Greenpeace launched an architectural competition to stimulate ideas for ways to fortify the Airplot in case a new government allows BAA’s third runway plans to proceed. Effectively, the brief was to come up with a 21st century fortress – capable of resisting BAA’s bulldozers and stopping construction of the runway. Greenpeace asked for an exemplary piece of sustainable design: a practical solution with cultural and aesthetic power to match the depth and importance of what’s at stake. What better fits the committed Greenpeace spirit than devoting the hereafter to the ideal of a better world? What better way than offering those true partisans the ultimate act of eternal activism by embracing the most courageous gesture and radical devotion- Greenpeace’s first dedicated burial ground. Building upon Britain’s proclaimed ‘best in the world’ graveyard heritage, the project concentrates on the actual social immovability of the undertaking and less on the physical immovability. The proposal aids the resistance of evection predicated on the understanding that by law any graves less than 75 years old cannot be removed. The initiation of the project would secure the parcel from development close the 22nd century. The local borough, which would seize to exist due to the runway extension, had planning powers to grant planning permission. With each landing at Heathrow Airport incoming passengers can witness the effectiveness of a peaceful resistance. The entry was made in collaboration with the befriended office Space and Matter (http://www.spaceandmatter.nl), headed by Tjeerd Haccou, Sascha Glasl, and Marthijn Pool.

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The competition entry combined a number of contemporary and historic methodologies into what we term ‘Direct Architecture’. It argues for a renewed relationship between the architectural and urban space and engages the city on its own terms. The site, August Allebéplein, is notoriously known for what is in essence a cultural phenomenon; a disintegrated sense of community. A series of undertaken direct actions and related articles were presented in an edited format most familiar in the shaping of the site; the cities main newspaper Het Parool. The initiated (spatial) campaign used a public square that has been the focus of several anti-social events to demonstrate the effect of targeted, well-designed event orchestration and branding campaigns on the use of public space. The aim with the series of events was to demolish the idea that physical upgrades are essential in order for people to manifest themselves in a self-confident and respectful way. This is something that is achievable through non-physical means when spatial issues are taken into account and leveraged. We would therefore argue for a design intervention that we would call ‘Direct Architecture’: the alteration of activities and non-physical elements in order to create or augment architectural space. The project therefore embraces an architecture that moves from being reactive towards an architecture that is interactive. In collaboration with Matthew Murphy.

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Randstad Sleutelprojecten is an extensive exploration of the so called Randstad Key Projects. The exploration has been done together with OMA and has resulted in the publication “Differentiëren, Calibreren en Integreren Ontwerpende verkenning naar sleutelprojecten in het kader van de Structuurvisie Randstad 2040”. This research by design was accompanied by the Ministery of Spatial Planning (VROM). Based on this exploration of the current Key Projects the government will possibly start with an integral and substantial exploration of the Key Projects after 2020. Examples of these new projects are: Olympic games, integral safety projects and large scale urban projects on an international level. Four narratives are used to explore the full range of the project: Randstad Safe (Randstad veilig), Randstad Health (Randstad gezond), Living together (Samen leven, samen wonen) and Conversion towards electricity (Conversie naar electriciteit). In collaboration with One Architecture B.V. Text One Architecture B.V.

The Ministry VROM has commissioned One Architecture to develops strategies for the Randstad. A Design Studio ‘Networks’ (Atelier Netwerken) was initiated, together with a.o. Xaveer de Geyter (XDGA), Reinier de Graaf (OMA) and Rein Jansma (Zwarts en Jansma), in order to develop a vision for the Randstad in 2040. As a follow-up Yttje Feddes, Matthijs Bouw, Hilde Blank and Jan Brouwer, urban designers, architects and landscape architects explored possible layouts for the region of West-Netherlands, concluded in the book ‘Ontwerpen aan de Randstad 2040’. It is the second issue in the series ‘Design and Politics’. This series is an initiative of VROM (Dutch ministery of housing). The book describes three perspectives on the future of the Randstad: Wereldstad, Kunststad and Buitenstad. In collaboration with One Architecture B.V. Text One Architecture B.V.

Benetton are an atypical brand insofar as they use an advertising strategy that relies on publishing of a number of discrete moments. They use their power to bring real-life conditions – either beautiful or tragic – to the fore. They, unlike other large retail brands, don’t ‘sell’ anything. Their brand is allied with Beauty, Truth and Empathy and a feeling of shared humanity. How can a building deliver on this principle? The proposal for Benetton have made that freedom possible through the provision of Tehran’s most precious public space; its (intimate) parks. The project argues that any urban building’s ultimate purpose is to provide a space for meaningful interaction – either face to face or implicit through the experience of shared space. The building occupies a prominent position on a boulevard known for its role within the everyday, unofficial encounters of the city’s youth: the Bluetooth strip. It provides the urban quality that is absent from any other store around the world: the un-programmed space. In this city where the interactions of Benetton’s target audience are curtailed – formalized – the project proposes the ultimate contribution the brand can make to Tehran; a collective space for human encounter, framing a series of ‘images’, asking us to contemplate a shared humanity. The essence of Benetton Tehran is that is it present in the fullest sense through its absence. The shop floor has been removed from street level – sent hovering above and visible below – and instead a park provides a space where Benetton promote the most valuable product – freedom. In collaboration with Tjeerd Haccou (http://www.spaceandmatter.nl) and Matthew Murphy.

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Catalogus NL shows a rich variety of security mechanisms located within the Randstad four largest cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Haque, and Utrecht. Forty additional examples from antiterrorism and security measures in major cities around the globe accompany this catalogue. The main reason for establishing such catalogue came as a direct result off a design task. ‘Security ‘design’ is often ‘ad-hoc’ – retrofitted on the level of the (architectural) object. The options offered to designers are limited, i.e. “Are you worried about vehicle born explosion? Then block up the underground car park”. The direct context of the object which needs to be secured is to a great degree scrutinized in terms of their treat, to a much lesser degree, if at all, seen as potentials. De collection of security mechanism are set-out as different components that can be used speculatively and applied at an very early design stage. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Coordinator of Terrorism (NCTb) were involved in the project.

Kop van Isselt in Amersfoort is located on a strategic location close to the city center and in near proximity of highway and train station. Surrounded by several major urban development projects, Kop van Isselt can play a key role in the growth of Amersfoort. Kop van Isselt has unique spatial qualities and a rich industrial history. Key elements in its character are the ‘backbone’ of the Nijverheidsweg, the connection with Amsterdamseweg and the existing (latent) structures such as the Warner Jenkinson area. Five different perspectives provided insight in the range of possibilities for Isselt. A financial quick scan and tentative schemes for phasing support the perspectives. In collaboration with One Architecture B.V. Text One Architecture B.V.

Specialist Operations was tasked to make a quick volumetric study for the location Puntenburgerlaan 76 – 84, Amersfoort. The program consist out of 18 apartments and 4 retail units at ground level, hence replacing the existing building. The proposal honors the existing facade and window layout and incorporates this bluntly into the new scheme. Additional program is added, anticipating the urban sequence of the street. The underutilized plot is used to re-introduce a central garden.

Espoo’s FitLife architecture is predicated on this holistic understanding of human health, longevity and happiness. It is designed to facilitate and encourage a plethora of organized and informal social activities through a variable and nuanced integration of circulation, collective and private spaces. The project begins by recognizing a number of factors that evidence has shown to affect health and wellbeing among both general and hospital populations . The project attempts to apply architectural and urban tools to proven hospital typologies and to create a field condition which caters to those clients with the longest hospital stay – those whom recovery is most likely to be affected by such measures. In collaboration with Matthew Murphy.

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Bezalel’s plan – to consolidate and relocate a campus into a single building within the city – was an unprecedented opportunity for two experiments. First, the potential for an art school, dense and efficient, yet as informal as its previous incarnation and, second, the integration of that institution into the historic fabric of Jerusalem – into the culture of an Israel under contiual pressure to transform. Consolidated program is arranged according to a spectrum of potential that manages the vague borders between programme for focused production, that with the potential for disciplinary cross-breeding and functions and activities ripe for integration with the city. In collaboration with Matthew Murphy.

The subregional plan for the KNIA region exploits the potential for real estate development within a sustainable planning strategy. The linear structure enables not only the integration of natural resources such as the vicinity to the White Nile river and its fertile grounds, it also links local community interests to new economic development triggered by the airport KNIA. The establishment of a linear hub between the airport and the city enables for a productive connectivity between the informal of the African economy and new formalized international developments. In addition it creates a desirable buffer around the airport for future growth, beneficial as a future expansion areas, something that is increasingly problematic issue for airports. In collaborations with Leit-werk Ltd, London. Text Leit-werk Ltd.

Commission for site selection and master plan for new greenfield airport, urban concept, concept and detailed design and provision of tender documents, Khartoum, Sudan.
After selecting the location for the new airport, the urban master plan and the concept design for the passenger terminal, the ATC tower and further key airport buildings was developed.The master plan separates characteristic activities in two distinct areas: the Pax City and the Cargo City. By imposing a formal band structure a coherency between buildings and landscape elements is formally achieved. The PAX terminal creates a vivid image for the airport forming an iconic gateway for entering the country. In collaboration with Leit-Werk Ltd, London. Tekst by Leit-werk Ltd.

The project was conducted at the Architectural Association School of Architecture. The ongoing antiterrorism alterations in London gave rise to address the current security climate. The evidence of spatial fall-out of anti-terrorism measures is scattered across London, from little noticed upgrades to camera security to the – more visible – installation of concrete barriers around our most popular tourist attractions in Whitehall. These developments are significant on several accounts. When looking in greater detail they demonstrate that decisions taken in the name of security render many of the city’s physical, social, economic and statutory mechanisms unsustainable; that, once taken, they are in essence irreversible; and that – while spatial, architectural, urban – they are divorced from architectural discourse and practice. Specialist Operations was first to successfully put forward unconventional antiterrorism measures to the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

A generally accepted definition of terrorism is; “The use or threat of violence in service of a political aim, to ultimately change the system”. Architects are not the ones who are carrying machine guns or smuggle suicide bombs into an underground network. The connection is not violence. Nevertheless, the project shows similarities. First and most important of which is the unavoidable confrontation with authority. It’s also planned, calculated and systematic in nature where the outcome can only be predicted within limits. Secondly, the acts of terrorism is always concerned beyond the immediate target, like architectural terrorism. This kind of terrorism is not aiming, primarily, to hold or control territory or exercise any sovereignty. It creates a counter force (counter-condition) where there is none. It is aggressive in its speed and determinate character. Showing the condition of space and confronting this condition means operating at the borderline of duality. The introduction of a counterforce to unravel the conditioning of public space by authority forms the project’s objective. The project was undertaken as graduation project at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam.

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