How can competition outcomes contribute to new means of city making?
An interview with jury members Jacob van Rijs, Beatriz Ramo, and Like Bijlsma
Head jury member for the Rotterdam sites, Jacob van Rijs
Photo: Fred Ernst
Although the Europan 15 competition has concluded, the process is still in full swing. To make the best possible use of the submitted ideas, discovered design talent and unleashed energy, workshops have been started in which winners get to work with the city, Europan 15 partners, local stakeholders and other experts. In this way innovative ideas can be further developed and integrated into final plans. So which challenges should be tackled first? We asked the three Rotterdam-based jury members: Like Bijlsma, Beatriz Ramo and Jacob van Rijs.
Create conditions for changing lifestyles
Architect Beatriz Ramo is reluctant to answer questions about specific Europan locations. She would rather consider questions about the city in general. Which challenges is Rotterdam facing and how can the entries help provide direction and visualization? ‘Europan invites reflection on changing lifestyles in relation to important themes such as accessibility, affordability and flexibility. These are exactly the subjects on which Rotterdam ought to develop stronger views. Because of their creative outlook, the Europan winners can contribute to this in follow-up workshops. Is it possible to develop a new type of street plan, linked to the theme of the productive city, that makes housing affordable and its use flexible over time? Is it possible to reflect innovatively on flexible development processes on the basis of values, rather than develop on the basis of master plans with fixed end images? The winning entries for the Vierhavensblok occasioned the further development of flexible models of this type. In search of innovative concepts and prototypes for changing lifestyles, it’s also worthwhile to seriously compare the entries at the European level. What is happening elsewhere, in foreign cities, with regard to the productive city?’
Take the time to make to measure
In this context it’s important to avoid simply copying solutions to other locations. Architect and geographer Like Bijlsma: ‘Market parties in particular like to talk about solution directions in terms of scalability. I have difficulty with that word. Upscaling seems to ignore the human scale of locations. Take, for example, the new types of in-between space, with work spaces in the base and different ground levels, proposed by the design team of the winning project for location Vierhavensblok site, Makers’ Maze. This solution fits perfectly into Vierhavens’ informal, productive atmosphere. It’s not a type that is easily applied in a harbour area with a different atmosphere and context. Every location has its own challenges, even if building typologies or district morphologies are the same. Solution directions based on Europan entries should therefore always be developed in a location-specific manner.’
Jury member, Beatriz Ramo interviews H3O, the winning team for Kop Dakpark
Photo: Fred Ernst
Visualize the potential of the city
Europan also helps to create a better picture of certain urban districts. The entries for the location Groot IJsselmonde show that we should look more closely at our urbanized garden cities, places that still have a lot to offer in terms of living, working and densification. Architect Van Rijs: ‘Many people tend to overlook this type of district. But the post-war districts’ surface area is huge and we need this to meet the housing challenge. It’s important for us to take notice of the qualities of these types of districts. The connections between Groot IJsselmonde and the rest of Rotterdam are good and the district has a mix of population groups, relatively cheap housing and quite a lot of green. Although the theme of the productive city is not easy to implement here.’ There’s work to be done here for design teams that can take the next step using design.
Test innovative ideas in practice using prototypes
Elaborations should amount to more than paper plans, says Ramo. ‘Testing by building is an important step in the urban development process. There is often little time for this. Because Europan does not directly target the rapid realization of winning plans, we can take the time to test on location.’
Jury member, Like Bijlsma at the Europan award ceremony
Photo: Fred Ernst
Create space for open, creative processes
In this follow-up process, all of the jury members recognize the added value of the part AIR plays by organizing the workshops. Ramo: ‘AIR can help teams break the ice as they work with partners and the city. This is important, because you have to remember that young designers often have little experience in working with developers or the city. Foreign offices also face language barriers. Under these circumstances, you need an independent party to help build communication and trust.’
Jacob van Rijs, architect and co-founder and principal architect of MVRDV and former Europan winner, is the chairman of the jury whose other members are Beatriz Ramo, architect and founder of STAR strategies + architecture, and Like Bijlsma, architect and geographer and co-founder of SUBoffice and researcher at PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.
Interview by Marieke Berkers on behalf of Europan NL
