At 1.6 Resilient Feijenoord
The design studio’s theme is the concept of manipulability (e.g. to what extent spatial design can change society) or the lack thereof. A strategy will be developed which will express next to programmatical and physical ambitions also a specific number of sustainable, sociological and economical ambitions.
On the site of the Kop van Feijenoord spatial strategies for inducing resilience will be explored and tested. The current master plan is rather specifically aimed at attracting new residents with great purchasing power. Due to the economic crisis and the lack of public support these goals won’t be attained in the short run. At the same time it’s very important to do ‘something’ in the neighborhood to prevent further deterioration.
The area is interesting due to its high risk of flooding and its social-economical profile. Both mitigating as well as adaptive measures, being able to be put to the test on different scales ranging from building level to the whole area are being studied. All aspects of a sustainable city will be discussed: mobility, urban densification, the completion of energy, water, material and waste cycles, food production and urban water management. Strategies will be tested according to criteria like suitability and fit, spatial impact, economical feasibility and the planning in phases (think of temporary and in-between-time solutions).
The most promising strategies will be developed (by teams) into a united vision on the whole area. Proposals on the scale of building or public space will be shown next to large-scale infrastructural solutions. The end result will be reworked after the final presentation into an exhibition for the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam which takes place in April 2012.
