The research of our graduation students has reached the next stage. Within the department of “Architecture and Modernity” (Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft) the three students (left to right) Sander Smoes, Gijs Sanders and Carlos Beira recently presented their first phase of the research. The audience consisted of fellow ExploreLab 8 students, coordinating teacher John Heintz and tutors Robert Nottrot, Fokke Wind and Otto Trienekens. The research proposols were received in a possitive way.
At work at the Veldacademie Rotterdam
The research mainly focuses on aspects concerning the urban renewal of Oud Charlois. The research itself was split into three parts to cover a broad as possible bandwidth of aspects;
Oud Charlois at the Harbor
Which programs are needed to add extra value to the district as well as the harbor area?
The district of Oud Charlois lies next to the harbor-area Waalhaven-Oost and has come to the stage of redevelopment. Because the plans for the harbor and Oud Charlois are not integrated, they do not relate to each other and slowly the dike is becoming a bigger barrier dividing the two. The goal of the research is to find possibilities of how Oud Charlois can take advantage of the developments of the harbor-area.
A Dynamic District
This research aims at creating a livable district by blending functions like small urban businesses and dwellings. Already a great number of artists are based in Oud Charlois and the vision of the municipality is to increase the existing amount and create an “Art-district”. However, taking into account the education and cultural background of the majority of inhabitants, this does not seem to match the municipality’s ambitions. This is seen as a new chance to integrate small skilled labor enterprises such as furniture maker, goldsmith or engraver in the district. By creating space for the mentioned businesses, the inhabitants are given the chance to get involved into the economic change of the district and will also relate to the already existing enterprises of the creative sector. In the long term this will enlarge the diversity of Oud Charlois. The main question that should be asked is: Which type of economic activity does match the inhabitants and will help the districts economic situation at the same time?
Typology of dwellings Typology of economic activity
Blending economic activity with dwellings
Becoming Old in Oud Charlois
How to create an appealing surrounding to keep the elderly in Oud Charlois as long as possible? Already the municipality of Rotterdam questioned this problem and researched a combination of living-support-areas for the elderly and how to implement them. This part of the research will focus on the plans of Living-service-areas already made by the municipality concerning this blend of functions. One part of the research aims to register the needs of the elderly en especially of the great amount of non-Dutch senior citizens. The results will help to create a district that allows people to grow old in “their” familiar surroundings.
- Living-support-area: appealing living environment for young and old
- Living-care-area: environment with more care and services than average
- Living-care-complex: the center of the living-care-area
source: woonservicegebieden in stadsregio Rotterdam, samen steeds verder