I set myself the task of designing for a square in Amsterdam (Mr. Visserplein) a building that would transform the non-space of the square into a place to linger. My analysis of the square had taught me that there was no sense in enhancing it by entering into dialogue with the existing situation. That would only disrupt and disorientate the area further. An important point was not to forget how the pedestrian sees the surroundings. Someone walking past the building should feel that he can spend time at that place. Accordingly, I needed to design a space in which the distance between my building and the passing pedestrian was kept to a minimum. The 'place of physical presence' became my jumping-off point for architecturally fleshing out the scheme. This fact I could give shape to by wrapping a wall round the place where the building is situated. By so doing I was simply affirming that this is a space that cannot be integrated into its setting. A building within a building. I then deliberately chose to design, as it were, from the inside outwards. The demarcating wall had to be thoroughly freestanding, thereby creating space: a framework within which freedom rules. Institution: Tilburg Tutors: Martien Jansen & Leon Mevis Specialization: architecture