Course: ON4

The fourth major design course of the bachelor included the first major transformation assignment. The aim was to transform a block of portal flats in Mariahoeve, The Hague, into modern and mixed-use housing.

The houses currently in the neighbourhood are mostly outdated, having barely been renovated in the ±50 years they have been standing. Along with many other houses in the neighbourhood, they are all the same size. Due to the lack of diversity, problems such as problem youth and crime have cropped up in the neighbourhood.

The project Recreatie van variatie (Recreation of Variety) harks back to the original idea behind the Mariahoeve neighbourhood. In this district, in contrast to the mostly monotonous modernist suburbs that emerged at this time, the intention was to offer a diverse range of buildings. As a result, all the stamps in the district are different from each other. This variation is now continued in the stamps of the design area.

The houses are merged or left alone in a random pattern. The direction in which they are merged also varies. This intervention transforms the monotonous flats into a variety where many different income groups and thus target groups can find housing. Besides rearranging the dwellings, the flats are also topped up with additional dwellings, this to meet the 1.5x densification defined in the brief.

In light grey the original buildings and in dark grey the new buildings, whether or not in the form of an elevation.

The different dwelling types over the different floors displayed with colour. The colour corresponds to the cladding at that location.

The different house types get different types of brick cladding. In this way, it can be seen what kind of dwelling is behind the facade, it follows the entire area of the respective dwelling on the facade. The colours of the bricks are based on bricks that the other buildings of the neighbourhood outside the planning area have. The result is a mosaic of house facades.