The position of the elderly in today's society is changing. In fact 'the elderly' no longer exists as such, having become a varied group of articulate citizens. This transformation does require reviewing and revising the existing modes of dwelling; new domestic facilities have to pick up on what future residents are going to need over and above health and social care and help. For this, it is vital to effect a shift from intramural to extramural so as to draw urban space and the individual living environment closer together.

The chosen location for a care-friendly environment along these lines is in Polderweggebied, a residential area formerly occupied by a gas factory (Oostergasfabriek) in the Amsterdam district of Oost-Watergraafsmeer. A large site, it contains an assemblage of buildings from different ages in a labyrinthine fabric of widely varying sizes, scales and types of architecture. Abstract volumes carefully positioned in the informal residual space between the buildings use this space to glue it all together. The resulting spatial fabric is divided into urban 'rooms' arranged into a sequence which structures the facilities accommodated in the new and existing buildings. These 'rooms' can accommodate personal experiences and collective occurrences. They are places where encounter and exchange really can take place. The planning strategy in fact treats the existing programme as a handle for using the urban space, upgrading the existing buildings in the process.

The urban rooms have an ambience dictated by the architecture of their elevations, with a plinth of facilities in a starring role. This ground-floor level houses the amenities for social care and help necessary to make the environment care-friendly, as well as 'informal' facilities. These last-named elements attach to services already on site geared to culture, sports, education, leisure and commerce. As an architectural body, the plinth is to spice up one's wanderings through the urban space. Whether it registers explicitly in an urban room or gives a more subtle view of what is happening behind the facade, it enables the spectator to experience the zone as a cinematic sequence of fleeting impressions. At the same time the spectator in the plaza is an 'extra' in a scene observed by the buildings' occupants. The position and dimensions of the window in the facade is tailored to this endless game of seeing and being seen. The plinth of facilities, rather than being limited to the ground floor, extends into the third dimension, continuing the game upwards. This perspective ingredient also sees to it that dwelling becomes part of the game played by the 'plinth'.

The planning area can be described as a well-worn zone where the history of its industrial past may still be read. The successive historical stages with their scars still visible can scarcely deny they ever flourished. An oppressive atmosphere of coal gas production prevails in the collage of buildings. This plays a decisive role in the architecture and even more so in the material form of the abstract additions.

Place of education: TU Eindhoven
Specialization: architecture
Tutors: Ton Venhoeven, Hüsnü Yegenoglu, Sophie Rousseau