my own research on the internet and tried to find missing connections in the story of the park. After I got a picture about the history of the park, I had a meeting with Hank and we decided, which time periods were crucial and important in development of the park. We agreed to elaborate four different models, which had to illustrate the story of the Lefortovo Park. From then on I started to put together information about each period. I was comparing different maps, plans, historical images and texts to create one coherent plan for each period. I made AutoCAD drawings of all four plans, which I used as an underlayer for the 3D model. I converted the AutoCAD files into 3D modelling software Rhinoceros and started to create the models of the Lefortovo Park. After I finished the 3D models, we choose the views for renders and I rendered the final images (pages 44 - 47).
The whole process - from studying the history of the park until the final renders - took about ten weeks. The most difficult part for me was, when I had to draw four different plans for each time period. I had some maps, plans and descriptions of the park. However, most of them were very rough and not really precise and sometimes they did not match together. I had to study and compare all the information to find out, what could be the most probable solution. I also applied my knowledge of history of landscape and garden architecture, which I gained at school during my studies. The designers of The Lefortovo Park were influenced by the fashion of their own time period, therefore I was comparing the Lefortovo Park to other historical parks from the same era. This way I could figure out, how the park might look like. The analytic part of the project was very interesting. I learned a little more about history of my future profession and I could study one of the most beautiful and significant royal gardens of Moscow. I enjoyed working on the other part as well. I like 3D modelling and I was glad I could practice my skills and try something new. I was working on this assignment during the “summer vacation”, when most of the employees went on holidays. Also Hank went on vacation for three weeks and I was working on the project all by myself. That was great because I could work independently and do things the way I like to. Luckily, when Hank returned from vacation, he was satisfied with the work I have done. I N T E R N S H I P R E P O R T | 43
The first phase in development of the Lefortovo Park | 1720 - 1730
44 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
The second phase in development of the Lefortovo Park | 1730 - 1770
The third phase in development of the Lefortovo Park | 1770 - 1900
The fourth phase in development of the Lefortovo Park | 1900 - 2012
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The first phase in development of the Lefortovo Park | 1720 - 1730
46 | H + N + S L a n d s c h a p s a r c h i t e c t e n
The second phase in development of the Lefortovo Park | 1730 - 1770
The third phase in development of the Lefortovo Park | 1770 - 1900
The fourth phase in development of the Lefortovo Park | 1900 - 2012
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FINAL REFLECTION
The internship at H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten fulfilled most of my goals. I had the chance to try, if all the years I spent studying were worth it or not. I was using and practicing the knowledge and skills I gained during my studies in “real world�. I was working on manifold assignments and each project I participated on was completely different. Most of the time I was working on graphic outputs - I was the image-maker. This was a great opportunity to practice my computer and graphic skills. I was working in various programs. I developed my skills in many programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhinoceros and I even learned a new program - Adobe Illustrator. Moreover, a few of my colleagues asked me for help with software issues sometimes. I felt really pleased, when I could share my knowledge with more experienced colleagues and I was able to help them. A lot of tasks I got were analytic. To make a good analysis at first I had to study the problem or project site I have been analysing. It has enriched me with a lot of new and interesting information, which I may use in my future career. In the H+N+S office they take good analysis as one of the most significant parts in the project and I learned the importance of it. I had to figure out what to analyse, how to analyse and how to interpret my conclusions.
The t-shirt I got from the H+N+S office at my goodbye borrel
Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to participate on any landscape design. I have never participated on any large-scale project. I was always more interested in urban spaces, but I hoped that the internship at the H+N+S could be my chance to try the real landscape architecture. I desired to try my design skills in large-scale project to find out, if I am even able to work in such a scale and whether it suits me or not. However, during my internship period there was not any suitable project where I could practice my landscape designing skills. I have not completed my goal to be involved in every phase of a project from its beginning until the final product either. The H+N+S mostly works on long-term projects therefore it is almost impossible to fulfil this goal in six months time. On the other hand, I was working on many different phases of different projects. From the beginning I did not feel very comfortable with working on two or three projects in one week. Later on I found out I like it much more than working only on one project for a few weeks. Changing the assignments kept me enthusiastic and more efficient. If I had worked on one assignment only, I would probably get a little bored and that would probably slow down the process. I consider finding out what are my strengths and weaknesses to be one of the greatest benefits for my future career. After half of my internship I had a meeting with my internship supervisor Frank Talsma. Before we met, he spoke to all the employees I worked with to find out, how I am doing. Then he told what is my colleague’s opinion about me, where I am doing well and where I should improve.
Listening to him I felt very flattered, because most of what he told me was positive and globally everybody was satisfied with my work. However, there are always things, which need to be practiced and improved. Sometimes I work too precisely and spend too much time on details, which are not really important and that slows down my working flow. During my internship I had a chance to watch and learn how this kind of company works from the inside. I found out how the company is organized and what the responsibilities of the employees are. I learned how important is good time management, scheduling and communication. Without that, a company like the H+N+S could never be so successful. I tried to observe how they keep the employees motivated, enthusiastic and efficient in the H+N+S. Thanks to that the company has stayed healthy, successful and progressive for over twenty years. The thing I really do appreciate about the internship at H+N+S is that they did not treat me like a “slave”, who is just producing images for a small wage. They have put me in various assignments on purpose, so I could learn something from many branches of landscape architecture. They always explained to me my tasks and answered all my question. However, my internship was not only about work experience. A big part of it was also social experience. From the moment I came to the office for the first time, everybody treated me like I was one of them. I had the same rights and privileges like the other employees. I got keys and alarm code from the office, so I could come anytime I wanted.
I met a lot of new people - professional landscape architects. We were talking not only about work, but also about out private lives, our families, friends, etc. Quite often they were asking me about Slovakia, my studies and how I am experiencing The Netherlands. Together we celebrated birthdays, births of children and all the other, private as well as bureau’s events. We went to an opera in Amsterdam, to Biennale in Rotterdam, had some dinners and “borrels” together. I felt like I kind of become a member of a family. The only problem I sometimes had in communication with my colleagues was the language barrier. The H+N+S is almost purely Dutch office. Of course everybody speaks English, but all the bureau meetings and lunch conversations were mostly in Dutch. Therefore, I had to initiate discussion in English, when I wanted to be part of it. On the other hand, I started to self-study Dutch and this was a great practice. By the end of my internship I could not really speak Dutch, but I understood most of the content of a basic chat. The experience of working at the H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten has enriched me greatly. I got an opportunity to become a member of a landscape architecture office, work with real professionals, practice my skills and knowledge gained at school and to learn a lot of new things I could probably never have learned at school. Besides that it is great reference for my CV. I would never regret this experience and I am truly thankful to everybody who made all this possible for me - the H+N+S office as well as Van Hall Larenstein.
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INTERNSHIP REPORT H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten - Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein - Mendel Ubniversity © 2012 Michal Bolerázsky - m.bolerazsky@gmail.com