This colossus has been projected in the empty reaches of the IJ inlet, between the order of the city and the dynamics of its docks. Isolated here among the harbour basins of Houthavens, the hybrid building comes on like a pioneer. It boasts 240 dwelling units, a hotel with 100 rooms and a number of public amenities including a bowling ally, a centre for sports and swimming, a convention centre, a bar, a restaurant, a boathouse and lettable workrooms. Houthavens is caught in the tug-of-war between the established, permanent city as Aldo Rossi describes it, and the temporary occupation of space, the encampment, comparable with Constant Nieuwenhuys's New Babylon project. In view of its location, those living or working in the complex can operate outside the law of the traditional city and engage instead in a culture of alliances. Each public activity acts as the scenery for another. These activities change over time, as outdoor spaces are shared and keep taking on new attributes. The changing alliances enrich life in the building. The more private components containing the apartments and hotel rooms are elevated above the communal world. Together the different portions orchestrate the new use of Houthavens. Subscribing to the great scale of docks, industry and water, the colossal volume leaves the distinctive character of the large-scale IJ inlet intact.

Orson Welles' filming of Kafka's novel 'The Trial' was a major influence on the building's functional configuration. The routeing through the public components at street level is modelled on the powerful spatial contrasts characterizing this film. Above this 'plinth' rises the tall portion of housing and hotel. The public volumes are interwoven rhizome-like with the linear paths guiding pedestrians, cyclists and motorized traffic through the complex. This linearity organizes the architecture of 'le Plus Grand Nombre', building at a massive scale. The act of interweaving constructs a succession of spaces with contrasts in scale and dimensions. People inside the public volumes follow lines that cross the traffic paths at right angles, with the possibility of changing from one system to the other at each such intersection. Here too are entrances or outdoor spaces; these spaces are extremely varied and each serves a specific purpose.

This final year project is concerned with creating a culture in a building. The community in this building acquires the character of a city-within-a-city due to the sheer scale and isolated setting. Here, dwelling is enacted in a culture that breaks away from the rules and regulations of the city, giving residents the opportunity to shake off fixed social role patterns.

Place of education: TU Eindhoven
Specialization: architecture
Tutors: Ton Venhoeven, Pieter Jan Gijsberts, Bruno De Meulder