Reypoort Transvaal – The Hague, The Netherlands, Competition 2010 In collaboration with Leo Harders Architecten Partners in development: Zebra Foundation and Dura Vermeer Bouw Heyma For: Staedion
This competition entry offers a plan which aims to establish social cohesion in the neighbourhood of Transvaal. It has the potential to function as a free meeting place for people of all kinds and with different interests. The new addition on top of the existing gate will become the mediator for contact. The activity within, as lead for a conversation, the animator for possible friendships and mutual understanding. Especially in a time of social and political hardening, something seemingly simple as this initiative can give the positive impulse which our multiform cities might need. This project will become a creative stimulus by designing it as an interactive object, not a solitary construction, but part of everyday life in the neighbourhood.
Many welfare organizations operating in areas as Transvaal deal with the same challenge for the future. Scattered over numerous unrecognizable locations, they do very important work by offering school support, lectures, sport events and much more. But the tendency is that moreover these organizations benefit less from governmental funds, resulting in that they have to seek for new means of income. In order to survive, a clear profile and a more commercial attitude are necessary. To make this possible, ´Raising up on Reypoort´ will function as a communal identity, a reference for all.
Inside the lightweight composite construction, various multifunctional spaces facilitate a wide range of activities. On either side underneath the gate, entrances give easy, yet controllable, access to the building above. Three layers of different spaces are clearly distinctive by colors, these colors in their turn stand out from the buildings monumental appearance. Split-levels create interesting vistas, and unify the building spatially in a transparent yet strong emblem.
