SCHOONDERLOOPLAZA Demarcation The site is situated between Willem Buytwegstraat/ Schoonderloo Straat/ Heiman Dullaertplein and Pieter de Hoochweg. The neighborhood itself is part of the larger Delfsehaven. The western part is part of the historical heritage in Rotterdam, with buildings dating back to the 14th century. The name chosen for the site is Schoonderloo Plaza, a reference to the name of the village which lied between Delfsehaven and Rotterdam. Nowadays, the village is gone, and only the reference to that settlement remains in a street name.
Main question How can you strengthen social sustainability by clustering facilities and creating a spatial connection? With this question I ask myself the following sub-questions; 1. What does social sustainability mean? 2. Which spatial elements can strengthen social sustainability 3. Which social elements ensure stronger social sustainability
What does social sustainability mean? Social Sustainability is a tough concept, mainly because of the various ways sustainability can be explained. When doing the research, finding explanations from Jan Gehl’s book, Cities for people, and from observations on the street (mainly Rotterdam), I came up with the most straightforward meaning for social sustainability, which is the following; Strengthening interactions between people This can be realized by a. Creating a shared identity b. Sharing knowledge and talents c. Creating a healthy and safe living environment
Which spatial elements can strengthen social sustainability According to the book by Jan Gehl ,Cities For People, spatial elements can make or break an urban space. In one of his chapters, he explains in a small diagram how a street can be more appealing. Elements to take into consideration are the variety of shops (makes the street more interesting), a transparent plinth (which minimalizes the difference between private and public property). Also mentioned are ways that visitors or even residents can stay in your public space for a prolonged period. Jan Gehl explains that free to move around chairs vastly improves the experience a user has somewhere. In another book, called The Spontaneous City (written by Urhahn Urban Design), the focus is laid upon a slow, and deliberate evolution of a space without major, largescale projects. When coming up with the definition for social sustainability, the most important spatial elements to keep in mind when creating a safe and healthy living environment and making sure that an identity can be shared by its inhabitants. Spatial elements according to these two books, and according to the definition I came up with, have to be easily accessible, and able to be used by anyone, be it young or old. Another important factor is to cater to the different cultural backgrounds in the city, this especially is important in Rotterdam, with more than 50 different ethnicities. A safe place is a happy place, and with that comes two things, orientation, and lighting. Safety not only comes with lights and fencing. On the contrary, if buildings are oriented to a public space, the inhabitants, be it the curious old lady looking out her window, to the family dining in the next room. The individuals have a clear line of sight to the public space.
Which social elements reinforce social sustainability? Jan Gehl makes the following statement; “city life is a self-reinforcing process. Something happens, because something happens, because something happens. Once children start playing, other children quickly join them. The same happens with adults. People come where people are.” In its essence, it’s very much true. A big crowd has always attracted an even bigger crowd. We can see that when a street artist is performing on a street. It starts with one or two individuals, but can soon increase to 30 or more observers. In other words, if there’s something interesting happening, there’s bound to be a large concentration of residents or visitors. Another way to bring people together is by developing or creating a space which reflects the identity of those individuals. These areas make the area worth staying in.
Spatial Elements
Design stRATEGY The existing area has a lack of well-connected public spaces. The aim is to break open the neighborhood and empower the social viability, which the neighborhood lacks. This is done in several steps. a. Create a connected space by breaking open structures, and removing others. This includes private gardens.
Materials
heights
functions
privacy
1 floor
residential
private
2 floors
commercial
semi-public
3 floors
education
public
4 floors
storage
public space
Rotterdam has strict guidelines on the materials used in the city. These materials can vary in shape, color, and size depending on where in Rotterdam the furniture or pavement is placed. The site where this project is situated, is defined by the city of Rotterdam as a ‘Stadswijk’, or a high-density neighborhood.
Furniture
TREES
1. Concrete benches 2. Standard lamppost 3. Sports field lamppost 4. LED-Lighting strips in the pavement
Trees can be a big factor for the overall quality of a public space. For Schoonderloo Plaza, a choice was made to keep a lot of the existing trees, as well as adding new tree sorts. The choice was made on grounds of shading, color, and size.
5 floors
b. Moving new buildings to the sides, to emphasize the central plaza
pavement
c. Clustering local shops and a food court, situated in the middle. Behind the theaterschool is ideal for an amphitheater for local plays and concerts.
1. A brick pavement of the type KF 2. Concrete pavement type Rotterdam 3. Red epoxy/ pebbles for bike lanes 4. For the public space pink-gray sandstone
d. Add a new bike connection, this increases the urban dynamic and creates new paths e. LED lighting in the floor runs to the center of the plaza. This symbolizes the connection Original Situation
f. In the existing neighborhood, there’s a lack of green spaces. By adding patches between the LED lighting, you create new small spaces for residents to relax or play
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b.
It was important to create a spatial hierarchy in the neighborhood. From west to east the buildings rise slightly with a few floors. The two new buildings are taller, to make up for the lost apartments which divided the neighborhood.
routes
The neighborhood is mostly residential. The central foodcourt is mixed commercial use (food and small retail stores). The existing buildings to the east are the two theater and music schools.
Important was to retain an open public space to empower the social sustainability. The residential buildings are of course private, but everything around the plaza is for residents and visitors alike. Littleleaf Linden(Tilia Cordata)
orientation
social interaction culture
Maple Ash (Acer Negundo)
pedestrians play eat mingle
car
bike
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e.
f.
by creating a new pedestrian and cyclist connection, the dynamics in Schoonderloo Plaza change significantly. There are more options to go from one point to the other, vastly improving connections.
Heaventree (Ailanthus Altissima)
social sustainability also means social security. The residential buildings facing the public space have a great line of sight on the plaza. The residents are the cctvs of the neighborhood.
Finally, for a neighborhood to become socially sustainable, inhabitants and visitors have the option to interact with each other, which is done in different ways, ranging from cultural interaction (amphitheater) to the foodcourts.
Isometric projection of Schoonderloo Plaza
The foodcourts are always bustling with activity
Evening at Schoonderloo Plaza
Copyright Augustijn Nouwens AJADesign