How we approach the commons in urban development today? What kinds of innovation are taking place in the commons and is this innovation truly innovation for all.

The Dutch pavilion For All, By All at the EDIT Festival Toronto 2017, examined how we approach these concern by featuring nine projects as possible contributions to the discussion, the exhibition is conceived as a forum and asks: Given that public goods matter, how do we go about governing, making, maintaining, safekeeping and improving them?

Observation

From a crowdfunded ocean cleaning initiative to mood-augmenting street lighting, the featured projects manifest rivalling strategies: by choice, by voice, or by force. How can individual choices be wielded for public benefit? How can we leverage the ideas and the momentum of the crowd? Can we rely on the continued self-organisation of a community? To what extent should the stewardship of the world’s resources be based on economic viability? Do we need stronger economic incentives, greater oversight and harsher punishments?

The pavilion design was aimed at debating innovations for resilient and sustainable living environments. Therefore, we created an arena that could function as an arena for big and small debates. With the nine movable podiums to showcase the different projects it was possible to have both intimate and public debates.

The pavilion could facilitate an audience of around sixty people sitting. In addition, more people could stand on the outside of the pavilion and still have very good view on the presentations.

To support the exhibition and debates a jumbotron was installed in the centre of the arena, so it was possible to view the presented content from all angles. The jumbotron also refers to the sports arena, a heterotopian place where all people are equal in supporting their team. The placing of graphic wallpaper on the riser boards of the arena seating. If no events were taking place, the pavilion was also serving as a space to just offer a comfortable space to sit and have a break from the spectacle of all other pavilions at EDIT.

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Research through Design of the Spatial Integration of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)

Problem statement

This research examines the spatial quality of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) through the identity of the different types of BESS.

Our landscape serves as a living document, bringing together a region’s history, culture, and technology. The physical structures and interactions tell visible stories about how people have collaborated with and intervened in the natural environment over time. This creates a landscape rich in meaning. The recognisability of the elements helps us navigate the landscape.

The way we currently design BESS in no way reflects the technology’s identity. This stems from thinking about the energy transition from technological utility to sustainable necessity. The technology is hidden behind two layers: first, BESS is placed in (shipping) containers from which it is impossible to tell its contents, second, these shipping containers are hidden in the landscape behind green or physical boundaries. Furthermore, other technologies — such as the SMR and electrolyser — also rely on (shipping) containers. Consequently, the large-scale application of BESS in (shipping) containers results in a uniform technological appearance, blurring the specific characteristics of the different BESS types and energy technologies in general.

Observation

Spatial identity of energy technologies

We introduce the concept of identity as a way to preserve the diversity in energy technologies. The identity of an energy technology refers to the unique properties that define its character and make it recognisable in its environment. The three components of identity — internal logic, representation, and communication with the environment — serve as the basis for the design research.

INTERNAL LOGIC
The internal logic can be described as the inner workings of the technology, independent of outside cultural and geographical influences.

Consider the wind turbine, where the identity of the technology is largely determined by the internal logic of the rotating blades and the energy conversion mechanism. The clear readability – we can easily recognise wind turbines in the landscape – is therefore largely due to its internal logic.

REPRESENTATION
Representation can be defined as the way in which an object embodies and communicates a particular set of ideas, values ​​and meanings.

Rudolf Steiner’s steam house in Dornach, Switzerland, is perhaps the clearest example of representation. The internal logic of the steam house is expressed in the design of the concrete chimney. The dynamics of energy are reflected in the design. The flowing concrete, which mimics the swirling clouds of steam, suggests movement and force, allowing the viewer to intuitively perceive the energy generated by the steam house.

COMMUNICATION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
An object can also communicate with its environment. This creates an interplay or interaction between the uniqueness of an energy technology and the identity of its surroundings. The technology can fully adapt its appearance to its surroundings, or find its own role or character within the local design language.

The Heuveloord water tower in Utrecht exemplifies how technology communicates with its surroundings. Its design is shaped by the Neo-Dutch Renaissance architectural style of the time. The unique character of this local architectural style is reflected in the water tower’s façade, making it a key element in the city’s spatial language. The design thus symbolizes the luxury of Utrecht’s public drinking water supply.

Design proposals

In this research we have identified five types of BESS based on scale, location, and function: 1. Co-location wind, 2. Co-location solar, 3. System battery, 4. Regional grid battery, and 5. Neighbourhood battery.

We’re currently approaching the battery as something we can hide, something that should be as inexpensive and standard as possible, and something temporary. By formulating design directions, we open up possibilities for considering desirability. How can a BESS contribute to spatial quality? How would we want a BESS in the landscape? To which functions can a BESS be linked?

Conclusions

The large-scale implementation of BESS is currently primarily considered a technological challenge: how do we get sufficient battery capacity – quickly and affordably – in the right place within the energy system? However, the implementation also entails complex spatial planning issues; BESS can have a significant impact on its surroundings, and its design and connection to the environment can significantly affect the quality of life.

In current BESS, the (shipping) container plays a decisive role as a design element. Almost all batteries are delivered in one or more containers. These severely limit the design possibilities. However, container solutions are not (technically) the only option for integrating battery storage. Using alternatives to containers can enhance spatial quality.

Not all battery systems are the same: a large-scale system battery offers different spatial possibilities than a neighborhood battery. Currently, batteries are often designed uniformly (in a container), functionally arranged (rows of containers several meters apart), and then hidden (for example, behind fences or hedges). To better align batteries with their specific context, three key components of the unique character of a BESS can be considered: the internal logic, the representation, and the communication with the environment. The unique character of a BESS can be determined in two ways: from the technology outward or from the context inward. These approaches offer different perspectives on how battery storage systems can be integrated into the broader spatial context.

Click here to download the report.

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Discover the invisible world under your feet

The GrondGids is an interactive platform that playfully gives residents insight into the underground ecosystem of their neighborhood, from energy and water networks to greenery and data. It encourages continuous participation by bringing residents, asset managers, and municipalities together, enabling them to make better-informed decisions about the sustainable development of their living environment. Watch the trailer here.

At home, we expect electricity from the socket, water flowing from the tap, and a toilet we can flush without worry. Yet once we step outside, we rarely consider the underground infrastructure that makes this possible, or the ways in which this hidden activity shapes the design of our public space.

With the GrondGids, we bring that invisible world to life. This interactive platform, developed in collaboration with Studio Metaform, takes residents on a journey of discovery through their own underground neighborhood. Guided by the character Count GrondGids, they set off from their front door and follow a route past underground infrastructure and locations where the above and below ground intersect, from power substations to trees, manholes, and underground waste containers. What was once hidden becomes tangible and understandable.

But the GrondGids does more than inform. The platform stimulates continuous participation by bringing residents, asset managers, and municipalities together in a new local process of collaboration. In a playful and accessible way, it fosters understanding of the interconnected nature of urban challenges and creates room for informed decision-making. Residents not only develop knowledge about their neighborhood, but also a sense of ownership.

Although our private spaces are connected to a complex urban network, that network often remains invisible and abstract. The GrondGids opens the door to this hidden layer and translates complex challenges, from the energy transition to climate adaptation, into an experience that feels close and relevant. Through this IX experience, we make both the necessity and the coherence of spatial interventions understandable, transforming participation into an ongoing process of engagement, knowledge sharing, and collective care for a sustainable living environment.

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Observation

Critical Raw Materials

Where do Critical Raw Materials come from?

A Resource-Driven Living Environment

A resource-driven living environment has an impact on every scale. In terms of spatial planning, the spatial consequences of a European raw materials industry must be considered. Both logistical material flows and new factories for separating CRMs will take place spatially. Regional strategies must take into account geopolitical scenarios that could disrupt the supply chains of CRMs. In urban development, the availability of CRMs will determine mobility, Smart City concepts and energy infrastructure. And in product design, alternatives are needed for crucial technologies that minimise the use of CRMs and encourage recycling.

Observation

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In search of
community capacity

The energy crisis shows that energy availability and affordability are the foundation of our way of life and economy. Ownership of that foundation will have to be regained. This movement is also necessary to accelerate the transition to a sustainable society.

Observation

The three party playing field and the Cooperative Neighbourhood Company

The energy system in society is now organised as a two-party playing field. The field is dominated by the market and the government, while the resident or citizen stands by and as a consumer has only limited influence.

We need to move towards a three-party playing field where the citizenry itself participates in the game. The citizen, resident or neighbourhood community becomes an active player who not only consumes but also produces. Citizens bundle their capacity and investment capacity on an equal basis with the market and the government to accelerate the energy transition.

We propose to utilise the neighbourhood capacity by setting up a cooperative neighbourhood company. This implements measures that contribute to sustainability and energy transition, independently of ownership, with and for the neighbourhood. The transition is accelerated, the community is strengthened.

Case studies

We illustrate the operation of the neighbourhood company using three Amsterdam neighbourhoods where gas consumption is high, energy labels are low, the share of rental properties (and therefore the share of single glazing) is high, and many residents are extra vulnerable to the consequences of rising energy prices given their average income level.

Case study IJsselbuurt

The IJsselbuurt, a monumental district of about a hundred years old, has many homes with a poor energy status. Many homes have a low energy label, which makes sustainability difficult due to the monumental status of the buildings. Insulation and sustainable measures such as solar panels are often impossible without damaging the neighborhood’s aesthetic value. The residents’ fragmented ownership and limited resources make sustainability even more difficult. That is why the neighborhood company wants to insulate the homes block by block, with all residents contributing financially via a neighborhood fund. This fund is used to purchase materials and pay labor costs. The neighborhood company also offers training and tools. The sustainability is financed by energy savings, without homeowners having to invest in advance. Residents can also help by providing one-off working hours, with guidance and training to support the process.

A revolving fund is fed by the energy savings of the residents and can be used to make the building more sustainable.

Spatial context

Case study Slotervaard Noord

The transition vision for heat assumes different systems, depending on the type of building, degree of insulation, density and space in the subsurface. For a large part of Amsterdam, such as Slotervaart-Noord, a connection to a heating network powered by residual heat from industry is provided. Without having to wait for the planning of the construction of the heating network, other, low-grade sources in the immediate vicinity can also be used. Certainly if the homes are sufficiently insulated, these environmental sources provide heat for a large number of households.

The district company in Slotervaart-Noord continues to build on the idea of ​​the local energy cooperative. In this case, the District Company will focus on developing a decentralised heating network under its management. It starts by connecting sources and needs that are close to each other. Step by step, this decentralised heating network will grow into a neighbourhood-wide infrastructure that can ultimately also be linked to the central heating network.

Partly due to the presence of the Sloterplas, supplemented by a diverse range of smaller sources, sufficient ambient heat is available. By creating an open low temperature network, all these heat suppliers can also be connected to the heating network. This creates a flexible network that can provide this neighbourhood with sustainable heat.

Various heat sources can be connected to the open low-temperature network.In Amsterdam Nieuw-West,these sources mainly consist of surface water,data centers and slaughterhouses.

Case Study Volewijck

The task in the Van der Pek neighbourhood in Noord is different. Here, there is already a plan for the roll-out of the heating network in the short term. Due to years of lack of attention from the central city for the communities of Noord, the maintenance backlog and the oppression of existing residents by the rapidly rising house prices, the confidence of residents in the municipality, energy company, housing association and other institutional parties is particularly low.
To achieve a transition, this confidence will first have to be restored.
To get started with all these available capacities, the organization of the neighbourhood is necessary. The establishment of a neighbourhood company is a first step. Both the community and the more institutional parties provide capacity in time, money, space or knowledge to the neighbourhood company. The neighbourhood company then works on the insulation of the homes, independently of ownership, and the use of local sources for sustainable heat. The social infrastructure of the neighbourhood offers the neutral space for the community, institutions, and market to shape the neighbourhood company together.

The social infrastructure provides space as a so-called ‘third place’ for an equal conversation between institutional parties and the communi

This research-by-design was part of a publication of Stad-Forum. Stad-Forum is an independent think tank that has advised the Amsterdam’s city council on urban development over the past decade. Stad-Forum did this on its own initiative or at the request of the mayor and alderpersons. It held a mirror up to Amsterdam, offered residents and experts a platform and connected them with civil servants and politicians.

The full publication ‘Nu aan de Buurt’ can be downloaded here

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Roadmap for an integrated approach to urban challenges by the City Deal Public Space

Observation

There is a place where the public space invites walking, cycling, and meeting. Full-grown city trees and lush vegetation of plants and flowers provide shelter to people, animals, and insects. Rainwater is collected in wet periods under streets and squares so that the soil does not dry out in dry periods. In the soil, the vital infrastructure for energy, communication, and (waste) water is neatly bundled so that they do not interfere with tree roots and fungal networks.

This place is called Integralia. A group of spatial designers, administrators, policymakers, asset managers, area directors, and many other professionals involved in the design, realization, and management of the upper and underground public space has united in the City Deal Public Space in recent years. Professionals from twelve municipalities, four ministries, and various knowledge institutions and platform organizations have worked for three years on the realization of Integralia. That turned out to be more difficult than expected.

The public space is under a lot of pressure. The population is increasing and cities are being further densified. Through the more intensive use of our cities, the public space wears out faster. As a result: open streets that, as soon as the work is finally finished, open again a little later, with the associated annoyance of residents. In addition to the permanent maintenance of the city, several major tasks need to be tackled. Climate adaptation, energy transition, the transition to a circular economy, and strengthening biodiversity.

Everything comes together in an already stuffed public space. Parked cars compete with space for meeting, heat nets with tree roots, and transformer houses with playgrounds. The complexity is increased because many of the space claims have a different (problem) owner: residents, municipalities, grid operators, and suppliers of gas, water, electricity, and heat all have a different need, seeing is not infrequently in conflict with the needs of others.

Just as the replacement of a sewer in old age would rather not be delayed, global warming, an imminent shortage of raw materials and the disappearance of plant and animal species do not. Without an integrated approach, we will never succeed in tackling all these tasks in time. Without an integrated approach, the various actors continue to fight for every inch of public space. Without an integrated approach, the excavation damage only increases. Without an integrated approach, the management and maintenance of the above- and underground public space becomes unaffordable. Without an integrated approach, the nuisance for residents will only increase. In short, without an integrated approach, Integralië remains a utopia.

Fortunately, there is perspective. The frontrunners within the City Deal Public Space have shown how it can be done and especially how to start tomorrow.

Organize the tactical space

The concept of integrality can be concretized by describing it based on the (scale) level at which work is done. This requires first of all insight into the three scale levels that are considered when working on the city: the strategic, the tactical, and the implementation level. Integrality has a different meaning and practical translation at these different scales.

The biggest challenge lies between the strategic and implementation level, namely at the tactical level. The tactical level forms the link between the integral long-term ambitions and the concrete execution. This is the greatest complexity. Shared ambitions must be translated into concrete interventions that affect their interests for individual stakeholders in the city. This involves weighing different and different interests and the distribution of scarce time, budgets, space, labor and capacity between all these interests.

This consideration creates a dynamic situation that is constantly changing: a comparison with multiple unknowns. It is important to get rid of the unknowns one by one. For example, the replacement task of the urban sewage system or the construction of a heat network can be taken as a starting point to do the redevelopment of the above and underground public space for district. This requires additional investments in a well-thought-out, district-oriented planning process in which space can be used to look together with professional stakeholders and residents for smart combinations of projects. The first examples show that the extra costs of litigation can be recovered in the implementation and in the social added value.


Take control of the subsurface arrangement

When working in public space, the connection between the upper and underground must be considered. The crowds in the subsoil are preconditions for the design of the topsoil. For placing a transformer house, the bend radius of the electricity cables is all-determining. Serious greening of a square or street is only possible if the surface is not already full of cables and pipes. Conversely, all buildings, utilities, trees, and plants have an underground footprint. Healthy soil life ensures better water management and higher absorption of CO2 and nitrogen. To keep the soil healthy, as little hardening as possible must be applied and the soil must be left with peace.

Learn to program

Urban programming is the key to a playing field of different (scale) levels and time horizons between ambition and execution. Space for biodiversity, climate adaptation, and social encounters comes with programming together with ‘hard’ assets such as traffic space and sewerage. The programmer tries to make the most of the scarce time, space, budget, and manpower to achieve the maximum integral result for the city and its residents. This, among other things, means smart coordination between necessary work for management, maintenance, replacement, and adaptation to the underground and above-ground infrastructure, exploiting torque opportunities between different tasks. The urban programmer is an important link in the realization of a public space that fits the future vision of the city.

Collaborate in the entire chain

A good integrated approach stands or falls with good cooperation with all chain partners, from the vision of vital systems to implementation. The municipality is the director in the collaboration between all actors in public space: network operators, housing corporations, water boards, civil society organizations, and residents. This cooperation requires the sharing of goals, ambitions, and interests and drawing up rules and working agreements on the projects and investments. The better this is, the greater the chance of good joint commissioning in the execution.

Be efficient with scarce capacity and resources

Human power is scarce in the world of working in public space and should therefore be used as effectively as possible. By using data about all assets in public space, insight can be gained quickly. By working in a data-driven way, time and work are saved, so that they can be used where they have the most added value: in devising creative solutions for complex issues.

In addition to good professionals, financial resources for investing in an integrated approach are also scarce, while the long-term added value is often obvious. Investment coalitions can also be formed from parties that benefit from better public space such as sewer companies, water boards, non-life insurers and building owners.

Adapt the organization

The integral works must be in the capillaries of every organization involved in the design, realization, management, and maintenance of the above and underground public space. By working on assignment, the approach to the transition challenges is leading instead of the individual policy goals. Closer collaboration between designers, engineers, contractors, and administrators within the organization leads to better projects in the public space. By bringing substantive expertise and decision-making closer together, better integral consideration can be made, also by municipal politics. An integrated approach requires an open and safe working environment in which everyone’s expertise is valued.

Integralia in sight

This integral story offers a perspective on an integral approach that can already be set in motion tomorrow. As a new routine, is the integral approach a fact in all three hundred and forty-two municipalities? Unfortunately not yet.

The individual professionals within these organizations have shown us the way. It was and is often ungrateful work. Integral works rub against existing routines, positions, and responsibilities. These routines, positions, and responsibilities are also underpinned by national standards and rules, which are often interpreted much more straightforwardly than necessary to find the right solution.

Through the efforts of the frontrunners, more and more municipalities and their local partners are starting to realize that a different, integral approach is necessary to deal with all the challenges that come with the living environment.

New rules of the game

However, an integrated approach requires a system change. This means new routines, positions, and responsibilities. The integrated approach also requires new leadership that wants to initiate change and new rules for, for example, the cooperation between the municipality, network operators, and other local partners. Many of these rules of the game stem from national or even European laws and regulations and thus transcend the scope of the municipality, let alone the individual advocate of the public good. Adjusting the rules of the game is not regulated from today to tomorrow and therefore requires a long breath and the intensive involvement of the government. In close collaboration with municipalities and knowledge, it must take the initiative to adapt laws and regulations that prevent an integrated approach.

As a government, knowledge organizations and municipalities continue to put their shoulders together under the upscaling of an integrated approach to the urban transition challenges, these can be given a place in public space, above and underground.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. This spell, often attributed to ancient indigenous knowledge of the African continent, actually says well what we need to do. The journey to Integralia is not a journey you make alone. It is a journey that we must necessarily make together.

Find allies and make the change together. Go to Integralia!

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Design research for a Master Plan for sup- and subsurface for Almere Pampus

Almere is on the eve of the development of the last large district from the IJsselmeerpolders Structural Plan from 1961: Pampus. With the development of Almere Pampus, the city gets a long-awaited waterfront at the IJmeer. With space for twenty-five to thirty-five thousand homes, at least sixteen thousand jobs, and all associated public and commercial facilities for care, education, recreation, and daily groceries. In doing so, Almere Pampus answers the demand for homes, workspace, and facilities for the growing population of Almere and beyond.

Observation

Almere has a tradition of pioneering in the polder. In recent decades, Almere has grown district by district in which new ideas and ideals have been put into practice. Ideas and ideals that originated in the twentieth century. With the development of Almere Pampus, the tradition of pioneers must be linked to insights about the district of the twenty-first century and beyond. In doing so, tackling tasks such as land subsidence, water safety, net congestion, and mobility is also a prerequisite for the sustainable development of Pampus.

The Master Plan outlines the contours of the new district. This is based on six core values:

Water- and soil-driven
Green blue infrastructure
Pampus nearby
Mixed and layered
Naturally compact
Self-sufficient and Paris-proof

“Due to the congestion on the electricity grid, Almere Pampus has been designed in such a way that it can be self-sufficient in its energy needs throughout the year. Savings, exploiting residual flows, sustainable production and storage of energy are integrally included in the plan.”

Observation

The basis for the plan is the principle ‘water- and soil-driven’ from which the area is divided into zones, suitable for buildings and zones that can get a natural or water function. This creates a whimsical pattern of green-blue zones that contrast with the characteristic tight polder grid.

“The wetland structures in Almere Pampus are connected with soft land-water transitions with the national and pan-European nature network stretching from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia.“

Within this main structure, there are different environments. From an urban waterfront on the IJmeer (Pampus Waterfront and Central) to living in the forest edge and near nature (Pampus Bos and Eco), to a mixed living area (Pampus Campus) to living in the wetlands (Pampus Delta).

Pampus Campus

Pampus Eco

Pampus Forest

Pampus Central

Pampus Waterfront

Pampus Delta

The plan offers opportunities for a great diversity of living-pologies and brings nature to every occupant within 300m from the front door. The 150×150 meter Pampus block serves as a building block for the development of the environment. Also within this block structure, there is room for mixing living, working, and facilities, a climate-adaptive design, neighborhood anchor points and car-free streets. The mobility system of Almere Pampus is based on the STOMP principles.

“The buildings in Pampus are, with some exceptions, up to 12 floors high, making them easy to build with biobased materials, and can react to soil conditions. That makes Pampus a good example of Low Carbon Urbanism!”

The Master Plan for Sup- and Subsurface for Almere Pampus has been drawn up by Team PAMPUS* (a collaboration between Bright, Bura, and Polyfern), commissioned by and in collaboration with the municipality of Almere and the Central Government Real Estate Agency. The Masterplan shows how the necessary ambitions and preconditions come together in a self-evident way and can lead to a green, diverse, and high-quality living and working environment.

The elaboration of the six core values in the Masterplan, the identity of the area and the development strategy are further explained in the document: Masterplan for Sup- and Subsurface for Almere Pampus.
  

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How to integrate circular energy systems into new urban neighborhood designs? Grid congestion has rapidly developed into a major obstruction for urban developments. What if a new neighborhood can provide balance?

A speculative alternative
The process of making our energy system more sustainable is reaching its limits. The grid is full and space for expansion is limited. In addition, other transitions also require space. Together with energy specialist from DEP and architects and urban planners from Urban Synergy and Generation.Energy we worked together to develop a speculative alternative: The Balanswijk, a new neighborhood in an area with grid congestion, where all the necessary energy is generated, exchanged and stored locally. This goes beyond energy-neutral throughout the year: we aim to create balance at all times. Therefor, a clever integration of necessary infrastructures is required. An integral design of this neighborhood can achieve a sustainable, livable, healthy living environment for its inhabitants.

Observation

A new housing district that is balanced integrates passive energy solutions, takes the heat transition seriously, and utilizes local heat sources at a collective level.

Observation

How
Our team went through three steps using a fictitious neighbourhood of 2,500 homes:

1. The spatial and energy requirements in m2 surface area. We’ve looked at the spatial allocation for healthy, liveable neighbourhoods for living, working, recreation, greenery, water, mobility, and energy too. This results in a spatial claim for energy production by wind turbines, solar panels and batteries for storage. The area needed is almost as large as all other functions combined.

2. Combining separate spatial requirements in smart combinations of functions and multiple use of space: solar panels on roofs, a wind turbine in a green recreational landscape, charging hubs and batteries in parking buildings or stacked as a lookout tower. By applying current design insights to the Balanswijk, we have managed to reduce the spatial claims of energy.

3. Remaining challenges. We have not yet found a conclusive solutions for the spatial claim of energy storage. However, we do provide an indication of the effectiveness of various measures. The big challenge is the heating supply during “elfstedenwinters”, when it is cold for a few weeks and little sustainable energy is available. The remaining challenge can be seen in the large battery installation next to the neighborhood.

What
The Balanswijk generates, exchanges and stores all energy locally. It is a neighbourhood where residents live comfortably and healthy while taking into account the available energy to keep the neighbourhood in balance. 70,000 square metres of living space, fifteen percent water area, 2,500 (mixed) homes via the current BENG standards (Nearly Energy Neutral Buildings), and 146,000 square metres of greenery. To make this neighborhood self-sufficient, a simila sized area is needed for energy: 282,000 square metres for one wind turbine, 56,000 square metres of solar panels, 147,000 square metres for energy storage.

In the proposed design, we show how this spatial puzzle can come together in a liveable neighbourhood. The challenge still lies in seasonal storage of heat for times when there is a high demand for energy or heat, but few possibilities for energy generation. This seasonal storage has been translated into numbers of batteries for the Balanswijk. No less than half a shipping container per home. To reduce this spatial claim, four strategies have been introduced: (1) reducing energy consumption, (2) multiple use of space and (3) new energy storage techniques and (4) energy shifts at critical moments. These ensure a decrease in required storage. Examples include passive house buildings, smart (bidirectional) charging for vehicles, collective heat supply at block level and also reducing the energy consumption of residents in a severe winter.

This first Balanswijk is a version without heat source nearby, such as geothermal energy or industrial residual heat. Currently, we are designing Balanswijken with alternative heat sources.

More information:
https://www.liander.nl/voor-projectontwikkelaars/balanswijk#uitdaging
https://stadszaken.nl/artikel/6436/waar-komt-de-eerste-balanswijk-van-nederland
https://www.nu.nl/klimaat/6322037/de-woonwijk-van-de-toekomst-heeft-het-overvolle-stroomnet-helemaal-niet-nodig

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In 2050 our economy will be completely circular. And it should. The current extractive economy depletes the earth’s resources, pollutes our atmosphere and delivers prosperity for fewer and fewer people. The necessity for a circular economy is felt more and more. But can we imagine what a circular economy looks like in 2050? How do we define work in a circular economy in 2050 and what kind of physical conditions are needed to facilitate a circular economy? The future is uncertain. With the use of scenarios, we can give direction to the exploration of the above questions. For the Design Challenge Circular Working Landscapes 2050 we developed four complementary scenarios. Based on the scenarios we sketched the possible futures for a location near Schiphol Airport: Hoofddorp. Instead of drafting a blueprint for the area, the scenarios give insight into how to act now about the uncertainty of the future.   

Location Hoofddorp

Our focus area was situated between intercity railway tracks and the A4 highway, just Southeast of the new town of Hoofddorp. Schiphol Airport is only a few minutes away from the train stop in the center of the area. Regional connections to the A4 highway and the urban areas of Aalsmeer and Hoofddorp. The larger metropolitan landscapes of the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA) are accessible through various recreational routes, like the route of the Amsterdam Waterline.

Beckoning perspectives

The circular economy offers various beckoning perspectives. Raw materials, materials, and products retain their value infinitely. We will never consider anything waste again. In a circular economy, multiple value models will also be commonplace instead of single business models, in which the value of the community and the area will be much more central.

A circular economy will be much less based on fossil raw materials and fuels. Instead, the raw materials will be bio-based. The bio-based industry still requires a lot of innovation in the (re)use of natural raw materials and materials. Large internationally operating companies also seem to be increasingly circularly arranging their business processes. If large companies manage to close their cycles, there will also be room for them in the circular economy of 2050. These perspectives can all be part of a circular economy. However, they all provide a different view of the role of work in the future. They therefore all impose different conditions on work locations. Consider the scale of companies, the infrastructure, and the type of activities that can take place there.

Elements of a Circular Economy

A circular economy consists of several basic elements. We will have to develop these elements to achieve a circular economy in 2050. These elements are:

business models that are multiple, inclusive, and circular; the knowledge of materials, processes, and techniques for a circular and biobased industry; a change in behavior for our daily dealings with things and materials; an economic model that serves the community.

Multiple future-use

To show the coherence between the various appealing perspectives and elements of a circular economy, four scenarios have been outlined. In these scenarios, all four elements are always present, but always have one of the elements as the centre of gravity.

To also show the scenarios in mutual coherence, we have designated a cross-axis system. We show the uncertainties on the axes. In this case, the vertical axis shows the scale on which the circular activities take place: international or regional. This can be prompted, for example, by the importance of proximity. the price of fuel in 2050. As fuel becomes scarcer, proximity becomes a more important aspect and Schiphol’s role will decrease. On the horizontal axis, the emphasis is on manufacturing, technology, and industry versus sharing knowledge, services, and space.

Building blocks

To make the four scenarios conceivable, and internally consistent and to lead to new insights, we have made statements about the following building blocks in each scenario:

hybrid final image

All four scenarios lead to a valuable, high-quality, and circular working landscape that is publicly accessible. The four elements (money, people, goods, and knowledge) always have a meaningful connection. However, the balance between the elements enter within their relationship is difficult to predict.

Fortunately, the location does tell us what is strategically smart. Scale, infrastructure, landscape and existing activities provide starting points for which first steps are smart and which impose few restrictions on future developments. The composite profile above shows the first hybrid circular work landscape in 2050.

Corporate Landscape

The multimodal accessibility makes this a perfect location for international production and logistics. Schiphol is just around the corner, there is direct access to the A4 and the nearby OCAP pipeline ensures a continuous supply of CO2. The CO2 is a circular raw material (CCU) for large-scale circular production. The production and logistics are housed in large boxes that can be flexibly arranged. Together, the boxes form a robust and productive landscape.

Image: Bright x Midjourney

reXgional hub

The area houses all steps in the technical cycle of materials and products: from repair to redistribution. Visitors come to bring items and also buy ‘new’ items. These economic activities require proximity to other companies in the chain and proximity to the region as a service area. The companies are mainly SMEs and family businesses. High-quality ribbons ensure good access to the area for road traffic and cyclists. The ribbons also form the green-blue structure. Entrepreneurs live at or on their company building.

Image: Bright x Midjourney

Oosterwold on steroids

The Haarlemmermeer is an area for pioneers. Intentional communities are formed around high-quality and capital-intensive resources such as robot arms. New guilds of super-specialized professionals are emerging. People live and work in mostly self-sufficient but high-density community buildings in a wet Haarlemmermeer.

Image: Bright x Midjourney

Progress polder

Mainly biobased materials are used for the sustainable renovation of seven million buildings in the Netherlands alone. The massive demand for new applications has led to a biobased knowledge landscape directly connected to the world by Schiphol. In the park-like landscape are R&D facilities and laboratories. The first biobased university in Europe is located near the station. High-quality architecture and facilities should attract knowledge workers.

Image: Bright x Midjourney

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Bowling Buikslotermeerplein
The development of community-owned cultural real estate in Amsterdam Noord

In November 2021, the municipality of Amsterdam presented Project Note Buikslotermeerplein. The shopping center dates from the early seventies and is due for a thorough redevelopment. Recent connectivity through the northernmost stop of the Amsterdam North/South line and the addition of residential, working, and recreational facilities offers perspective. The ambitions for the future Buikslotermeerplein are sky-high. An important part of the plans is creating physical and mental connections with the surrounding neighborhoods, with few cultural and social facilities.

Observation

With that goal, Coöperation 5711 (a collaboration between recycling company de Lokatie, Verdedig Noord, Productiehuis Noord, and Bright) is redeveloping the former bowling alley into a place in common and collective ownership. Strategically located between metro and shopping center, between cinema and McDonalds and between Lidl and district office. A prominent place where residents of the surrounding neighborhoods can work together on culture, learn creative craftsmanship, and a true circular economy in the broadest sense becomes visible.

Elevations of the original design, Jan Brouwer Associates. Image: City Archive Amsterdam

Situation drawing of the original design, Jan Brouwer Associates. Image: City Archive Amsterdam

‘Bowlinghal blijft als buurthuis, dat past veel meer bij deze tijd en bij Noord.’ – Het Parool | 15-11-2021

Through an interactive model, sharing fresh meals and a giveaway market, we will engage in conversation with residents and passers-by about the dreamed future of the building. The input from residents and actors has led to a global program for the building: a kiosk with a public toilet, thrift store, neighborhood workshop, practice, and presentation spaces for music, film, theater, and other forms of cultural expression, a public roof garden, and supporting cafe and a small restaurant.

Observation

To counter the impression of non-commitment, small improvements to the building were started immediately: removing a meter-long discolored banner, renovating and putting into use the empty kiosk in the underpass, removing weeds and painting a number of blind facades of the building.

The characteristic shape and structure of the current building will be retained for the renovated bowling alley. The side of the building that was hidden behind the Waddenweg viaduct until recently will be ‘cleaned up’ so that it will be a recognizable face on the cultural square that is yet to be developed. On top of the existing volume, a layer will be added over part of the building that will provide space for supporting catering, office and meeting rooms and a spacious roof garden that overlooks the market and cultural square. Only biobased and recycled materials will be used for the renovation.

For the filling and programming of the building, there is collaboration with various organizations that contribute to the cultural awareness and expression of young people from the North in particular. Among others, the Public Library Amsterdam (OBA), Stichting Bekijk ‘t, De Lokatie and Productiehuis Noord have committed themselves to the project.

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Can we develop spatial scenarios for the future of the province of South Holland based on insights derived from historical changes in land use?

In close collaboration with Vereniging Deltametropool and government planners from the South Holland province we looked back fifty years in time. We analyzed the correlation between specific spatial conditions and changes in land use. Is there a correlation between the proximity of a railway station and high-density urbanization? What transformations in land use occur after certain policies come into place? What patterns of land use change can be seen on different soil types? What type of transformations inform other transformations? To be able to match all the different data sets we divided the whole territory into 500 by 500 meter plots. Then, through a combination of GIS and statistical analyses, we developed a set of so-called correlograms that bring all correlations together in a comprehensive graphic.

Observation

The used methodology for using historical data, new conditions and developing spatial scenarios.

The next step was to extrapolate a future scenario for South Holland based on found conditions for land use change that were most normative in the last five decades. According to how many conditions were present at each pixel (of 500 by 500 m) it received a score and a color according to that score. The resulting map showed the scores of all 13.000 pixels. We called this the Business as Usual scenario. The map shows that there is hardly any space left for business as usual. Only a few pixels will be available for transformation in the future.

So if historical conditions no longer apply, what other conditions can we formulate that will inform the possibility of future change in land use? We are currently more aware that we can no longer ignore some urgent challenges related to our environment. Out of other research and explorations, we distilled four spatial challenges: flood protection, soil condition, accessibility, and vicinity. For each of these challenges, we described and prioritized the possible normative conditions. The result is a map for each of the challenges indicating where, based on the specific set of conditions, the transformation of land use would be probable.

By overlaying the places where transformation seems most probable with the current land use map we created four scenarios. Each scenario map shows, with certain set of normative conditions as input. what the transformation environments will be, illustrated by automated and three-dimensional tiles of 500 by 500 meters.

Transformation potential for scenario High & Dry

Transformation potential for scenario Compact City

Transformation potential for scenario Living Landscapes

Transformation potential for scenario Five Minute City

Each scenario is also accompanied by a collage speculating on the possibilities for spatial quality for specific locations indicated in the maps.

Compact City

High & Dry

Living Landscapes

The full research can be downloaded through this link: Rapportage 50-50

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Night Lab is an initiative of Studio Monnik to raise awareness about the vanished darkness over urban areas and the over-illumination of our cities. We looked at the dark city with a diverse team of designers and researchers. A city without light pollution, where the rhythms of our planet are not denied but embraced, and where the Milky Way can be seen again above the urban skyline.

Various nightly light phenomena and urban activities have been studied in the Night Lab. The aim was to experience urban nightlife (looking at the behavior of humans and nocturnal animals) and night light (both artificial light and natural darkness), engaging in stories from experts while looking for the design assignments of the urban nights.

During a nightly walk through Rotterdam, from sunset to sunrise, from west to east, we saw different layers of light: for traffic and social safety, at sports fields and events, at homes and in places of work. All these reasons for illuminating our environment form layers of light. They amplify each other and sometimes try to overpower each other out. After all, in a brightly lit environment even more light is needed to highlight.

Observation

Are light and dark like noise and silence? Is darkness a monumental or scenic quality? And who actually owns the dark? In the Night Lab we investigated which instruments, laws and regulations of urban development could turn the dark city into reality.

If we see the darkness as valuable, and we want to experience and preserve it, how do we do that? Environmental legislation already has some interesting principles that can help create darkness. For example, by starting at the source: take measures that reduce light production. Or by protecting vulnerable objects: create a physical barrier between a source of light and that which experiences nuisance. In addition, it is possible to minimize the effects on the receiver: take measures where light pollution is experienced.

These principles can be applied physically. But when is a principle applied? Is the prevention of light pollution a legal obligation or is it a right to be protected against light nuisance? Is it a precondition for development? Or is darkness a luxury some people can afford? Here the question arises: who owns darkness and who controls it?

The axes presented below form the basis for further exploration of the above questions. One axis stretches between collective and individual: Is darkness an experience that people go through together or alone? The other axis contrasts darkness as a right with darkness as luxury. If darkness is a right, it is enforced by legislation with physical implications for the living environment. If darkness is a luxury it must be created through physical intervention. The corners in the axial cross form four scenarios imagining a city that nurtures darkness. The physical impact of each scenario is shown with an illustration at a specific location along the route of our nightly walk through Rotterdam.

Darkness as private luxury

From time to time you just want to disconnect from your permanently illuminated technology-driven surroundings. How does one pierce through the augmented layer of urban light, even briefly? A reflective place with a view of the starry sky in its full glory allows you to unplug the always-on mind. And create a moment for some “me-time”.

Stargazers on the Kralingse Plas

The capital villas of Kralingen are illuminated every single night. This excess of light contributes to a sense of safety. Daylight conditions around-the-clock, inside and outside, provide clear views for watchful security cameras. Lighting also serves to show off: Look at our magnificent mansion, we don’t have to cut back on energy costs. However, the wealthy residents of Kralingen need their nightly darkness too. If money is not a concern, you can have both light and darkness: Your backyard houses a private stargazer, several hunderd of meters tall. This structures pierces through the clouds, through sky glow caused by the city and surrounding greenhouses. Directly accessible from the comforts of your own house, it offers a private view of your piece of starry sky.

Darkness as a collective experience

At The Festival of Darkness we experience darkness in a collective ritual. The more souls, the more darkness. The more the merrier. Together we behold the starry night. Within an artificial celestial dome our minds are conditioned to collectively revolt against the conformism of the enlighted city. Once outside, on our way home, street lighting, illuminated signages and light boxes pay the price. We want to be free again!

Ferrodome as Cenotaph of the Night

The Ferrodome building, now an event space of industrial heritage in the Merwe-Vierhavens harbor district, is transformed into the ultimate collective experience of darkness. The experience starts at the entrance of the Ferrodome’s annexes. Gradually the spectrum of light shifts. Room by room, visitors grow accustomed to darkness. The closer to the massive hall, the darker it becomes to allow for an optimal experience. The current cylindrical building has been perfected into a sphere by excavating a part and adding a dome. Here the starry sky of the past reveals itself, projected onto the dome. In the midst of illuminated cranes, ships and trucks in the still-bustling fruit port, visitors collectively experience the view of a virtual starry sky. The contrast with today’s night sky could not be greater.

Darkness as shared interest

Society has to be protected against the unhealthy effects of excessive light use in our environment. Areas of high ecological, cultural or historical value will be designated to have low-light conditions. In these areas it will be dark, unless …

Conservation of the river Rotte

The river Rotte deserves protection against excessive lighting for several reasons. It is a distinguished cityscape, an important ecological artery through the city and a recreational route. From the river outwards, lighting must maintain appropriate distances in order to minimize impacts on the societal values of the Rotte. Analogous – but opposite – to the setbacks in zoning ordinances, inverted pyramids show where light is not allowed.

Darkness as private right

Every citizen deserves a light-free environment. In the existing built environment, this requires customized solutions. Nowadays various innovative products are available through numerous parties affiliated with and certified by the national platform. Homeowners, homeowners associations, housing corporations and tenants may be eligible for a contribution towards the costs of these measures. Your local government facilitates this process via the well-known online environment, as long as you take action yourself.

Customization at the Zwaanshals

The Zwaanshals is a busy and much frequented city street. This liveliness unfortunately also translates into a brightly lit street scene. Street lighting, headlamps for cars and bikes, illuminated advertising and shop windows provide a cacophony of light. To give each individual resident a certain amount of darkness, custom-made solutions are offered at building scale. Vantablack paint on buildings ensures an absorption of light where it touches facades. Shades on street lamps, curtains and shutters reduce irradiation into homes.

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A family of three new towers responds to three existing church towers. Recognizable, with a reference to a rich past. Playful, with a different perspective from every angle. Reflecting in the water, they are clearly visible but not accessible to humans. What could actually happen there? Three follies, delightful objects as found at estates of the Romantic age, give us something to look at, to talk about and to wonder about. A historic site offers a view of a new future.

Three characteristic towers of Bedum are visible from afar. The increasingly leaning tower of the Walfridus church has been here for many centuries. Together with the newer towers of the catholic and protestant churches, they form a highly recognizable trio in the landscape. In the town center too, a tower pops into view at every corner.

The view of this historic skyline of church towers will improve after the demolition of the old apartments and the shop on Kerkplein, especially from the location where an orchard used to make the transition between city and surroundings. The pond of Bederawalda will be connected to the town square in the renewed center. Passers-by at De Vlijt will be offered a view of a place that has been somewhat lost.

This offers opportunities: there might be room here for a nature-inclusive city, where other species co-exist with humans. Typical residents such as common pipistrelles, house sparrows and starlings who are losing more and more of their habitat in modern cities can house here. A place of rest for humans becomes full of activity for other species, who hunt insects above the water and in the reed collars, breed and charge energy during the day for their night-time courtship.

Nesting area for house sparrows, starlings and swifts, hiding places for fish and bat housing

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“An imaginative leap into the future”, that’s the description that Peter Schwartz gives for a scenario. It’s a powerful and conceivable picture of the future. Not a prediction from a crystal ball, but an exploratory story enriching the current state of affairs and inevitable trends with a development of factors that are still uncertain for now.

Schwartz gained his experience with Shell’s Scenarios Team. In the 1970s, under the supervision of Pierre Wack, this team developed alternative visions of the future to help business managers weigh up decisions in a broader context than simply business-as-usual. Long-term investments by oil companies forced them to consider a world that could be very different from today’s. Simple extrapolation or continuation of the current course of action offers little guidance.

The American military think tank, RAND Corporation, has previously used scenario thinking for many much more extreme examples. Herman Kahn conceived unthinkable events that could have taken place in the Cold War, for example.¹ Unthinkable in the sense of being unimaginable: acts of nuclear warfare. He used game theory to investigate how the power blocks would respond to certain hypothetical actions by adversaries. It was by analysing the most extreme scenarios objectively that he was able to provide balance to the fatalistic Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), which had actually prevailed as business-as-usual until then.

Fortunately, the impasse in thinking about our food system is less catastrophic than in those days. Yet, we still feel that things are changing and we are no longer in control. The trends – called driving forces in scenario thinking – indicate various developments, sometimes contradicting each other. A growing and richer world population needs more food and thus larger-scale production. The fertile Netherlands already produces food for worldwide exports. But consumers also demand locally grown products. In an abstract sense, this is the discussion between global free trade and local protectionism. We’re more conscious about our food choices and want a home-made or ‘real’ meal. At the same time, we’re also looking for advanced – almost pharmaceutical – foodstuffs to give our health a helping hand. Producers are searching too: do they make their existing working methods smarter and more efficient to offer better quality and more volume at a lower price? Or do they believe in a market for particular products, which requires an investment in measures and resources up-front that will hopefully generate more revenue in the long run?

People who pursue their interest in food and the food system can easily get lost. Facts and opinions commingle and it’s not always clear what is ‘right’. These complexities make it difficult to estimate the consequences of our choices and actions. Sometimes it even feels like we don’t have any choice at all, or that our decisions don’t make much difference.

It’s exactly in these types of situations that scenario thinking works best. Dealing with complexity and uncertainty is at the heart of this method. Peter Schwartz quotes the Swedish neurobiologist, David Ingvar, who calls these scenarios ‘memories of the future’.² The method developed by Shell was never intended to come to a single comprehensive scenario. Instead, they speak of explorative scenarios and decision scenarios. It’s the breadth of various conceivable, open scenarios that explore possible choices. These scenarios help us to prepare for several possible futures.³ And the exercise of creating these narratives allows us to build a memory, as if we’ve already experienced all actions and consequences. So if/when these events actually occur, they don’t come as a surprise. We already know which actions will lead to a desired result.

This approach provides operational perspectives in situations which appear hopelessly uncertain. One method for developing scenarios uses two of the critical uncertainties – ‘pivotal elements that will act unpredictably, and thus might influence your future’⁴ – to create a set of axes. The key uncertainties – uncertain developments that influence the story – are on these axes. For the development of scenarios for the futures of the food industry and its landscapes, we’re therefore looking for the two main uncertainties.

First of all, the global market is experiencing a transition. Major trading blocks are changing their attitudes towards free trade and protectionism. Global trade is growing in general, but the centers of gravity are shifting for both demand and supply. The Netherlands’ role as a producer for the global market and as a hub in worldwide food logistics is a clear product of developments over the past decades. Transitions will inevitably affect this situation. Possible futures therefore need to take into account either an upscaling, with greater volume of trade and more production in the Netherland. Or smaller-scale production to provide for a self-sufficient country, which means losing lots of throughput and the possibility of satisfying our demand outside the national borders.

The second key uncertainty looks at the attitude of the consumer. Do they accept new technologies in our food production and processing? Or does the demand for ‘authentic’ food become even greater? For the time being, demand is growing steadily for both. The Dutch Weed Burger even unites both directions in a single product: at music festivals, this novelty food – made from roasted soya beans, seaweed and algae – is grilled by artisan chefs. But these developments are still vulnerable to damage to reputation, and food safety incidents can result in a huge, sudden changes.

The project Ministery of Food shows the spatial implications of this scenario-based approach.

1. Kahn, Herman, 2007. On Thermonuclear War. Transaction Publishers
2. Schwartz, Peter, 1991. The art of the long view. Crown Business, New York
3. Wilkinson, Angela, Kupers, Roland, 2013. Living in the Futures. Harvard Business Review
4. Schwartz, Peter, 1991. The art of the long view. Crown Business, New York

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The way we deal with food has a major impact on the space that surrounds us. In recent years, the picturesque countryside and the urban market have lost their meaning. They have been out-scaled by a new industrial landscape of black boxes. What happens in these boxes?

We buy our food in restaurants and at farmers’ markets – lovely during the weekends. On weekdays we simply get it from the supermarket or have it delivered. Usually we know where our produce comes from: wheat grows in fields, fruit comes from the Betuwe region, cows produce milk – from which we produce yoghurt and cheese. And thanks to the greenhouses in the Westland region we have tomatoes and cucumbers available year-round. Annually 160,000 workers in the Netherlands produce a whopping €10 billion worth of foodstuff.¹

98% of our food is processed

Still, this is only a fraction of the food system in the Netherlands. Between production and consumption lies a vast industrial system of manufacturing, processing, distribution, marketing and other services. We know very little about this system, and rarely encounter it. Large parts of what happens with our food is hidden from view, taking place in a ‘black-box landscape’: logistics warehouses, aluminium-clad production sites, and anonymous office premises surrounded by fences. Most of the economic value added in the food chain is created at these locations. Innovation and labor takes place here. The discrete nature of this part of the food system does raise questions. In fact, it only ever appears in the news if things go wrong. The romantic marketing of grazing cows on milk cartons, or the friendly farmer on packs of vine tomatoes, is hard to recognise. This is a place where the cold logic of logistics and economics reigns. Or so it seems.

This research delve deeper into the black-box landscape. No less than 98% of all our food is processed in some way before it enters our kitchen.² Products are cleaned, sorted and packaged. New products are created: milk is transformed into cheese, grain into bread, and fruit into jam, juice, soft drinks, etc. Tomatoes and cucumbers are mixed with other ingredients and turned into convenient, ready-made salads. Our food meets all food and safety standards, and all the requirements imposed by retailers and consumers. This processing industry earns much more money than the primary production – some €20 billion – twice as much as cattle breeders, farmers, gardeners and fishermen combined.

Food produced in the Netherlands is by no means exclusively destined for the Dutch market. Industrial food chain often includes multiple continents. The figures show this too: 80 percent of revenues and 75 percent of employment in the processing industry can be attributed to imported products.³ Large proportion of the global flow of soy, cocoa and coffee passes through our country. Out of 949 million kg of cacao imported a merer 3 million kg is consumed here.⁴ A large proportion of imported goods is simply checked for quality and transloaded or cross docked into different packaging and transport mode. A cynic might say that it’s just about shifting boxes, but this distribution represents a worth of €4 billion and 50,000 jobs.

This system of importing, intensive domestic production, high-value processing, handling and transshipment has been almost perfected in the Netherlands. Our position as a gateway to Europe makes our country pivotal in the global food system, meaning safe food is abundantly available here in all seasons. Transit makes us a large exporter of food, second only after the United States. Unilever, Heineken and FrieslandCampina, the three largest food companies in the Netherlands, serve the entire world from our domestic market. They rely on rail, road and water transport for supply and delivery. Speed is of the essence, so these industries are located along infrastructural networks.

Observation

In ancient times the countryside used to be right behind the city wall. Townspeople encountered producers at the market. This connection has since been obfuscated. Thomas Sieverts writes about the ‘Zwischenstadt’⁵, a landscape that’s neither city nor rural area. This ‘in-between city’ accomodates mass recreation, big-box stores for furniture and DIY, sports clubs and gyms. It’s also an occupational landscape of offices and businesses. Cheap land allows for lots of square metres. Spatial development is no longer determined by environmental factors. Instead, size and speed of a fully loaded truck determine road width and radius. Logistics determine the internal dimensions of buildings: a corridor wide enough for a forklift truck, with stacks on both sides, is ideal. And the more loading docks on one side of a building the better. A box is easy to build, and results in an optimized ratio of volume per area outer surface, which saves costs and improves energy efficiency.

Many companies try to reduce the amount of tangible assets on their balance sheet. Especially real estate is seen as ‘dead capital’, which should be activated and used for direct operations. The past few years many companies have sold their premises to investors using sale-and-lease-back contracts. New buildings will be erected, at risk, by developers without knowing an end user. Any deviations from the norm make it harder to find a tenant and second user, which means all new buildings are becoming increasingly similar. The logic of logistics and finance results in far-reaching uniformity in this black-box landscape; the fruit world of Barendrecht looks exactly like the fish world in Urk.

The granary used to be the most important building in the city. Whoever owned it held sway over the population. Nowadays, large stocks no longer seem to exist. Like the car industry, food logistic is managed ‘just-in-time’: a product will be ready for us exactly when we want it. Food is always on the way, made possible by cheap mobility. An apple harvested in New Zealand and shipped to Europe has a smaller energy footprint than a Dutch Elstar apple that’s been sitting in a refrigerated warehouse for ten months. We barely know food shortage. Exceptionally, things go wrong, for example when snow in Southern Europe causes a spinach harvest to fail. But luckily there’s always frozen vegetables to fall back on, because warehouses do exist. They tower high above the ports of Rotterdam, Vlissingen and IJmuiden.

Motorways offer a good view of the full scope of our food landscape: the fields and meadows, and the colossal buildings in the black-box landscape on the outskirts of our cities and at large traffic junctions. A truck driver next to you could be carying a full load of strawberries. The image an the truck’s side has been created by a graphic designer. They too are part of the Dutch agrifood complex. Just like all the suppliers of machines and packaging, and advisers, banks and insurers. Altogether, this amounts to around 600,000 jobs and a combined turnover of €48 billion, some 8% of the total economy.

We all know the familiar Laughing Cow on the packaging. We buy our tomatoes from the friendly local grower at the farmers’ market. In supermarkets these days, meat is no longer on refrigerated shelves but rather at the artisan butcher’s stall. Conscious consumers are looking for products with sentiment and authenticity, a good story about its origin.

But on the news we see different stories. Food scandals follow each other in quick succession. Farmers have supersized, with even more cows since the milk quotas have been repealed. Ingredients are dragged from across the world. Production and consumption of our foods seem to be miles and miles apart. When we bike through rural areas, all we see is well-grazed pastures. Production seems to be large-scale, cheap and emotionless. Smart marketers try to reduce this emotional distance, which is why we see farmer, brewer, fisherman and other age-old professions in advertising. The idea that we are personally getting to know the makers of our food increases the trust we have in food safety.

The processing in black boxes, however, receives hardly any attention at all, despite its immense contribution to the food system. The associated black-box landscape remains virtually unknown and anonymous to most since these aren’t inviting places to visit. But many hundreds of thousands of people do spend their working lives here. They take great care in the work and speak proudly about it. Their stories can provide answers to some very relevant questions we have about our food*.

What happens if we make these areas a perceptible part of our food landscape? This would tell a story that’s very different to the artisan romance that currently prevails. An acquired taste, perhaps? But it will be an honest story that makes us understand how the environment influences our food, and how our relationship with food affects the environment we live in.

1 Verhoog, David, 2016. Het Nederlandse agrocomplex 2015. Wageningen, LEI Wageningen UR (University & Research centre)
2 FOA, 2012. Coping with water scarcity. Via: METABOLIC, 2016. The Global Food System: an analysis
3 Verhoog, David, 2016. Het Nederlandse agrocomplex 2015. Wageningen, LEI Wageningen UR (University & Research centre)
4 Noordhoff Uitgevers bv, 2014. De bosatlas van het voedsel
5 Sieverts, Thomas, 2000. Cities without Cities: An interpretation of the Zwischenstadt. Taylor & Francis Ltd.

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We need to adapt our neighbourhoods to minimise the impact of climate change. But to create truly future proof neighbourhoods a lot more urgencies need to dealt these combinations improve the quality of life for the residents of these neighbourhoods? Through research by design we developed ten spatial strategies for combining different interventions. We tested these ten strategies in six omnipresent neighbourhood types in The Netherlands.

Climate adaptation in the built environment

Our climate is changing. In comparison with the pre-industrial era we are seeing a rise in temperatures for already over one centigrade. This has an enormous effect on our built environment, best explained in three extremes: extreme rain, extreme drought and extreme heat. The extremes will cause respectively: flooding, subsidence and a health risk for vulnerable citizens. So there is urgency in adapting our built environment to prevent the negative impacts of climate change.

Design brief for a future proof built environment

Climate adaptation is not the only urgent challenge in the built environment that needs to be faced. A future proof built environment needs to be carbon-neutral, healthy, inclusive, ecological, green, divers, accessible, vital, energy producing etc. To translate all abstract ambitions we initiated the design brief for a future proof built environment. To operationalize this design brief, new functionalities in public space need to be added, the building blocks.

The need for an integral approach

Observation

In the built environment, space is scarce. Will all the necessary building blocks that go with the design brief fit in, for example, the current street profile and underground? Besides the scarcity of space, time is limited, there’s insufficient funding and a shortage in labour to adapt our built environment on building block at a time. That would also mean every time an operation needs to happen we need to open up the street. Public support will fade away with every time the street is turned into a construction site. So, for different reasons there is a necessity to combine operations to make sure it fits and an optimal use of resources, time and labour is guaranteed.

The scale of the neighbourhood

What would be an optimal scale of operation to combine building blocks? For multiple reasons we decided to elaborate on the scale of the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood is the connection between the choices on a systems level (e.g. energy, mobility, water) and the daily environment of its residents. By observing the neighbourhood along the parameters of density, building age and typology it is possible to obtain generic insights about a specific neighbourhood type that can be applied elsewhere. At the same time, every neighbourhood has its specific qualities, based on e.g. soil type, position in the city, residents etc. That makes that the design brief we stated would ask for neighbourhood-specific interventions.  We based this design exploration on the thirteen neighbourhood types defined by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Smart combinations

How to explore smart combinations in the neighbourhood, based on the building blocks for the future proof neighbourhood? Of course it is not just a technological operation of stacking building blocks. A combination becomes smart if it contributes to the quality of the surroundings and the quality of life in a neighbourhood. Only then it will generate support in the community and with that, the chance to be implemented. 

Ten combinations for six neighbourhood types

Out of thirteen neighbourhood types, we made a selection of six to start with. The selection is based on the educated guess that these types will soon encounter urgent challenges. Think of redevelopment, socioeconomic issues, intensification and climate adaptation. For these six neighbourhood types we developed ten smart combinations. Each generic combination generates a specific spatial intervention, depending on the neighbourhood type. Of course some of the combinations are not relevant to every neighbourhood type but the almost fifty combinations show the richness of possibilities. Some of the smart combinations can be found in public space. An example is the holistic reconstruction of streets, both under- and upper-ground.

Citizens can also work on smart combinations, by collectively put their roofs and gardens to work. Architecturally most interesting will be the need for new collective buildings. Storage of heat, water, electricity, cars and reusable (building) material can be combined and stacked in a new type of iconic community buildings.

new community buildings

climate street

collective inner gardens

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We live in a fascinating ‘food age’. There are huge developments in terms of new foods: Innovations in how we have food delivered to us as well as cultural factors have an incredibly large impact on our food industry. We’re on the eve of a crucial turning point. How far will these developments ultimately go, and who’s leading this change?

We need to deal with falling reserves of raw materials, more waste, an ageing population, population growth, and changing food requirements. All this is forcing the food industry to modernise. It’s time for a new generation of ingredients, processes and new brands that can take on this challenge. Perhaps the food that we know today will disappear altogether? These radical changes require courage from the food industry. It’s a huge challenge!

The main food innovations are currently coming out of Silicon Valley – such as roof boxes in which fish are bred whose poop is used to grow lettuce – or small, local start-ups – such as Impossible Foods, who produce Super Juicer, the vegan hamburgers. These ground-breaking developments underline the growing potential to evolve the future of our food and, more importantly, ultimately improve our health and set up more sustainable production methods.

An extremely progressive attitude is required for this evolution, to create radical changes. But why is this problem apparently only being picked up by Silicon Valley and small start-ups? Why aren’t well-known brands with plentiful financial resources, rich histories and expertise leading this innovation?

What if existing large brands were to enrich themselves with new technologies to make their services, products, production and transport more efficient? And what if they involved the consumer in these innovations? And worked with smaller circles just like start-ups? Wouldn’t these innovations then happen even faster?

And doesn’t the consumer have a big role to play in this evolution? What would happen if existing brands were to set up a ‘cooperation’ with consumers, joining forces, so the evolution could take place?

If we really want to make innovative products, which taste good and satisfy our wishes, we all need to adopt a new mindset. We need to cross borders and engage in new, unnatural collaborations.

We see huge importance in making the existing food industry transparent and increasing consumer awareness. And on the other side, there needs to be an innovative push by existing brands, to prepare for the fact that in 20 years the shelves in the shops will look completely different, and the supermarkets of today will perhaps even become obsolete.

The global market is experiencing a transition. Major trading blocks are changing their attitudes towards free trade and protectionism. Global trade is growing in general, but the centers of gravity are shifting for both demand and supply. The Netherlands’ role as a producer for the global market and as a hub in worldwide food logistics is a clear product of developments over the past decades. Transitions will inevitably affect this situation. Possible futures therefore need to take into account either an upscaling, with greater volume of trade and more production in the Netherland. Or smaller-scale production to provide for a self-sufficient country, which means losing lots of throughput and the possibility of satisfying our demand outside the national borders.

The second key uncertainty looks at the attitude of the consumer. Do they accept new technologies in our food production and processing? Or does the demand for ‘authentic’ food become even greater? For the time being, demand is growing steadily for both. The Dutch Weed Burger even unites both directions in a single product: at music festivals, this innovative product – made from roasted soya beans, seaweed and algae – is grilled by artisan chefs. But these developments are still vulnerable to damage to reputation, and food safety incidents can result in a huge, sudden changes.

If we plot the key uncertainties and previously-described observations and trends on the axes, we see different developments taking place in the four quadrants. All four are conceivable and relevant to elaborate. We have typified and developed these four scenarios as follows:

Organic Fantastic
Supersize Me
Silicon Valley
Homegrown

These scenarios all have different effects on the Dutch food landscape. To gain an insight into their consequences, we use a recognisable environment that could exist in many places in our country.

We find a city here with facilities like shops, schools and a station. On the periphery are the work locations: industrial estates and business parks with offices and, specifically for a food landscape, a number of greenhouses and large warehouses for storage and processing, with farms and meadows in the surrounding areas. Infrastructure connects the various functions with the rest of the region, country and world.

This scenario assumes a future in which the food consumer is suspicious of technological modification of food, and demands high-quality food for which the origin can always be traced. This development could have been caused by a number of food scandals worldwide: horse meat contamination in Europe, milk and infant formula fraud in China, etc.

The origin of the food isn’t determinative, as long as it’s transparent. The Netherlands’ good reputation for food safety is paying off: both small and large businesses are focusing their marketing on the global market. Sales are growing enormously, since the emerging middle classes in China and India also demand organic food. Large food multinationals need to join the trend of ‘accountable’ food. Food chains are totally transparent and fair. The increasing demand does however put pressure on domestic production. Expertise centres in Wageningen and Boskoop are doing good business by developing and distributing old and new techniques. A revaluation of age-old techniques such as crop rotation, the use of ecological fertiliser and pesticides, and intensive sea farming / agriculture in the North Sea and Wadden Sea help the Netherlands retain its huge surplus on the trade balance sheet for agricultural products.

Large barns for livestock along cycle and walking routes are open for visitors, even unannounced. This development makes the agricultural landscape more accessible. The city also merges with rural areas, with commercial urban farming and neighbourhood allotments taking over entire streets, car parks and unused industrial sites. Producers know that the public is critical. Consumers want to know who’s responsible for their daily meals. So companies use their production location to help sell their products, combining marketing with sales. Many of these products can also be ordered directly from the producer, at the expense of the one-size-fits-all formula used by many supermarkets.

This scenario focuses fully on scaling-up existing food production. Struggling farmers have sold their businesses and land to international investment funds which are now running much larger, specialized farm holdings. The average dairy farm now has 2000 cows, 20 times more than in 2016. The requirements for pasture, nitrogen, phosphate and milk quotas have been loosened. These chemical resources are eagerly used by the circular economy since petroleum is no longer available. The transportation of chemicals causes much more road traffic than milk tankers. Additionally, pipelines for these substances connect rural areas with industrial complexes. The last bits of waste that really can’t be used for anything else are used for generating energy by fermentation.

Food is traded on a global scale, and the Netherlands has an important role to play thanks to its location and available expertise. The logistics processes serve the whole world and earn our country lots of money. The transportation of bulk and raw materials have plummeted due to increasing costs of transportation. Processing our own commodities into high-value products increasingly takes place withinin the Netherlands. Processed products generate more profit and have a much higher value per volume. Because of the great importance of transport and increased fuel prices and carbon tax, chemical miles weigh heavier than food miles. Transportation by aeroplane is profitable for many foodstuffs. Trains full of baby food, cheese, confectionery and soft drinks travel along the New Silk Route, the railway link with China, to the new middle classes in Asia, every day. Storage and the processing industry are therefore concentrated around international gateways: airports, ports and container terminals on the railways.

Diversity in rural areas has completely disappeared: farming plots have merged and all focus on the same ten types of crops. The increase in acreage for greenhouse horticulture and use of genetic modification has raised revenues without needing any extra pesticides and fertiliser. This provides enough food to feed the world’s 10 billion inhabitants. Our country’s more prominent role as a hub means that every conceivable type of food is available all the time. Want a durian from Thailand or scorpion fillet from the Atacama Desert? Readily available from the hypermarket, where the choice is gigantic, although there are only five supermarket chains left in the whole of the Netherlands, one per purchasing organisation. Their power is strengthened by exclusive links with producers, who were previously part of the chains.

Technological development plays an important role in this scenario. A far-reaching policy for nature conservation, prevention of deforestation, etc. has reduced the amount of land available for cultivating food. High transport costs make it unfeasible to transport food all over the world. This cuts consumers in the Netherlands off from traditional food fiefdoms in other countries. Foodstuffs are only available if they’re cultivated or made locally. To satisfy our omnifarious demand, production needs to be very varied with smaller-scale cultivation. aarom sterk gevarieerd, met kleinschaligere teelt.

Our love for gadgets transfers to our appetites. Particular, innovative and composite food types are popular. Sometimes these are so advanced and so expensive that they’re only given as a gift on special occasions such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries: event food, as in the example of Japanese square watermelons.

Innovation is used to arrive at fundamentally new types of production. Think for example of alternative raw materials with algae and insects as a source of protein, high-tech precision agriculture by drones and special artificial light. This makes us much less dependent on the supply of raw materials and products from abroad. The quality of the environment (soil, water, air, etc.) is also greatly improved. Production and processing are extensively robotised, which improves food safety and makes some products suitable as a replacement for common medicines.

In this scenario, the Netherlands is self-sufficient, just like many other areas. Everyone faces the shame challenges. Knowledge and expertise are shared extensively between the different areas. Many companies, which previously ran large-scale mass production, have applied their knowledge of processes into hard cash. The revenue from sales is perhaps greatly reduced, but producers from all over the world are investigating how they can optimise their own production. The black-box landscape is transformed into an advisory landscape: the place where showcase projects are exhibited.

Well-payed Dutch consultants travel all over the world to sell their advice. Marketers and storytellers travel with them, to offer a total package of story and product (under licence). Food Valley Wageningen, Meat Valley in Peel, Seed Valley in North Holland and Grass Valley in Friesland put Brainport Eindhoven in the shadow and compete with each other every year to see who scores the most patents.

Trust plays an important role in this scenario. Anxiety about the unknown and strangers is greater than ever. This also applies for our relationship with food. The demand from abroad has almost fully collapsed because of protectionist measures and restrictive bilateral agreements. Dutch consumers also have little need for products from beyond the national borders. Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise. We prefer to focus on trusted products and retreat to our own circles. Autonomy and independence are important for arranging things ourselves. This results in a society built up from small but very close-knit communities with a strong inwards focus.

The basis for the food trade will be the local market where grower and buyer meet each weekly. Food miles are the most important yardstick for food logistics; not because of ideological persuasions, but through pure pragmatism. What you eat depends on the distance that the producer can travel to the market, or that you’re prepared to cycle to pick products up. This makes logistics in the region more visible again. Areas with a diameter of around 30 kilometres provide a full diet of local products. Diversity in rural areas increases enormously to accommodate such a varied offering. We’re forced to eat more seasonal foods. Fruit is mainly available in the summer and autumn. Sprouts prevail in the winter, when stew is always in the pot.

The ideal of strong, close-knit communities also involves a renewed appreciation for exchanging goods – bartering – to enhance good relationships. Local for local increases the value of labour, which is good for small-scale specialization within the community. There’s a bakery in every village and every neighbourhood. Now that efficiency and low prices are no longer decisive factors, there’s more room for developing natural environments. This ecological improvement pays off with a healthier country. There’s no sense in having any bare, empty land. Communities settle on obsolete and abandoned farms to take care of production themselves. Everywhere has a vegetable garden with a soup kitchen next to it. The experience of eating together is priceless.

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How do you bring new life to an old factory site? In 2008, housing association Domijn purchased the five-hectare Polaroid site on the edge of Enschede’s city center. Full demolition and new construction with apartments was intended, but investment opportunities were limited due to the financial crisis. Our team developed a strategy to improve the area in small steps and make it public. And this Performance Factory can continue to grow in the future, as it has historically.

The transformation of the area has not been a project with a clear start, a master plan and an end. Instead, an open process of continuous transformation, additions and changes shape the area and will continue to change the area in the future. Many different uses have already found a place and potential users are talking to the corporation. Participants include a boulder gym, a skating rink, trampolines, an art center, the National Travel Opera, but also a foodbank, a canteen, a workshop and offices.

After winning the Archiprix-initiated competition in 2012, we have been involved in the organic development of the site from 2013 until completion in the summer of 2018, without a fixed final image, following the analogy of “gardening”. In order to allow the area to grow organically, our proposal offers development principles for transformation of landscape, urban area and architecture. These principles guide developments when they present themselves. As clear frameworks, they have been leading for years.

This transformation, like gardening in a cultural landscape, means that the existing site and the building must be analyzed almost clinically. Which elements are of value, which must be preserved, which restored, what can be built on and what must be removed? This analysis was carried out for both the buildings and the entire site.

In addition, we have devised a tool to link specific qualities of buildings to the needs of users. Do they prefer daylight? Do they need a display to the public space? What about size, insulation and sound? And how much do they want to pay for the space and necessary improvements? This makes it a lot easier to find the right location for their question. It also prevents mismatches that exclude other users in the future.

The designer finds a new and long-term involvement that goes beyond delivering a final image. The new process requires (landscape) architectural and urban development strategy and agility. The vision is realized through constant maintenance and transformation and through a mediating role of design in a field of participants and interests. Through continuous pruning, construction and, based on experience, improvement, new public value and quality are gradually and organically created.

The plan “Handbook for Cultivation” has completely convinced the jury with a sound and manageable strategy for the organic development of the area. The metaphor of gardening has been convincingly translated into instruments for developing and managing both the landscape, the building blocks and architecture.

from the jury report

Plan design March 2016

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Production and consumption of energy have grown far apart, both literally and figuratively. As a result, most citizens and companies do not feel an urgency to contribute to the energy transition. Nevertheless, there are inspiring initiatives from residents, companies and governments in the Stedendriehoek. The total size of these initiatives is still too limited to actually make a difference. Time to switch gears.

Each village and every landscape in the Stedendriehoek has its own character. All can contribute – to varying degrees – to the desired regional energy neutrality. Although technical analyses provide knowledge about energy, it does not offer any perspective for actions to take.

In order to create awareness and win the hearts and minds, we must restore local links between production and consumption of energy. This requires an appreciation of existing initiatives. These offer appealing possibilities for real places that go beyond complicated calculations and unrealistic ambitions. Six exemplary projects show how the energy transition could happen without a rigid blueprint. Many different tracks combined also form an anti-fragile strategy.

Observation

Scale up

Stedendriehoek already has many interesting and inspiring initiatives of (individual) residents and companies devoted to the energy transition. However, implementation of proven technology lags behind and future policies remain uncertain. Politics should not slow down local progress.

Local initiatives need to gear up. And that requires a careful understanding of ownership and financing of every part of the energy transition. By linking the designs to programs, we find concrete solutions and causes for an exponential acceleration.

“This governance strategy ‘shifts gears’ both from the bottom up and from the top down, … in order to create active and customized government interventions. It does not propose a global movement, but rather a precise explanation of what should happen where. That makes this entry interesting for a government.”

from the jury report

Finance

The startup economy serves as an inspiring example. A small-scale idea can go global within a few years, with money from friends and family, private investors and the stock market, successively.

Let’s compare this with a sports club with energy ambitions: the members raise money for solar panels at the club house through crowdfunding (membership, sponsored run, etc.). The main sponsors, as business angels, contribute money to get the roof fully covered. This energetic sports club joins a – newly-formed – Cleantech1000 fund with its energy production and resources. When the main pitch is reconstructed, this fund invests in the addition of a ground-coupled heat exchanger and storage. This is the start of a local network for district heating.

This Cleantech1000 fund as a regional fund unites owners of all individual initiatives, entrepreneurs and governments. All invest a small part of their revenues in this fund, which grows and grows as a result. This generates a constant source of regional capital, contributing to shifting gears and scaling up new projects, which in turn become part of the Cleantech1000.

Governance

As important stakeholders in the Stedendriehoek the regional governments should contribute to the Cleantech1000 fund too. Rather than handing out subsidies, the fund becomes an important, entrepreneurial element in the regional economy. Initially, capital for investments and growth is needed. These financial foundations are to be found in the revenues from the sold-off energy companies. Gelderland and Overijssel should advocate provincial control over these proceeds.

This also requires a number of new competences at the involved governments. Fund managers must assess the chances of success and the potential of initiatives and finance it in advance, based on trust. Not every investment will yield a return, but the multitude of initiatives will create a positive balance in the long term: The fund will deliver returns that are tangible in the region.

Let a thousand cleantech flowers bloom

“Shifting gears” shows how connections, innovations and local ownership contribute to the desired shift towards energy neutrality. The proposed interventions appeal to the imagination. Each and every one supports regional efforts and adds to the image of Stedendriehoek as a Cleantech region.

Stedendriehoek becomes a hotbed of products and services enabling the global transition to a sustainable future. Here the world sees how ambition becomes rooted in the capillaries of a region, proudly supported by citizens and businesses.

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Can technology, a sense of security and an atmosphere reinforce each other in an architectural design? For a new connection between the center and the railway zone in Tilburg, The Cloud Collective designed a sequence of spaces where the city, traffic node, rail passage and vacant industrial heritage merge seamlessly. Technology does not play the lead role, but is naturally unobtrusive and simply does what it is supposed to do. Typically Tilburgs, just like the materialization of the passage.

Qualities and characteristics of the area form the base of the design. The route becomes part of a historical sequence of outdoor spaces and green courtyards, currently interrupted by the railroad. The new passage for pedestrians and bikes continues the Willem II Straat and links the city center to the former train repair shop. This creates an inviting gateway to the once hidden city north of the tracks.

Recurring rhythms found in the neighborhood are applied to make this passage part of the urban sequence. The continuity of the route is further enhanced by the use of brick. This is a ubiquitous material in Tilburg – in the railway zone it is used on an industrial scale, in the Willem II Straat it can be seen in more traditional, small-scale facade compositions. So, the passage is “typically Tilburgs” in its materialization.

Observation

The perception of security is an equally important part of the concept. However, we have refrained from using the conventional measures such as cameras and LED displays. Instead, luminous bricks and joints accentuate the tactility of the passage at night, while generating interactive patterns that are controllable brick by brick.

The engineering also allows for future inclusion of technology for light, scent and sound without it becoming intrusive. Technology is not leading – it is naturally unobtrusive and simply does what it is supposed to do. This is important as the passage will be in use for decades to come. And current technology develops at a rapid pace, sometimes becoming obsolete right after its conception. Based on this notion, we have sought a solution where interactivity fades into the background, and merges with familiar elements such as brick, mortar and steel. Technology becomes a natural part of the place. This is not a tunnel of the future, but a tunnel for the future.

North of the tracks lies the former train repair shop. Two new passageways cut through existing buildings offering a secure access to a new series of urban spaces. The route continues along the staff garden which is included in the sequence of green outdoor spaces, referring to the typology of the enclosed garden. The route then connects to the neighborhood of Theresia and the Besterdplein.

The new route attracts visitors and temporary use of the area for festivals prepares it for further developments. The transition period becomes an indicator of a new way of thinking about architecture and urban development.

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The city and the country: it’s all fun and games until…

For the first time in history, over half the world’s population lives in urban areas. The Dutch countryside, however, is rapidly developing as well. The city and the country are closely related and cannot be considered separately. Visitors of the exhibition “The City and the Country”, sometimes unaware, create their own spatial future.

The walls and floors of project space “De Fabriek” in Eindhoven are dotted with metal hooks. Between them, visitors weave pieces of rope to make their own fabric, as if they are building their own city or village in a landscape. This installation of string grows and changes as new visitors participate in the game. “The City and the Country” becomes a play-based investigation into spatial rules and liberties, and the collective creativity of the crowd.

Two teams play a spatial land grab with four kilometers of rope each. A network grows increasingly denser in a weeks long game. In its own abstract manner this game demonstrates the impacts of (neo-)liberal urbanism. Favorable locations attract more thread as points are easy to obtain here. Density thus creates more density. More remote locations generate different structures. In between new patterns arise that are no longer solely urban or rural: this is home to the hybrids. A landscape of threads invites visitors to a strategic game with a serious subtext.

Visitors encounter pressure of urban and rural developments. Opportunities offered by cities appeal and attract people. The Dutch countryside, however, is rapidly developing as well. More than ever it has become a place of residence and employment. It accommodates both the urban excess and evolution according to its own logic. The urban denizens find leisure on the countryside while countrymen shift their focus from production to service-related industries. Will these changes leave room for the essential production of our food? Will this occur even more intensively on the countryside or do we have to find room in our cities? The city and the country are closely related and cannot be considered separately. The Cloud Collective explores this intertwining in a playful way.

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

photography: Peter Cox

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In the paper village of Eerbeek we see opportunities for a modern energy landscape. A new interpretation of heritage gives rise to a widely shared story about the meaning of energy.

New energy in an age-old landscape

The village of Eerbeek has two faces. The first one is already visible from afar: Three plumes of smoke appear on the horizon. Throughout the town the presence of a modern paper industry can be felt. It seems incredible that people live so close to this activity. However, residents report few disturbances, research shows. What is going on here? Almost three-quarters of the residents work in the paper factories and at related companies. The chimney has to smoke.

Observation

Behind this superficial explanation lies Eerbeek’s other face. The paper industry traces back four hundred years. The village owes its existence to a little stream which triggered the economic activities. Man-made sources feed the stream which has been adapted to extract as much energy as possible. Ponds at estates in the area are aesthetically pleasing but also serve as “wijers”: water batteries intended to collect water and fuel a series of paper, flour and oil mills. Forests on the Veluwe have been planted to retain the sand on the rugged plain and as a production forest for the paper mills. The landscape forms an interconnected system, intended to use all available energy. Humans have turned this area in a cultural landscape. Energy is in the DNA of this paper village.

Observation

Heritage under pressure

Today’s energy comes from gas fields in Groningen through pipelines. It is so cheap that the residual heat remains unused and is discharged in the river IJssel ten kilometer downstream. Water for the industrial process is pumped from the deep underground too. Historical links between landscape and industry have been severed. Apart from the large amount of freight traffic, the infrastructure of the paper industry has become invisible.

The stream has no more purpose for the modern industry. However, this historic productive landscape needs maintenance. The stream and sources silt up when not in use. The same applies to the built heritage. Without economic relevance the paper mills and their industrial heritage will vanish.

Old Stories, new energy

People recognize stories from the past in their surroundings. Everyone understands that Eerbeek owes its existence to the stream. These stories offer starting points for much needed future developments. Currently, an incredible amount of energy is used by the paper industry. This will have to change. We need to save energy, be more efficient and waste less, like in the old days.

The energy transition forms an opportunity to restore the energy landscape. Geothermal energy – an alternative to natural gas – offers sustainable, reliable and affordable energy to the paper industry. The residual heat can be used for new activities, recreation, agricultural cultivation and provide to residential areas. The conversation about energy moves away from costs and technology. After all, a terajoule doesn’t excite anyone. Eerbeek emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive understanding of energy, landscape, identity, comfort, and economy.

Eye on the future

This knowledge has been translated into designs for temporary installations. These installations show the opportunities for an improved surrounding, a new economy, and recreation. They offer alternative futures for residents and entrepreneurs, and form an additional reason for tourists to visit Eerbeek. Interventions in the public space provide a basis for a joint conversation about the larger challenges that are at play in Eerbeek. Residents, entrepreneurs and visitors, create a broad shared story about the meaning of energy.

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The Piushaven pavilion revives Tilburg’s old harbor pier. An impressive steel construction houses a new restaurant while adding a high-quality public space to the city. The robust pavilion creates a clear beacon for passers-by.

Raised public space

This important location in the city accommodates a combination of a public and private spaces. A restaurant shares the pier with a covered public space under a raised public plateau. The restaurant is situated close to the water so visitors can revel in magnificient views while keeping space available for public access to the pier. The roof shelters the public from rain and harsh sunlight.

A contextual icon

Local characteristics of the historic port inspired the design of the pavilion. Bulky black historic ships and robust bridges form iconic attributes of the harbor park. The pavilion’s main shape, the robust and industrial construction, the matt black façade and the combination of steel and wood refer to the materials in the environment. In the past, the pier was used for handling of building materials. More recently, it offered space for public events. Now, events can still be organized in a variety of way so the pier can be enjoyed by many. The pavilion uses existing qualities of the pier to become a distinct icon in the public space of the Piushaven.

Observation

Solid structural architecture

The dark, heavy steel edge is an integral part of the building. Its structural platform serves several purposes: During the design-build process, an engineering principle was developed which joins all structural elements, from floor partitions to sun protection, into a structural unity. It doubles as parapet. The over-dimensioned construction and robust connections allow intensive public use on the deck. In order not to damage the historic wooden foundation present at the pier, the columns have been put at a two meter offset of the pier’s edge. The steel frame creates overhangs where necessary. The moment resisting connections and the absence of shear walls ensure a floor plan that is freely configurable.

Engineering becomes the architecture. A robust architecture contributing to the public space of the Piushaven.

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Due to the construction of the N18, the Twenteroute, the bats’ current habitat has been demolished. A few hundred meters away, the Teesinkbos with its combination of open and closed forest, open water and Teesinkbeek provides a food-rich environment. From their new residence, the bats can hunt for insects along the forest edge and above the lake.

A new building has appeared at the estate of the former Huize het Teesink. A folly, an inaccessible building without windows and without doors. Seemingly without function. But this tower is definitely in use. It is the new residence of several bat species: it serves as a summer and a winter residence for the serotine bat and the rare brown long-eared bat and as a maternity and winter residence for the common pipistrelle bat. The tower will be the most important new home for bats in Overijssel.

At seven meters it is the tallest bat house in the Netherlands and every detail is tailored to its new residents. The lower half consists of gypsum walls with openings of 2 to 3 cm where the bats can crawl to hibernate. A drain in the ground makes sure that the tower has a constant humidity. The rough brick facade gives grip to bats during their approach. Open butt joints lead to a narrow cavity. All of this has the exact size for bats to keep warm, but so narrow that it cannot be entered by pine martens.

The top half is a wooden roof structure, like an old-fashioned attic. During summer the brown long-eared bat – with a wingspan of 38cm the biggest bat of the Netherlands – hangs from the rafters. The traditional pantiles provide extra hiding places. The high point and the slope of the roof are situated along the bats’ flight paths. Additionally, the facade offers hideouts between the overlapping oak panels.

Landschap Overijssel has beautifully restored the area to its former state. The paths slowly guide you around the tower. The light brick contrasts with the vegetation, the wood sheeting will gray over time and increasingly blend into the area. Reflected in the water, the appearance is different every time. A sign will explain the structure and its special inhabitants. But that’s as close as you can get: this is home to the bat.

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Zeeland is ready for a new century. A century that will bring challenges we can only solve by bringing together nature, energy and human use. Stroom is a proposal to connect the production of sustainable energy to necessary climate adaptation.

The Westerschelde estuary is dealing with rising sea levels and increasing tidal range. This threatens both water safety and the biodiversity of mudflats and salt marshes. Strong water currents caused by extensive deepening and widening of the navigation channel make this even worse.

The Westerschelde offers room for engineers and nature to collaborate on a new landscape. A landscape on the move, where water and sediments flow, where wet and dry alternate. A landscape full of new energy. Sediment flows can be converted into bio-based structures off the coast: they become basins that retain water between the tides. The water flowing in and out drives turbines to generate energy. The basins function as “silt engines” and create a shallow, low dynamic and silt-rich landscape between the land and the deep channel. Instead of spending millions of euros annually on dredging the Westerschelde, maintenance of the navigation channel is naturally linked to the restoration of mudflats and salt marshes. An intervention with high ecological value in the estuary.

Observation

The estuary is given more room to move freely, with deep channels and an abundance of mudflats and salt marshes. More water flows into the area with every tide, with an increasing flow rate in the channels. This increases the natural depth, which decreases the amount of dredging work. The reduced high water levels give an improved water safety as a additional advantage. This is particularly important at Antwerp’s quays.

In the years to come, the flow of seawater will leave sediment behind, contributing to the natural dynamics of the Westerschelde. This results in a functional landscape for fishing, different types of aquaculture and saline agriculture, in an area with a large biodiversity. This combination is particularly attractive for tourists. In areas with vulnerable dikes (such as Terneuzen – Antwerp), this proposal provides a protective landscape that naturally flows and grows with rising sea levels.

Observation

Energy generation is an integral part of this newly created landscape. There is room for solving multiple problems in and along the Westerschelde. Instead of fighting the water engineers are working with nature, in an new collaborations fitting with the Zeeland tradition.

Bird’s eye perspective

1. room for energy production

2. room for fishing, farming and recreation

3. room for dynamic nature and aquaculture

4. room for temporary polders and saline agriculture

5. room for a coastal protection as a recreational and productive landscape

a protective landscape

a dynamic landscape

an experienceable landscape

a productive landscape

a natural landscape

a safe landscape

a new water management ecosystem

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