The design for a Limburg zeppelin port sprang principally from my enthusiasm for technique and the construction of zeppelins. It is, also, a major challenge to develop a use form that has few if any contemporary reference projects. We can identify a renewed serious interest among policy-makers for dirigibles as an environmentally-friendly, safe and commercial alternative for certain existing modes of transport for medium distances such as planes and the TGV. If new life were to be infused into the zeppelin there should certainly be one zeppelin port in the Maas-Rijn region, the area around Maastricht, Aachen, Liège, Heerlen and Hasselt. After some research I finally opted for a site in the park town of Heerlen, taking the scenic value into particular consideration. The zeppelin port was then stitched into its surroundings. A key stepping-off point when designing such a large and complex building was to ensure that travellers can get their bearings. I enlisted a wide array of allied disciplines for the self-chosen brief including mechanical engineering, urban design and landscape architecture. Various aspects of the brief were explored including the mode of travel, the technology involved and the history of the zeppelin. I looked in especial depth at the method of landing, seeing that this is one of the principal problems besetting the zeppelin.

Place of education: AvB Maastricht
Specialization: architectuur
Tutors: Jo Janssen, Gerhard Kalhöfer & Joost Vroege