Hourglass is a proposal to redevelop the quarry and surrounding grounds of the Boudewijn sand-lime brick factory in Ossendrecht in the province of Noord-Brabant. The rough treatment of the landscape has left a unique domain where the forces of nature engage with the dynamics of excavation in a new harmony. This can be read off in a succession of soil processes and an ecological wealth in the quarry that sets it apart from its surroundings. The standard response these days is to level off and plant such sites. Hourglass deviates from this departure-point and offers an alternative that is truer to the situation as it has evolved. The reason for deviating lies in the strata or Formations in the quarry. Here you can witness two million years of the creative process that gave rise to Brabantse Wal, an escarpment where Upper Pleistocene sands meet Holocene clay. It is also the only place in the Netherlands where the Tegelen Formation is so close to the surface and visibly present. Ground submerged for many centuries has been exposed to daylight, wind and water by excavation. This has lent it a vibrancy with a wide range of expressions including erosion gullies, petrified walls, red walls, azure blue and bright red pools, green clay, mini caves and wind-blown sand dunes.

This plan seeks to bring these geological and ecological processes into view. Its aim is to facilitate a fascination for geology, hydrology, ecology and forces of nature in a dramatized form. The dynamic now present on site will need to take on a new thrust to visualize these geological processes. Giving momentum to these processes therefore requires a driving force. On-site differences in height and the surplus surface and seepage water can best serve as an engine for this 'Geo-machine'.

The components of the Geo-machine make up the basic units of Hourglass. It is otherwise shaped by processes that seem natural but are in fact designed. These processes give strength to the terrain, lending it identity and character. The outcome is a place without a fixed form, whose appearance will change from day to day. The inexorable power unleashed on site by the Geo-machine means that the heads of islands get washed way, walls collapse, gullies are eroded and trees uprooted.

It is a park whose sheer variety enables it to compete with zoos or amusement parks though without the sense of being overly produced. The controlled distortion generates a surrealistic landscape that evokes sensations suggested in games like Tomb Raider and Exile but that are now for real.

Place of education: AvB Amsterdam
Specialization: landscape architecture
Tutors: Marieke Timmermans, Berno Strootman, Paul Roncken