MSc Delft Q2 project

Name:Shyreen Shaib/student#4153081/Tutor:Birgit Hausleitner/university:TUDelft

R&D Studio - Q2 project: Socio-Spatial Processes in the City

Reclaiming the Hofbogen Giving the hofbogen back to the neighbourhood Name:Shyreen Shaib/student#4153081/Tutor:Birgit Hausleitner/university:TUDelft

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Content:

- Introduction

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- Analysis

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- The Hofbogenline: current plans

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- Research question

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- Design strategy -Layer 1 -Layer 2 -Layer 3 -Layer 4

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- Implementation of design - Analysis - Design of the area

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- Phasing, actors & stakeholders

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- Evaluation

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- Sources

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Introduction

When this project started and started reading and hearing lectures about the plan for the functions on top of the Hofbogen, it struck me that the direct neighbourhood surrounding the Hofbogen was not taken into account for the usage of the Hofbogen. The Hofbogen is a city-scale park, designed for the city and not for the neighbourhood.

With this thought in mind, we were told to go to the area to observe and analyse. The little amount of green was the greatest observation, but it was part of a much larger issue in the Hofbogen area: the general quality of public space. After a general and an in-depth analysis (found in the analysis booklet) of the public spaces in the Hofbogen area, I realised that the Hofbogen has so much potential to improve the quality of the entire area.

For my concept, I developed a four-layered strategy to use the potential area of the Hofbogen to improve the public space for the neighbourhood. Afterwards, I zoomed in on a specific design area to show how this strategy can be implemented in that area. In a short evaluation I will assess my own work of this quarter and have a critical view on my initial research question; " How to use the potential space and design of the hofbogen to upgrade the quality of public space for the neighbourhood?�

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Analysis Typology of public space: size

Tak van poortvlietpark

water square

When looking at the Hofbogen area and the direct context surrunding it, we can observe that the area doesn't hold large public spaces. There are two areas that are considered larger than a neighbourhood-scale park; the Tak van Poortvliet park in the north and the water square in the south. The Tak van Poortvliet park attracts people from a larger radius for being the only green park in the entire neighbourhood.

The watersquare is newly finished but mostly used by the schoolbuilding of Zadkine and graphic school. It is made of hard materials and complies only to the direct surroundings (playing/hanging activities for teens) The current plans for the Hofbogen will result in a city-scale park which will change the scale of the public spaces in the area completely. New users with a great radius will come to this area to enjoy the new park. More about the Hofbogen plans later in the analysis.

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To the north

Infrastructure

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The Hofbogen area has a lot of strong lines in its infrastructural system. The western road runs from the north to the south of Rotterdam and is the most important road to connect the two sides. Perpendicular on this road are a few important roads, connecting east to west. One of the most important roads concering the quality of public space is the one leading from the station to all the neighbourhoods in the east and all the important schools for teens in that area. Hundreds of people use this road on daily basis yet the quality of this road is poor. The section of the Teilingerstreet causes void spaces that are unusable.

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Users & Activities of public space

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play

parent with kid

sit/hang

middleage

walk

teens

dogwalk

seniors

bike

kids

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I took 7 streets and 8 squares and parks to analyse which type of people are using these areas and which activities take place there. In the analysis booklet of first weeks, there is an in-depth analysis of each of these squares and streets. This is a basic summary of the conclusions based purely on users and activities. The most noticable conclusion is that there isnt any activity happening in almost all of the streets. Some exceptions occur, like in the Teilingerstreet. Due to the school that is situated along the street, a lot of teens are hanging in front of the entrance while blocking the pavement without an actual place to sit.

The public squares and parks vary a lot from users and activities. Some are designed to meet certain needs of different users, some arent to users needs but they use it anyway for the lack of a better option, like the ammersooise plein which is designed as a play square for kids, but teens are collecting there to hang. A potential in improving the quality is designing for specific users and activities, but also to anticipate the new users and the activities that the Hofbogen park will bring.

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Relation of public indoor functions with outdoor public space

There are a lot of public functions in the area that are nearby or along public squares and parks. Usually, there is no relation with indoor and outdoor. In some cases, the Hofbogen line acts as a barrier between a school and a park. However, you can see that most of the public buildings and the public squares and parks lie along the Hofbogen. When the Hofbogen is developed, we can use it as a public element to connect functions instead of divide them.

In the individual cases, we can assess the different functions in the buildings and see how we can adapt the public space around it to create a stronger relationship in the usage.

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Elements that inuence the quality of public space

Blind walls

No Facade dynamics

Low maintenance no continuous route in park

Abandoned Bergweg station

Well-used but low quality

Trash in a square

School isolates itself from street

Back street with cars and bad lighting

Under-used public space Arcs as voids. No function.

Waterstorage options

There are a few problems and potentials in the public space caused by different elements. These vary from maintenance problems, to different spatial elements like the blind walls of the Hofbogen to different fences cloing up different areas. There are lot of voids in the area, either because it is not designed for a specific use or because it is blocked by, for example, parked cars. Some voids get improvised uses like bicycle storage. Voids are also founds in public buildings, like the abandoned Bergweg station. A lot of the public squares have been recently renewed by the municipality with some new functions like waterstorage or more green. A lot of streets lack dynamics in the facades, especially the ones along the Hofbogen. There have been no attempts by the municipality to imrpove these streets.

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The Hofbogen line: current plans

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As I have mentioned before, there as current plans for the Hofbogen line to turn it into a citypark. It is a collection of different functions with different elevation points. In these plans, some insinuations have been made to also upgrade the arcs of the Hofbogen, but it is a problematic situation. There can not be one solution for the arcs because they are different, not only in the context but even in shape and size.

They also cope with a lot of materialisation problems, a lot of the arcs are dealing with asbestos problems. They have started to regenerate the arcs of the old station to place a minimall there, but there are a lot of financial issues. Their vision of the Hofbogen arcs in the future asks for transparency, and a mix of creative functions with catering businesses. However, where the money will come from to subsidise these businesses is unknown. In conclusion, the situation of the arcs is very problematic and the obvious solutions are a financial disaster. To solve the problems of the arcs and their effect on the quality of the public space of the neighbourhood, there needs to be a low-cose temporary solution which is flexible and easy to remove.

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Research question

The current plans for the Hofbogen show that there is a lot of potentiality hidden in the Hofbogen on cityscale level. While the Hofbogen currently plays a big role in the issues of the neighbourhood, it is clear that the potentials of the Hofbogen should not only be used for the city, but also for the neighbourhood. The Hofbogen keeps being referred to as the backbone of the neighbourhood, but offers no nervous system for the neighbourhood to profit from. Neighbourhood social interaction depends on flows that occur on daily basis, not those which are planned. Cityscale parks which are designed as such depend on very different flows.

This is why I wanted to research how I can change the current design plans for the Hofbogen to serve the neighbourhood as well as the city. By taking all the potentials of the Hofbogen that have affect on different scales, and adapting them for the neighbourhood, the Hofbogen can be used as a catalyst to upgrade the quality of public space. Therefore, my research question is 'How to use the potential space and design of the Hofbogen to upgrade the quality of public space for the neighbourhood? '

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Design strategy

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Layer 1 Revise +1 functions

Bicycle bridge over highway

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Only green park in the neighbourhood

Park for short stay, walking

Events for the neighbourhood Primary school with tiny playground Eudokia square Events for the neighbourhood Bergweg station 126 6

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Schoolplein

Schoolground for teens Middle school Square connecting big road to hofbogen Ammersooise square Middle School

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Schoolground for kids

Import

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Minimall

Train rails

Park for long stay

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Park Eventstrip Bicycle road

Theatre and cinema

For my concept, I developed a four-layered strategy for the Hofbogen so that the public space of the neighbourhood can profit from it. The first layer is to change the current designplan for the functions on top of the Hofbogen to better fit the needs of the neighbourhood. Taking the anlyses that I made, I make sure that the functions on top of the Hofbogen either strengthen a certain positive aspect of its surroundings or fill in for a missing function. Some examples: In the north I made a bicycle path so cyclers can use the height of the Hofbogen to pass over the highway. Another example is the school in Liskwartier. It is situated along the Hofbogen and lacks space for a proper playground. The top op the Hofbogen can be transformed into a school.

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Layer 2 elevation points

Primary functional city-scale elevationpoint

Secondary recreational neighbourhood-scale elevationpoint

Create possibility for bikes to cross the highway

Important road for visitors of the Hofbogen New path for the neighbourhood Create full walking circle for the park

Let school use hofbogen as part of the plaground

Bergweg station located along an important street for trafďŹ c Use Bergweg station as a lively area to connect ground with upper oor

Use the hofbogen to create a theatre for the neighbourhood

Important street for pedestrians and bikes.

Connected to schools Use a lightsculpture to guide the way from the busy street.

Connect the roof with the minimall. Start of the hofbogen.

From a cityscale view, each important road for pedestrians and bicyles perpendicular to the Hofbogen should recieve an elevation point to reach the top of the Hofbogen easily. However, now that the functions are better adapted to the need of the neighbourhood, it should also be more accessible for them. I chose to place some more recreational elevation points through the neighbourhood, that will not only act as an elevation point but also add an extra function to the public space on ground level.

To use the example of the school in Liskwartier again, the elevation point can be a playing element for the children and an elevation point at the same time, like a climbing rack. Another example is the Schout Heynricstreet. This street offers a connection between the Schiekade and the Hofbogen on a neighbourhoodscale. However, the street is badly lit and hidden between buildings. Offering a lightsculpture as an elevation point can guide the way.

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Layer 3 modular structure

Orientation point & collector of water

Mos generating electricity

Potted plant Lighting

green vines Give direction seating possibilites

Facade dynamics Garbage can

Bicycle storage

Drainage of water Water storage

Electrodes O2 O2

Bacteria

Protons H+

H2O

Organic compounds

Moss

H2O

CO2

As I zoomed in to use the Hofbogen to upgrade the quality of neighbourhood streets, I realised the Hofbogen itself could not solve all the typical quality problems that a neighbourhoodstreet along the Hofbogen faces. These problems include bad lighting, no green, rubbish on the streets, no possibility to sit or form any type of activity, water puddles, bicycles blocking the pavements, etc. I used the Hofbogen as an element where the structure can depend on. The main purpose of this system was to be designed as a flexible system with neighbourhood participation that can adjust to different users, activities or situations. The structure is mostly self-sufficient, it uses its own watersystem to water its plants, but also produces its own electricty to light up the streets by generating electricity from moss.

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The modular system consists of two basic elements, the square and the pipes. The square consists of a hollow pipe structure on the outside and a grid on the inside. It is placed on the arcs and has two main functions, to connect to the electrodes of the moss, and to click urban elements onto it. It has openings on the sides to connect to pipes or to other squares. The squares can be tilted 90 degrees to connect to pipes from the top and bottom instead of the sides to create variations.

The pipes have different variations due to the different functions they serve. The greatest variation of pipes lies in the basic pipe vs. the complex pipe. The basic pipe either has water flowing through it or is empty, to simply serve puroposes like giving direction or orientation.

The complex pipe is either a carrier of electricty wires, or used to light the streets. There are two types of lighting: the spotlight and the ambient light. The spotlights are used to highlight certain areas. They can be mostly used to light up the arcs of the Hofbogen from inside or on top of the Hofbogen as orientation.

The ambient light is more typically used to light up normal streets during nighttime, and is placed along the top of the Hofbogen to light the entire park.

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layer 4 materialisation

The last step of the four-layered strategy is to homogenize the top of the Hofbogen with the public space on ground floor by using the same materialisation and urban elements. The red steel of the modular structure returns in the click elements for the square, combined with a new material: wood. The bench, the planter and the garbagecan can be clicked onto the grid of the square using hooks that are integrated in the red steel.

The wood and red steel are also incorperated in the urban elements that aren't directly related to the modular structure, like the elevation points and benches. The railing of the stairs contains a steel mesh, which is a reference to the grid of the squares of the modular system.

For both the Hofbogen on top as the public space on the ground floor, more grass will be used to compensate for the lack of green in the area. In combination with concrete, the whole public space will have a modern but playful look that can be adjusted to the different activities and users that take place in the area.

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Analysis design area

I chose this area to implement the strategy of design because it contains four different types of public spaces, where the different layers can all be used in the design. The first is the public square, the ammersooise square. This square is currently well used, but low in quality. There are two public buildings nearby, the community centre and the primary school.

The second is the void. This is a space between a residential building and some small offices and storage spaces. Due to the section of this area, the space becomes unusable. It doesnt serve any function except parking.

The third is the neighbourhoodstreet along the Hofbogen. This part of the Hofbogen has a very low quality, therefore isn't used for any activities, even walking there is minimal.

The fourth is the Teilingerstreet. This is an important city streets where hundreds of people walk everyday. However, there isn't space to recreate and the street is often blocked by the large amount of students hanging around. After I chose this area for my design, I went back for extensive fieldwork to find patterns in the usage of the square through users and activities.

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Activities & users of the area

Sitting/hanging Walking playing

When we look at the different activities and users in the area together, we can distil the needs of the area per user. We can observe for example, that the teens in the area hang out in groups a lot, and search for semi-sheltered areas, like the arcs of the Hofbogen or the overhang of the residential building. Elderly are focused on sitting, with a view to the children's play area. Middle-aged people, usually the parents of the children, usually are concentrated around the benched but more focused on social interaction with each other than a view on the children. The children love to use the square because of its empty space to be able to run, skate and play football. The Teilingerstreet is mixed with all different agegroups passing by.

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top view of the current situation of the area

The Hofbogen

Community centre

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primary school

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Modernistic building

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5 small industries/ storage space

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7 8

Graphic lyceum

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1. The school is opposite to the ammersooisesquare.

It doesn't have a real playground and uses the Ammersooisesquare instead. However, there isn't a clear connection between the school and the square.

The school is very closed off with an iron fence, and the hofbogen dont offer a clear sight to what the playground has to offer for the school.

2.The ammersooisesquare is a well-used square but low quality regarding atmosphere, maintenance, social interaction and green space. A lot of children play in this square after school. There are also some benches used by young adults, seniors and teens to hang out.

The community centre also makes use of the square for theatre shows.

3. One of the few opened arcs of the Hofbogen offers a good view from one of the perpendicular streets of the Hofbogen to the ammersooisesquare. For some reason, a fence makes it a visual relationship only, unable to pass through the hofbogen.

4. The area behind the modernistic buildings, with mostly senior residents, is a strange void.

Consisting of two rows of trees, its only function is offering some parking spaces. There is a complete lack of connection to the building or to the Hofbogen. Giving this place a function can transform it to a well-used public space.

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5. A perpendicular street leading towards a dead end.

This is the case for a big part of the Hofbogen, consisting of a lot of closed and blind facades.

While this street hosts small storage spaces, it is only used by the owners of these spaces.

6. This street lies between some residential buildings and the Hofbogen. On the side of the hofbogen there are only blind walls, on the other side there is a mix of garageboxes, entrances of back alleys and a front door. The lighting in this street is almost non-existing, making this a very unpleasant street at night. The street is dominated by parked cars during working hours because of the schools nearby

7. The Teilingerstreet has an interesting section.

Two rows of monumental trees divide the street in a car/bike lane and a wide pavement for pedestrians.

There are some cars parked in between the rows of trees. Some attempts have been made for extra functions like seating and playsets but the street is currently mostly used for walking. The entrance of the graphic school lies a this street.

8. This playset in between the monumental tree rows of the Teilingerstreet can't be optimally used because people place their bikes next to it. There arent any possibilities for safe bike storage in the neighbourhood.

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Design of the area

For the design of the public space, I focussed on the needs of the area. By combining the analyses concerning this area, I adjusted the park to the users and activities that take place there, as well as upgrade the general quality by using green, low maintenance materials like concrete and getting rid of all the problems it faced like the fences and the blind walls of the arcs. Below are the new expected situations for users and activities. With the new city park of the Hofbogen, the elevtion point in the Teilingerstreet will be greatly used. Of course, a lot of walking and sitting will take place on top of the Hofbogen. The elevation point at the ammersooise square has become a new place to sit and hang aswell. By extending the old void as a part of the square, more room has been created to give each user their own space. Also, the neighbourhoodstreet between the Teilingerstreet and the ammersooise square becomes a new important entrance to the square.

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The redesigned public space on ground oor

The new design of the public space is characterised by the red colour flowing through the area. The area now has an identity and an obvious relationship to the Hofbogen, by simply following the red lines.

The ammersooise square (top picture) has been renewed. the fences have been replaced with strips of green, either elevated for a physical barrier or a strip on ground floor to step over. The rest of the materialisation of the square itself is in concrete, either in the form of planters or as elevated seats.

Benches are placed under the overhang of the residential building so the elderly can watch the children play in the area designated for playing. The elevation point is multifunctional and recreational, and can be used according to the activity taking place. In a passive situation, the elevation point is for sitting, reaching the Hofbogen or used as a playelement for the children skating. In the active form when used by the school or the community centre, it can be used as theatre seating while children perform.

The red pipes enter the square for two functions; to water the green strips in the square and to offer some verticality against the horizontaility of the green strips of the square. The pipes are integrated in the floor, so that it is only visible as a red strip on the ground.

The void is now not a void anymore, but an extension of the square. While the square is mostly made of hard materials for children to run and play, the void is now transformed in a green area where rest and silence are the keywords. To materialise this juxtaposition, it mirrors the square by consisting of a green spread with concrete strips to walk on. Seating possibilities are created by raising some concrete blocks. It also gives the residents of the building some green with a more private atmosphere. This area can mostly be used by middle aged residents and parents of children, together with the elderly to engage socially.

The neighbourhoodstreet is now a lot greener, because all the closed arcs have been covered in moss. This street didn't have any pavement along the Hofbogen due to the profile. By making the street a one-way street instead of two, space opens up for a pavement along the Hofbogen. Together with the neighbourhood, it can be decided which elements are needed where in the modular structure placed along the arcs. More about the modular structure on the next page.

The Teilingerstreet recieved a functional elevation point as its role of a citystreet.

The stair is elongated to use the movement of the street to reach the Hofbogen. The strip inbetween the trees gets a new material to draw attention, the concrete tiles.

Benches are added along this strip to provide more seating for the teens. This way, the section of the street is better divided and the functions are clearer.

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The modular structure: a design proposal

Bicycle storage

Orientation point Planters

Ambient lighting

Spotlights Vines

Facade dynamics

Seating possibilities

Garbage can Brings water collection to public green

Moss generating electricity

Moss

Modular structure

Added elements

The basis of the modular structure is its flexibility. It can adjust and adapt when the users and activities change. Once there are more financial options, the structure can be slowly removed to make place for new functions, but can be used by the empty areas as long as they are empty. Above is an example based on my own analysis what is missing in this specific street, but the neighbourhood is supposed to actively participate.

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At night, the Hofbogen are lit with ambient lighting strips along the edges. Some points along the Hofbogen are used for orientation and have spotlights to emphasize a certain part

The opened arcs are provided with seating so the teens kan enjoy the shelter of the arcs and sit at the same time. At night, the arcs are lit up with spotlights.

Along the neighbourhoodstreet, the pipes illuminate with a soft ambient light to make the street more pleasant to walk through.

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Phasing, actors & stakeholders

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Evaluation

After implementing the design, it is important to reflect on the reserch question to see if the answer has been met with the design. The research question was about how to use the potential space and design of the Hofbogen to upgrade the quality of public space for the neighbourhood. A four-layered design strategy was developed in which different aspects of the Hofbogen on different scale levels are used to upgrade the quality of public space for the neighbourhood. Not only on ground level, but also by making the top of the Hofbogen more accessible and functional for the neighbourhood.

On ground level, multi-functional elevation points are created to serve more functions than only reaching the Hofbogen, depending on what the neighbourhood needs. For the streets, a modular structure leans on the Hofbogen to solve the reoccuring problems, like bad lighting and lack of green. By making these streets of a higher quality, people can also use these streets for activities more than just functional walking.

Lastly, the materialisation was adapted to the needs of the neighbourhoods but also choosing low maintenance materials that reappear on top of the Hofbogen.

Zooming in on the design area, the strategy is implemented to the Teilingerstreet. Different ways of implementing the the area, due to the different types of public spaces, and elevation points, a functional and a recreational, to show the strategy.

from the ammersooise square design are available in the room for two different all the different layers of

The knowledge we can gain from this design is the importance of the Hofbogen for the area. Not only the important (usually downgrading) role it is currently playing, but all the hidden potentials that can be unlocked once the Hofbogenline starts to be developed as a city park. The most important aspect is not to forget that the Hofbogen is the backbone of the neighbourhood surrounding it, not of the entire city.

Use this in the best way possible to upgrade the quality of public space for this neighbourhood. I think my strategy offers the first step in using the Hofbogen better, but there are a lot more options to make the design stronger.

Looking at my design process, I knew starting this project that I would have a challenge designing on such a detailed scale. The analysis process was organised, so was building a design strategy from the analyses. In combination with my unexpected trip to Suriname around the Christmas holiday, I had some difficulties around the time we needed to move from design strategy into implementation of this strategy.

For my personal growth, it was important for me this quarter to dive into the design details, specified into materialisations and to work on the visualisations of my work.

I am satisfied with the time I put in designing the materials and urban elements for the area; and with the time spent on my top view, section and visualisations to try to create my own style of presenting. Had I had more time for this project, I would be interested to find out more about neighbourhood participation for the modular structure, and work out more details about this structure and how it could work even better. I would have liked to spend some more time on the general strategy for the Hofbogenline and work it out better, to make a more detailed plan for the entire area.

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Sources

Websites: Http://maps.google.com Http://onlyhdwallpapers.com Http://paloform.com Http://ernsofdesign.com Http://dezeen.com Http://w8themes.com Http://shutterstock.com Http://archined.nl Http://mini-mall.nl Http://thehighline.org Http://newyorkgoadiaries.com Literature: Toekomst visie de Hofbogen, Crimson Architectural Historians, 2008 Life between buildings, Jan Gehl, 1971

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A glimpse in the design process

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