The first encounter with Mosplein, a square in Amsterdam Noord, calls to mind a no man's land in a piecemeal assemblage of structures. In the first instance, my idealism set me to designing a modern community centre that was to bring an end to the chaos and desolation at a stroke. As my design progressed, however, I discovered the hidden potentials on site. I came to value more and more the dynamic structures of the unfinished main canal, the open marketplace, the abandoned hospital which was later a hotel. So I took up the challenge of reanimating the seemingly lifeless elements in creative ways and transforming them into a cohesive new public space.

The success of urban developments where social interaction is encouraged is usually bound up with the choice of programme and the degree of publicity in the right quarters. In my case, it meant redefining and attuning the functions that are to occupy the received structures. I use a high-powered programme to bring out new spatial developments naturally and harmoniously. The local residents will ultimately be drawn together by this transformation of their living environment.

Armed with this new perspective, I have extended the interrupted canal to stitch together the neighbourhoods either side of it both geographically and socially. The former hospital has been converted into a community centre. Its distinctive form makes it readily identifiable, and at the same time an existing structure is being used and respected. The interior has been transformed in its entirety. The different substructures are united into a new identity with cultural, social and educational facilities.

All considered, this approach shows convincingly that with a little imagination existing structures that at first look utterly unsuitable can be adapted to accept new duties. It taught me what sustainability can mean in urban developments.

A design project such as this should be treated as a living organism that can breathe, adapt and evolve with the constantly changing demands made by society. In contemporary urban architecture, therefore, it is essential that architects are in constant dialogue with their designs, the sites and the future users.

Place of education: AvB Amsterdam | Specialization: architecture | Tutors: Herman Hertzberger, John Bosch, Maike van Stiphout