UIA/UNESCO Seminar on Re-allocation of Buildings, a ...unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001012/101291eo.pdf · by prof. H. de Jonge 48 ... Mr. A. Eduardo Millan, Caracas, Venezuela

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12th UIA-UNESCO seminar

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Re-allocation of Buildings A sustainable future for educational

and cultural spaces?

organisation:

Borgerstede bv

Borgersstede 9

5131 NX Alphen

The Netherlands

' R e - a I ! o c a t i o n of Bu i ld ings '

a sustainable future for educational and cultural spaces?

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Table of contents

Foreword 4 Organizing committee 5 List of U.I.A.-delegates 5 List of participants 6 Acknowledgement 9

1. Theme of the seminar 1.1 Introduction 10 1.2 'Re-use of buildings saves money, environment, culture and

atmosphere', (article) 12 1.3 Chicago declaration 17

2. Keynote-speakers 2.1 General introduction 18 2.2 'Re-allocation in relation to sustainable building'

by prof. ir. C.A.J . Duijvestein 22 2.3 'Re-allocation of buildings from a conservationists point of view'

by drs. A . L . L . M . Asselbergs 41 2.4 'Real-estate is re-use'

by prof. H. de Jonge 48 2.5 'Spatial relations between town and college'

by mr. C .J .D . Waal 53 2.6 'Re-use? Should Education and Science care?'

by drs. H . W . M . Schoof 61

3. Cases 3.1 Introduction of the cases 68 3.2 Case 'De Pont' by W . M . Crouwel 69 3.3 Case ' D e Maagd ' by O . Greiner 71 3.4 Case 'Town Hall of Bishop Auckland' by B. Ainsworth 73 3.5 Case 'Wolters Noordhoff by K. Rijnboutt 75 3.6 Case ' N e w Life for Older Schools' by J. Castellana 77 3.7 Case 'University Library Bucarest' by P. Swoboda 79 3.8 Case 'Het Arsenaal' by Tj. Dijkstra 81 3.9 Case ' N e w life for Michael's Hill' by Y . Hertz 84 3.10 Case 'Sustainable urban planning in Breda' by A . W . Hartman 86 3.11 Case 'Re-allocation of two educational buildings'

by J. Schneider 88 3.12 Case 'Upelaar' by L. Rienks 90

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e-allocation of Bui ld ings'

a sustainable future for educational


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Excursion in Amsterdam

4.1 Introduction

4.2 International Institute of Social History

4.3 The Gerardus Majella Church

4.4 From Brewery to Fashion Academy

4.5 An Utopian artists village in Amsterdam

92

93

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98

Report on the plenary discussions 101

UlA-working group comment on plenary discussions

6.1 Problems when stimulating re-use for educational purposes 106

6.2 Discussed solutions 109

To conclude 111

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Foreword

With this final report the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA) and the

Organizing committee of the working group 'Espaces Educatifs et Culturels' of the

Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA) present the results of the seminar

'Re-allocation of Buildings' that w a s held in the city of Breda, The Netherlands. It

w a s an honour to host the UlA-delegates and other participants of the seminar as

they are an eminent group of inspired professionals and global citizens.

The wide variety of participants of this seminar showed the interest in the integral

approach to change 're-allocation by accident' into 're-allocation by plan'. Not only

architectural and physical planning, but also political, governmental, educational,

ecological and cultural aspects are part of this process of change. This explains

w h y policy-makers, administrators, scientists, planners, architects, financial

experts and contractors have participated.

Re-use and re-allocation of buildings is not a n e w phenomenon. However in recent

years n e w impulses have been added to the discussion to 'recycle' existing

buildings and to design n e w buildings that are sustainable. The organizing

committee w a s very pleased that the chosen theme: Re-allocation of Buildings;

a sustainable future for educational and cultural spaces? proved to be a logical

continuation of the UlA-congress 'Designing for a sustainable future' in Chicago,

June 1 993 . W e translated the theme into the challenging thesis 'Re-allocation

contributes to sustainable building'. During the seminar and the following working

group meeting w e noticed that the participants took up that challenge.

The m a n y aspects and complexity of the theme on one hand and the different

points of view on the other, were input for lively discussions. W e had to conclude

that the discussions have not yet reached to an agreement. Therefore the results

of this seminar have to be preliminary. The Organizing committee calls upon the

UlA-working group 'Espaces Educatifs et Culturels' to continue the discussions at

another appropriate occasion in order to draw final conclusions.

For the Organizing committee,

Kees van der Zwet

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Organizing committee, UlA-delegates and participants

The members of the organizing committee were:

Mr. R. Almeida,

Chief Educational Architecture Unit Unesco,

member of the Working Group 'Espaces Educatifs et Culturels';

Mrs. A . Goodwin-Diaz,

Educational Architecture Unit Unesco,


Mr. Y . Michail,

secretary of the Working Group 'Espaces Educatifs et Culturels';

Mrs. B . E . M . Visser-Kuipers, foreign relations' secretary of the Royal

Institute of Dutch Architects B N A ;

Mr. L.J. Rienks,

managing director Rienks-Van Poppel, architects and engineers, Breda,

member of the Working Group 'Espaces Educatifs et Culturels',

chairman of the Organizing committee;

Mr. W . Fielmich,

Chief external consultancy Government Building Agency,


Mr. M . J . M . Regouin,

managing director of the College of Fine Arts and Design St. Joost, Breda;

Mr. C . C . van der Zwet,

managing director Borgersstede bv,

member of the Working Group 'Espaces Educatifs et Culturels'.

List of UIA delegates:

Mrs. Gunna Adlercreutz, Helsinki, Finland

Mr. prof. Adil Mustafa Ahmad, Khartoum, Sudan

Mr. Bill Ainsworth, Newcastle upon Tune, Great Brittain

Mr. prof. Fred Bühler, Muenchen, Germany

Mrs. Maria Conceicao Braz de Oliveira, Lisboa, Portugal

Mr. John J. Castellana, Bloomfield Hills - Michigan, United States of America

Mr. Vladimir Damianov, Sofia, Bulgaria

Mr. Jan Dolejsi, Bratislava, Slovakia

Mr. Zeev Druckman, Kiriyat Ono, Israel

Mr. Jorge Farelo Pinto, Lisboa, Portugal

Mr. W i m Fielmich, Lelystad, The Netherlands

Mrs. Anne Goodwin-Diaz, Paris, France

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Mrs. Eva Gurney, Harare, Zimbabwe

Mr. Yaacov Hertz, Maccabim, Israel

Mr. José Luis Jimeno Garcia, Madrid, Spain

Mr. Lajos Jeney, Budapest, Hungaria

Mrs. Lourdes Mellendez, Caracas, Venezuela

Mr. Yannis Michael, Athene, Greece

Mr. Joao Honorio de Mello Filho, Sao Paulo, Brasil

Mr. A . Eduardo Millan, Caracas, Venezuela

Mr. Dick Mooij, Breda, The Netherlands

Mrs. Betty Politi, Tel Aviv, Israel

Mr. Luut Rienks, Breda, The Netherlands

Mr. prof. Salah Shehata, Cairo, Egypt

Mr. Petre Swoboda, Bucarest, Roumania

Mr. Claude Verdugo, Rabat, Marocco

Mr. S . H . Wandrekar, Bombay, India

Mr. David Young, Gabarone, Zimbabwe

Mr. Jacobo Schneider, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mr. prof. Anton Schweighofer, Vienna, Austria

Mr. prof. Olle Wahlstrom, Stockholm, Sweden

Mr. Kees van der Zwet, Alphen (N-Br), The Netherlands

Guests of the UlA-working group:

Mr. Enrique Altuna, Beunos Aires, Argentina

Mrs. Aviva Kinnar, Jerusalem, Israel

Mr. Felipe de J. Prado Amarillas, Monterrey, Nuevo Léon, Mexico

Mr. Eduardo Lopez Rivarola, Beunos Aires, Argentina

List of participants:

Mr. drs.ir. P.G.J. Aben, Min. van O en W , Projectorgan. D H 2 0 , Zoetermeer

Mr. ir. D . J . A . M . van Alphen, Sprangers Bouwbedrijven B.V., Breda

Mr. K.l. Ang, Den Haag

Mr. drs. S. Arbeek, Uitleg - I.C.S., Gouda

Mr. ir. P . M . A . Baaijens, Ballast Nedam Utiliteitsbouw BV, Amstelveen

Mr. T. Bait, Stichting Architekten Research Onderwijsgebouwen, Amsterdam

Mr. ing. A . Beijer, Amersfoort

Mrs. A . Budding, Technische Universiteit Delft, Delft,

Mr. P. Buring, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Huisvesting, Amsterdam

Mr. ir. L .M. Dewever, Milieuhygiene voor de Rijkshuisvesting, Nijmegen

Mr. H. Dijkstra, Friesland College, Leeuwarden

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. M . Dirven, Ingenieursbureau Groenewoud, Breda

W . van Driessche, DMB-architekten, Hülst

ir. A . L . M . van Eekelen, PRC management consultants, Bodegraven

R.B. van Erk, E G M International, Rotterdam

J. Fransen, Hogeschool Nijmegen, afd. huisvesting, Nijmegen

ir. H.E.J. Gelsing, Boag bv, Rotterdam

. Th. Geursen, Maassluis

s. ir. E .M. Hageman, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Huisvesting, Groningen

. R. Hagens, APP All Remove b.v., Beers

. ir. A.J. van der Have, Landbouw Univ., Gebouwen & Terreinen, Wageningen

. K. Heerdink, Utrecht

. ir. J.G. Heijnen, Min. van Landbouw, dir. Landbouwonderwijs, Den Haag

. ing. J.C. Helders, Korteweg Bouw en Aanneming Mij. bv, Breda

. G.J. Hessels, Hogeschool Holland, afd. Huisvesting, Diemen

. M.J. Hoefeijzers, Midveld College, Dordrecht

s. ir. R. Hoogendoorn, Twijnstra Gudde, Amersfoort

. ir. A . Jansen, Min. van O en W , afdeling Infra CF.I., Zoetermeer

. J. Jansen, Hogeschool West-Brabant, Huisvesting, Breda

. drs. B.G. Jeene, Eromes B.V., Wijchen

. ing. J. de Jonge, Biesbosch College, Dordrecht

. ir. N. Jonkman, Hollandsche Beton Maatschappij BV, Rijswijk

. ir. L. van der Kemp, Min. van O en W , Projectorgan. D H 2 0 , Zoetermeer

. A . P . G . Kerssemakers, Catherine College, Utrecht

. drs. M . Koeman, Rijkshogeschool Uselland, Deventer

. W . de Laat, Rijksgebouwendienst, afd. Huisvestingszaken, Schiedam

. R.F. Laurens Janse, SMT-projekten, Veghel

s. J. Laval, Ministerie van Defensie, Huisvesting Koninklijke Marine, Den Haag

. ing. R . A . H . Lith, PRC management consultants, Bodegraven

. G.L.S. van Leeuwen, Van Mourik-Vermeulen architecten, Den Haag

. ir. G.J. Meijer, Informatie & Advies Centrum Schoolaccommodaties, Gouda

. J . W . D . Naber, Hogeschool Economische Studies, Huisvesting, Amsterdam

. P. Nuijs, APP All Remove b.v., Beers

. M . M . Olivier, Architekten- en ingenieursbureau De Weger, Rotterdam

. ir. D.P. Oterdoom, Rijkshogeschool Groningen, afd. Bouwkunde, Groningen

. ir. D . W . van Ouwerkerk, Arch.bur. Bokhorst-Van Ouwerkerk-Geesink, Arnhem

. J.A.L. van Poppel, Rijsbergen

. dr. C M . Rehorst, Hogeschool voor Beeidende Künsten, Den Haag

. M . J . M . Regouin, Académie voor Beeidende Künsten St. Joost, Breda

. F . G . M . Rentinck, Matrixbouw, Montfoort

. C G . Remmelink, Matrixbouw, Montfoort

. M . Remmerswaal, Matrixbouw, Montfoort

. I.A.E.C. Roelandt, Zadkine College, Afdeling Facilitair Bedrijf, Rotterdam

. L.T.M. Rompelberg, Twijnstra Gudde, Amersfoort

ßorgersstede 9

5131 NX Alphen

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31 (0)4258-2917

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. K. van Roon, Gemeente Breda, Breda

. drs. R. van Rossen, Universiteit Utrecht, Huisvesting, Utrecht

. ¡ng. T.A.J. Rouwhorst, Bureau Monumentenzorg Amsterdam, Amsterdam

. T. van der Schaaf, Eromes B.V., Wijchen

. A . Schenk, Prov. Nrd-Brabant, Bur. Künsten & Oudheidkunde, Den Bosch

. P . G . M . Schippers, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Huisvesting, Amsterdam

. M . Seghers, Studiegroep Dirk Bontinck, Gent, België

. mr.drs. J. van Spengen, Min. van Financien, Directie Domeinen, Den Haag

. P. Storm, Storm Advies, Amsterdam

. J. van Stuijvenberg, Architekten- en ingenieursbureau De Weger, Rotterdam

. C . Sweens, Gemeente Nijmegen, afd. Onroerend Goed, Nijmegen

. R .G. Tersteege, Rijkshogeschool Uselland, afd. huisvesting, Deventer

s. A . P . M . Tiebosch, APP All Remove b.v., Beers

. B. van der Togt, INBO Architekten B N A , Woudenberg

. H. van der Veen, Henk van der Veen Architekten, Delft

. mr. D. van der Veer, Bond van Nederlandse Architekten, Amsterdam

. P.G. Vermeulen, Van Mourik-Vermeulen architecten, Den Haag

. A .L .S . Vermey, IGB Bouw- & Aannemingsmaatschappij, Breda

s. B . E . M . Visser - Kuipers, Bond van Nederlandse Architekten, Amsterdam

. C A . de Vries, Informatie & Advies Centrum Schoolaccommodaties, Gouda

. J .G.A. Vlemmix, Techn. Universiteit, Bouwtechnische Dienst, Eindhoven

. prof.ir. C.J. Weeber, Bond van Nederlandse Architekten, Amsterdam

. ir. J.G. Wijnja, Witteveen en Bos - Raadgevende ingénieurs, Deventer

s. B . M . Witmer, Randstedelijke Opleidings Centrum, Amsterdam

. ir. J.E.B. Wittermans, O D 205 Architectuur, Delft

. ir. W . Woensdregt, A b m a + Dirks + Partners, Deventer

. H . G . van de Woord, Min. van O en W , afdeling CF.I., Zoetermeer

. M . Wuyts, Studiegroep Dirk Bontinck, Gent, België

. A . K . van der Zee, Gemeente Breda, Breda

. W . L . van Zuylen, Ministerie van 0 en W , afdeling Infra CF.I., Zoetermeer

For their professional help the organizing committee wishes to thank:

Mr. Stefan Hengst, who designed logo and lay-out of the papers and the brochures

Mrs. Saskia van den Berg, Maastricht

Mr. Jo Heyvaert, Antwerpen, België

Mrs. Martine Kouwenhoven, Capelle aan de IJssel

Mrs. Bettine van der Vaart, Maastricht

Mr. Ronald Wolvekamp, Rotterdam

Mrs. Letty van der Zwet, Amstelveen

Mr. Nils van der Zwet, Eindhoven

interpreter interpreter interpreter interpreter reporter

secretary

assistant-manager

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Acknowledgement

The Organizing committee would like to express their gratitude the following firms and institutes for their financial or contributes:

Unesco

Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA)

the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA)

Rienks - Van Poppel, architects and engineers

the College of Fine Arts and Design St. Joost

West Brabant Polytechnic Breda

the city of Breda

the Ministry of Education and Science

the Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment

the Ministry of Welfare, Health and Culture

Sprangers construction, Breda

Special thanks to Mrs. Betsy Visser, foreign relations' secretary of the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA). She w a s our source of inspiration, especially during the choice and elaboration of the theme.

Bory ersstede 9

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1. Theme of the seminar

1.1 Introduction

Under the auspices of Unesco and the working group 'Espaces Educatifs et

Culturels' of the Union Internationale des Architectes UIA Borgersstede bv

organized an international seminar titled:

'Re-allocation of Buildings

- a sustainable future for educational and cultural spaces?'

The seminar in Breda, followed by an excursion in Amsterdam and a working

group meeting, took place from 2 0 June until 23 June 1 9 9 4 .

The organizing committee m a d e a deliberate choice for a theme in relation with the

results of UIA/AIA World Congress of Architects in Chicago (June 1993). To

express this relation the Declaration of Interdependence for a Sustainable Future' is

part of this final report.

Because of the interest: Espaces Educatifs et Culturels, the working group choose

to explicit the fifth goal of Declaration, to 'bring all existing and future elements of

the built environment - in their design, production, use, and eventual reuse - up to

sustainable design standards.

The organizing committee both realized the complexity of the subject and the

challenge that goes with it. It is vital to bring about a greater consciousness of the

importance of the theme by stimulating research and reviewing the w a y ahead.

That is w h y a forum w a s created by bringing together all those involved:

speeches by 5 keynote-speakers, introducing the five main aspects on the

theme of the seminar;

representatives of a dozen different target groups:

- architects;

- housing managers of educational institutes;

- managing directors of cultural institutes;

- local authorities;

- executives of various Ministries;

- real estate managers;

- housing consultants;

- contractors;

- teachers of construction and architecture.

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The participants mentioned above concentrated on the several aspects and views that were highlighted during the seminar:

aspects of urban and rural planning; visions of functionalism, perception and future values; financial-technological and cultural-historical arguments; and above all: natural environment and sustainability.

This w a s the main goal of the seminar in Breda. A n attempt to explore the possibilities and difficulties of re-allocation of existing buildings for educational and cultural functions in order to contribute to the principle of sustainable design.

This final report starts with an article that introduces the theme, followed by the 'Chicago-declaration' and the complete texts of the keynote-speakers and of several cases. With short introductions and resume's the organizing committee has attempted to put the variety of aspects and experiences in relation with the theme. The report concludes with a s u m m a r y of the plenary discussion, first conclusions and recommendations.

To conclude this introduction, w e would like to underline the chosen location. The seminar w a s held in the building 'Upelaar' of the College of Fine Arts and Design in the city of Breda. This building w a s completely renovated by the end of M a y 1 9 9 4 and w a s very illustrative for the chosen theme of the seminar.

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1.2 Re-use of buildings saves money, environment, culture and atmosphere1

Buildings unnecessarily demolished by incompetence of (local) authorities

At the beginning of the seventies Professor Dolf Hendriks, economist at the

Economic Institute for the Building Industry and Professor at the Delft University of

Technology, predicted in his report, 'Limits to growth', that new building would

decrease and that in future most building activities would consist of maintenance

of the existing stock of buildings. He came to that conclusion on the basis of

demographic and economic statistics. At that early date he could foresee the

effects of modern technology and communication which make different demands

on buildings: smaller volume, but with a higher quality infrastructure. The

prediction of the Professor, meanwhile deceased, is being confirmed by the two

million square metres of office space which is now standing empty. More and

more old buildings are being abandoned by trade and industry. Although Hendriks

was employed by an institute financed by the construction industry, financiers did

not believe his prediction and, according to those in the know, was more or less

laughed off the stage. He was regarded a troublemaker, the forecaster of bad

news and did not want to hear anything he said. Hendriks warned the authorities,

the building industry and the building training colleges to change direction in good

time. Efforts, he proclaimed, had to concentrate on maintenance and improvement

of the existing stock. Partly as a result of his efforts, the chair of Restoration,

Renovation and Maintenance was instituted at the faculty of Engineering.

In Amsterdam grain silos were inspected for possible use as dwellings and

workshops. A water tower in Rotterdam was converted to a new use as an office

and an old hospital and a church in Utrecht were magically converted to extremely

luxurious flats. Most of the gross national assets are invested in buildings. Over

the last ten years eighty billion guilders have been spent on new building.

Two-thirds of the development costs are accounted for by the load-bearing

structure and the facades. Even after one hundred and fifty years the load-bearing

structure of a building is still generally in good condition, while the facades are

good for about fifty years. In many cases that means that the re-use of the load-

bearing structure and the facade, plus the costs of renovation and adaptation, are

a good bit cheaper than erecting new buildings with the costs of demolition. And

w e have still said nothing about the atmosphere in and around buildings. Re-use,

1 From 'Gebouwen onnodig gesloopt door incompetentie van (lokale) overheid', an

article by Philip Broos, published in 'Delft Integraal', 94-1.

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moreover, is more labour-intensive than new building which is mainly capital-

intensive, and is therefore good for employment. Nevertheless, too little use is

made of existing buildings and many hundreds of millions of guilders are lost

because the authorities are not competent in the field of re-use. That is an

argument of Professor Joop van Stigt of the Architecture and Building Faculty of

the Delft Technological University. The calculation methods of local and national

authorities result too often in demolition, while it has been shown that re-use is

also financially feasible.

Change of function

Seventy per cent of gross national assets consists of real estate, with a

replacement value of some 1400 billion guilders. More than 7 0 % of all buildings in

the Netherlands date from the period after 1945, in which period the housing

stock in the Netherlands rose from 1.5 million to 5.8 million. Re-use mainly

concerns buildings from before 1 960 and premises which have been written off on

the balance sheet. University Professor Ir. Leo G . W . Verhoef of the Building

Technology department and his colleague, Ir. Kees Th.H. van Rongen, of the

Architecture department have since 1987 been cooperating closely in researching

the re-use of buildings. Verhoef works in the Renovation and Maintenance Section,

his colleague Van Rongen is a member of the Re-use Section. "Re-use and

renovation go hand in hand but are different activities", states Van Rongen. "Re

use involves both a change of function and alteration of the building. In renovation

only the building changes and the function remains the same; in the case of re-use

there is almost always renovation."

The various kinds of re-use are:

premises which acquire a new function as housing;

old premises which acquire a new operational function;

old commercial premises which are restored for the same user;

old (large) dwellings which are used as office premises; and premises which

acquire a new residential function.

Renovation is also divided into two activities: restoration and renovation.

Restoration restores old buildings to their original state, in which process the

various stages in history may or may not be left visible. In this case the cultural

aspect is very dominant, while in renovation the adaptations based on economic

considerations predominate.

Verticaiism

Van Rongen and Verhoef have been involved in many projects. These were

sometimes to do with individual building owned by individual clients; sometimes

they concerned groups of dwellings or buildings and were commissioned by the

(local) authorities.

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"In one case of renovation in Rotterdam, due to lack of maintenance," said

Verhoef, "the town council wanted to remove the tops of a row of houses

because it would be m u c h easier and less costly than maintenance. But the houses

would then have presented a horrible sight. It would be the beginning of

dilapidation. Technically, the plan w a s acceptable but it revealed limited economic

understanding. The visual quality of the houses would be greatly reduced. That

meant that the houses would be more difficult to let. The rents would have to go

d o w n in order to fill the houses. Another consequence would be that you don't get

the right occupants."

The Delft University teachers were also involved in a research project in the

Bijlmermeer, concerning the Hoogoord building. "The area is often felt to be dull.

People cannot identify with it because each of the five thousand doors and flats is

the s a m e . That is a typical example of decline. In the Bijlmermeer colours were

used for the purpose of differentiation. In the first flat that w a s painted in order to

combat concrete decay," Verhoef explains, "the degree of occupation of that flat

has increased considerably. There w a s clearly a need for identity. Demolition and

building something else is an enormous waste of capital. W e are thinking of other

means such as changing the horizontalism and the dull look of apartment buildings

into more individual verticalism. For that a range of means can be used such as the

addition of rooms and open spaces, which emphasises the individual character of

the dwellings and groups a number of flats per portico or stairway. Visually, this

creates rows of very tall houses. At Clinchy, a suburb of Paris, Van Rongen

investigated the effect of this. Formerly, there w a s a very great deal of crime. T w o

years ago, w h e n w e were there, people pointed out that no-one allowed their dog

to excrete in the street. S o m e years before people could hardly m o v e about for

excrement."

Van Rongen and Verhoef have m a d e study tours to the United States, France,

Germany, Britain, Belgium and Canada to study the re-use phenomenon on the

spot. Verhoef says, "In the Netherlands re-use is sometimes opted for in the case

of buildings that are suspected of being built on polluted ground."

In cases of this kind, according to Van Rongen and Verhoef, politics too often

c o m e s before a feeling for history and clear economic thinking in the longer term.

A n example of that is the demolition of the District Hospital in Purmerend that w a s

opened in February 1 940 . It w a s a magnificent example of N e w Building. From the

point of view of function and economy the provincial states of North Holland

showed that this building w a s suitable for re-use as part of the planned municipal

offices of Purmerend. According to Verhoef it w a s finally decided for political

reasons not to place the former regional hospital on the list of national

m o n u m e n t s , after which Purmerend issued a demolition permit.

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Incompetent

According to Professor Joop van Stigt, who occupies the chair of Renovation and

Maintenance Engineering and who heads a firm of architects, "Far more buildings

deserve considering for re-use than is the case at present. That is because there is

no group of trained architects or planning experts who are capable of judging the

possibilities of obtainable fered by the existing stock of houses on their merits". As

an architect Van Stigt has carried out dozens of re-use projects, including the old

main building of the University Hospital on the Catharijnesingel in Utrecht, which

now houses very luxurious flats, and the Harbour Garrison in Geertruidenberg.

"Take, for example, the area of the Entrepotdok (Bonded Warehouses) and the

Oranje Nassau barracks in the eastern dock area of Amsterdam. The city's

Housing Department said, on the basis of research by the then owner of the

complex, which was probably not even carried out, that there were cracks in the

foundations of the Entrepotdok. This meant that the city would be able to

demolish the buildings, so that an open area would become available at an

interesting location in the city. The Amsterdam Conservation Committee, however,

instructed us to carry out a feasibility study, from an economic point of view

hoping to build council housing in the existing complex. The result was that re-use

could in fact be decided upon on an economic basis. The Amsterdam Housing

Department stated that the operation would cause a deficit of between seven and

ten million guilders. W e , on the other hand, found it could break even. The building

costs came to 22.4 million guilders for 1 50 dwellings, nearly four thousand square

metres of industrial premises and 1 50 parking places. The total monument

frontage was twice 500 metres", said an excited Van Stigt. "And then I did not

even need to bring in subsidies. The project was carried out in 1 988. The price per

dwelling was kept within the limits for council houses, namely Hfl. 90,000."

The professor says that the prices of these dwellings are comparable with the

prices of new building, but that is a political accounting gimmick.

"In fact the building of these dwellings was less expensive because demolition

costs are always paid from general funds and consequently not shown in direct

operational accounts. You could nearly say there was deception of the public. The

Amsterdam Council Housing Department wanted originally to demolish part of the

Entrepotdok and replace it with new buildings. The costs of demolition and extra

infrastructure would have been between ten and fifteen million guilders which

would be passed on to the general assets and urban renewal kitty."

Van Stigt also managed the re-use of the Posthoorn Church, the Vondel Church,

and the Majella Church in Amsterdam, all of which the city council wanted to

demolish.

" A demolition permit had in fact been issued for the Posthoorn Church but as a

result of an appeal by the Posthoorn Foundation to the Provincial Executive the

demolition permit was declared null and void. Nowadays, if you want to carry out

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a restoration project, you have to submit an operating plan. In the case of dwelling

houses and offices you have the rental, but with premises in the collective and

cultural sector the accounting is somewhat more complex. In the Posthoorn

Church w e built offices which were to be leased on a commercial basis at different

levels in the side chapels. The business rent subsidies the central areas such as

the theatre, the old people's club and the crèche. All these projects have an

economically independent basis. Running them does not involve a cent of subsidy

from the authorities", says the Professor firmly.

Van Stigt, Verhoef and Van Rongen all agree that the universities and other

schools for architecture have not taken re-use seriously. Their feelings are

expressed by Van Rongen w h o says, "Hardly any serious effort is being m a d e in

the educational field to adjust to the changing market. At the Delft Technological

University there are only three people w h o are regularly engaged in the teaching of

and research into such an important aspect as re-use. The general idea appears to

be that no international honour can be obtained from a heap of old rubbish.

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« , * * ' N 4 *

J U N i *

Declaration of Interdependence for a Sustainable Future UIA/AIA World Congress of Architects

Chicago, 18-21 June 1993

In recognition that:

A sustainable society restores, preserves, and enhances nature for the benefit of all life,

present and future; a diverse and healthy environment is intrinsically valuable and essential

to a healthy society; today's society is seriously degrading the environment and is not

sustainable;

W e are ecologically interdependent with the whole natural environment; w e are socially,

culturally, and economically interdepent with all of humanity; sustainability, in the context

of this interdepence, requires partnership, equity, and balance a m o n g all parties;

Buildings and the built environment play a major rule in the human impact on the natural

environment and on the quality of life; sustainable design integrates consideration of

resource and energy efficiency, healthy buildings and materials, ecologically and socially

sensitive land-use, and an aesthetic sensitivity that inspires, affirms, and ennobles;

sustainable design can significantly reduce adverse human impacts on the natural

environment while simultaneously improving quality of life and economic well being;

W e commit ourselves,

as members of the world's architectural and building-design professions, individually and

trough our professional organisations, to;

* Place environmental and social sustainability at the core of our practices and professional

responsibilities

* Develop and continuously improve practices, procedures, products, curricula, services,

and standards that will enable the implementation of sustainable design;

* Educate our fellow professionals, the building industry, clients, students, and the general

public about the critical importance and substantial opportunities of sustainable design;

* Establish policies, regulations, and practices in government and business that ensure

sustainable design becomes normal practice

* Bring all existing and future elements of the built environment - in their design,

production, use, and eventual reuse - up to sustainable design standards.

signed by: Olufemi Majekodunmi, President of the International Union of Architects

Susan A . M a x m a n , President of the American Institute of Architects

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2. Keynote speakers

2.1 General introduction

Re-allocation of buildings is a development that has become more and more

important. In the past often a plea was made for the preservation of existing

buildings. This plea was usually supported by arguments of cultural, historical,

economical or social nature. Of course these arguments are still valid. But in recent

years the ecological interest has been added to the discussion whether to renovate

or to build new. The discussion now centres on the item 'sustainability'.

Particularly in political circles there is an increasing conviction that Sustainable

building is a must. In the context of the theme of the seminar the organizing

committee would like to link up with this statement by putting:

Re-allocation contributes to Sustainable Building.

The consideration whether to maintain or to pull down buildings needs a longer

and deeper reflection than before.

From the various viewpoints mentioned, the keynote speakers give a detailed

vision of the aspects of re-allocation. W e will shortly overview these aspects.

Professor Duijvestein

Professor Duijvestein formulates the requirement for a minimum environmental

burden from buildings and built-up areas. He introduces the term "sustainable

design" as a conceptual model to minimise the environmental burden. His thesis

is: the design phase can lead to a reduced environmental burden through far-

reaching cooperation between the different disciplines. He sharpens up this thesis

even further with the assertion that the major part of the future environmental

burden is already determined in the design phase. He then comes to the question

of what the influence of re-design as part of re-allocation can have on the

environmental burden.

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Professor Assel berg

Professor Asselberg's contribution is essentially a historical overview of

maintenance policy in the Netherlands where this relates to existing buildings. In

this context, he asks the following questions in the framework of the seminar

theme:

does maintaining existing buildings mean only keeping the monumental or is

maintenance of the more ordinary (and often characteristic) buildings also

part of re-allocation policy?

is financial support from government necessary if the more ordinary is also

to be re-allocated?

is it generally endorsed that re-allocated can contribute to the vitality of a

suburb or neighbourhood?

Professor de Jonge

Professor de Jonge points out that in post-war construction of educational

buildings, maintenance and durability have not been included in the design. To

date re-allocated has been seen from a much too narrow perspective. Not only the

economic aspect, but also developments in the field of information technology,

town and country planning and environment should be co-determinant in the

question of re-allocated of buildings. Important conditions for re-allocated are:

the suitability of the location for the future function.

guaranteed use for 20 years.

financially sound use.

Lastly, Professor de Jong asks three questions for discussion:

1. Is the market for potential re-allocated of buildings interesting to real

property investors or is there a question of an uncontrollable risk?

2. Are existing educational buildings generally also suitable for functions other

than education?

3. With re-allocated, is it not more important to speak of accommodation

requirements, functions and possibilities rather than money?

Mr. Waal

In his address, Mr Waal emphasises the close relationship between town and

educational institution. He notes that integration of an educational institution in

the centre involves more risks than establishment on the periphery of a town.

Unduly demanding requirements on the part of the potential user often make re

allocation impossible. The financial cover of the accommodation is often

insufficient in the case of re-allocation. Accommodation of an educational

institution in the town centre attracts students. On the basis of his own

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experience, Mr Waal arrives at two focused theses:

a higher education institution has only little autonomy in its choice of

suitable accommodation. The interplay of the various interests determines

policy;

if re-allocation is successful, the educational institution has accommodation

which greatly adds to the institution's social function.

Drs. Schoof

Finally, Mr Schoof looks at the question of re-allocation from the angle of his

responsibilities at the Ministry of Education. He outlines how the Ministry dealt

with this question in the past, in particular the increasing attention for

environmental aspects.

Even in a situation where higher education in the Netherlands has become more

autonomous in its choice of accommodation, the government continues to share

responsibility, especially when the possibility of re-allocation arises. Mr Schoof

sketches the circumstances under which re-allocation is possible, both on the

supply side and on the demand side. He points to the great interest to society of

re-allocation, in which it is precisely education that can set the example.

Extremely important is his conclusion that you cannot expect an individual

educational institution to do more about accommodation policy than spend

resources for education "well and effectively" without financial incentives.

Society expects the accommodation decisions of educational institutions also to

take account of socio-cultural, town and country planning and environmental

aspects which the government will therefore have to finance.

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hl**"Af

y < / N E V

Visa?'»

The conversion of a massive warehouse in the docklands, now used by the

International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam (see page 93).

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21




2 . 2 Re-allocation in relation to sustainable building by prof.ir. C.A.J. Duijvestein

This article is a translation and adaptation of a part of "Thinking in Systems,

Designing in Variants" the inaugural speech of Kees Duijvestein, professor in

Environmental Design in relation to Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture in

the University of Technology in Delft, on May 14th 1993.

translation: Pieneke Leijs

Building and the Environment.

The contribution to environmental problems by the Dutch building industry is

considerable, as shown by the following examples: a contribution of 16% to the

depletion of the ozone layer for which the building trade is responsible, and a

contribution of 3 0 % to the greenhouse effect as a result of heating houses and

other buildings.

Yet for years people have been trying to build in a different way: Ecological,

biological, bio-ecological, environment-friendly, environment-minded, environment

saving, holistic and organic building; there is also "Duurzaam Bouwen"

(Sustainable Building), a concept introduced by the "National Milieubeleidsplan Plus

(National Environmental Policy Plan-Plus).

These concepts all vary in nuance but their main objective is "to minimize

environmental problems during the whole life cycle of a building, district or town".

Environment.

In order to deal with the concepts of environment and environmental problems it is

necessary to work out and unravel these concepts. 'Milieu' (environment) comes

from the French language, "au milieu de" means 'in the middle of. As a result of

the distance from the sun temperatures vary from -60°C to +40°C , depending on

the position of a place on the earth.

This is why water in a liquid stage is available in large quantities. Thanks to the

atmosphere there are no large fluctuations in temperature, resulting in the basic

conditions for life on earth.

Environment may be defined as "the collection of conditions for life".

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o N t

Spatial components.

The concept of environment may be further divided into three groups of

component parts:

abiotic components;

biotic components;

conceptual components.

Abiotic components

are the non-living and original elements such as: ground, water, air, energy,

raw materials, light, radiation, climate, space, etcetera.

Biotic components

are human beings, animals, plants and micro organism: all that lives.

Conceptual components

are buildings, roads, mains, canals, building material, but also culture,

religion etcetera: everything man had added to the other components.

Conceptual (world of ideas)

Biotic (living world)

Abiotic (dead world)

Figure 1 : The A B C model: A + B = nature, A + B + C =

environment/milieu

Conditionality

The division Abiotic - Biotic - Conceptual may also be considered on the basis of a

series of conditions. The abiotic component is a condition for the biotic

component; no human beings, animals or other organisms can exist without an

abiotic environment, whereas an abiotic environment can exist without any

organisms (for instance on another planet). The biotic component in its turn is a

condition for, or bearer of, the conceptual component.

Figure 1 shows this conditionality.

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Environmental problems

Environmental problems may be divided into primary and secondary ones.

Primary environmental problems are: pollution, depletion and harmful effects.

Pollution

Pollution means adding chemical or physical elements to the environment in

larger quantities than can be processed by the cycles of nature causing

accumulation.

Depletion

This means the extraction of biotic components (firewood, fish, wildlife) or

abiotic components (minerals, water, fertile soil) from the environment in

larger quantities than can be replenished by the cycles of nature.

Harmful effects

By harmful effects w e mean the intervention of man in the environment

causing changes in the original shape to such an extent that it is to be

considered a deterioration.

The primary problems result in secondary environmental problems:

harm to the health of human beings;

harm to the conditions of life for animals and plants;

harm due to loss of function of equipment and buildings for instance.

The primary and secondary environmental problems are often difficult to measure

economically. Additional absence through illness due to bad air quality might be

expressed in terms of money but is not registered as such. Moreover the victims

are often children and elderly people who do not participate in the production

process.

It is forbidden to pick orchids which grow on the dry lime slopes in the south of

Limburg. It is not forbidden, however, to plough meadows on higher grounds, to

grow maize there and to use fertilizers in large quantities. Nobody will ever

calculate the economic loss caused by the disappearance of orchids, and it seems

altogether impossible to pass on this loss in the prices of milk and meat. The

damage to historical monuments caused by air pollution in large town centres is

registered but is not included in the price of petrol for instance.

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Inversion

In the contrast 'built - vacant' a town is often regarded a threat to the

vacant/open/natural area. Until the Second World War a town often was a

relatively dirty place in a large clean open space, which was mainly used for

agricultural; remaining areas were "wasteland", as forest and nature used to be

called in those days. In the last few years a reversal/inversion with regard to the

water system has become about in many places. Due to economy oriented policies

the agriculture system was forced to develop into a widespread and polluting

branch of industry. A town has become a place with relatively clean water in spite

of the pollution that is often visible on the surface of the water.

In the Middle Ages Delft was known for its beer in spite of the fact that the water

to be used for brewing was taken from the same canals into which the sewers

emptied. Delft was surrounded by a vast and very clean agricultural area, which

continually flushed Delft. All went well till a few centuries ago; the town became

increasingly dirty and the brewers stopped making beer.

N o w it seems as if an inversion has taken place; the water of the canals in Delft is

so clear in places that you can look as far as one metre deep. Birds, for instance

grebes which catch their fish under water, now nest in the middle of the town,

traffic racing around them and polluting the air.

However, the quality of the water has not yet improved sufficiently for the new

beer "Delfts Brouw" to be brewed with water form the canals.

N o w that the agricultural system is not only producing too much manure but also

too many product of a sometimes dubious quality, there will be a time when

agriculture in less profitable areas will be replaced by other functions. In the Green

Heart of the Randstad this function may very well be that of nature, to which the

Westlands forming peat may contribute by holding C 0 2 , ¡n addition to their

important natural function of strengthening the ecological main structure. In sandy

areas factory farming may be replaced by houses and nature, which in the longer

term, will prevent further pollution of our drinking water in the pleistocene subsoil;

in the short term it may prevent acidification and the effects of noxious odours.

This may transform "building" as an environmental polluter into an environmental

improver.

Since last year I have been involved in the development of Nieuwland, a new

housing district in Amersfoort. The building site for 5,000 houses is situated on

the transition of the foothills of the "Amersfoortse berg" and the humid soil of the

Eem Valley. It is an attractive area with many meadows, different kinds of

allotment, plants and buildings. Unfortunately, the soil as well as the ground and

surface waters are of a bad quality due to factory farming. It will take years before

the quality of the water here has improved as a result of the new function as

residential area.

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Sustainable building

In order to change from an environmental polluter into an environmental improver

building will have to be transformed into sustainable/ecological building.

(NB: Whenever building is mentioned in this text it should be read as "building and living and working".) It is the task of building teams to design buildings in such a w a y that the least possible harm is caused to the environment during the whole life cycle of a building, from its design to its demolition.

initiative ? programme requirements

Y site selection

Y ^ - — design

stimulating f V

construction

Y use and management

Y renov alion

Y

(re)use

demolition - «

sustainable I

use and \

management \ ^ ^

prescribing ways of

suslainable construction

enabling dismantlement

and selective demolition

Figure 2 : The influence of design in the course of time

Environmental-technical designing can stimulate sustainable conduct throughout all

phases via the design. Design and specifications should not only prescribe a w a y

of sustainable building, but the n e w house and the n e w district should also

encourage ways of sustainable living and working. It m a y even be decided on the

drawing board whether a building is eventually to be disassembled and demolished

selectively.

Stimulating sustainable conduct through designing Stimulating sustainable conduct through designing can be applied on many levels: from appliances and building components via building and areas to towns as well as regions.

Tins for beer and soft drinks ought to be abolished. Should, in exceptional cases, tins have to be used they must be taxed with 5 0 cents eco-tax. The manufacturers should accept returnable tins, pay 25 cents for them and the

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«,**'"<<>

uNi

tins must be recycled completely. A s a result collecting tins will b e c o m e a

profitable business, (in de U S A the return premium today is in s o m e states

5 dollar cents).

W a l k m a n s and their excessive use of batteries m a y be replaced by eco

walkmans having a spring mechanism to drive the belt and a photovoltaic

cell with a capacitor as a buffer to amplify the sound. Obviously, this still

does not solve the (noise) nuisance walkmans m a y cause.

Houses with roofs orientated towards the south can be equipped with

photovoltaic cells. Electricity generated in this w a y m a y even be returned to

the electricity grid if it is not immediately required in the h o m e s . Ten houses

have already been built this w a y in Heerhugowaard. For the district of

Sloten in Amsterdam there are plans for 100 houses with solar cells.

In town collecting systems for recycling household goods and for separated

waste can developed. This will work out particularly well if convenient

places for the containers in the residential areas are selected and if at a

regional level there is a sufficient outlet for compost for example.

Building and living have consequences both in time and in space. The figure below

is derived form the five-scale model of the RIVM (Rijksinstituut voor

Volksgezondheid en Milieuhygiene/ National Institute for Public Health and

Environmental Protection); it indicates in what w a y characteristic activities of

building and living on a certain scale have consequences on other scales. Heating

a building to m a k e it an agreeable place to live and work in results in acidification

on a regional scale, and on the global scale it contributes to the depletion of

energy and to the greenhouse effect.

scales

2 3 4 lm 10m 100m 1km 10km 10 km 10 km 10 km

living building district region continent

place neighbourhood c l t >' rjver basin v v o r , d

activities heating

consequences quality of interior environment

acidification depletion of energy

global warming

figure 3: Building, living and levels of scale

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Interuniversity Study groups Town and Country Planning

In January 1 978 the Centre of Technical-Environmental Science and the

department of Landscape architecture and Ecology of the former Technical

College, now the Delft University of Technology, initiated the interuniversity Study

group Town and Country Planning; Urban design & Environment ('ISP S O M ' ) . It

was a group of ten students from various faculties who worked together (in order

to complete their studies) and were supervised by staff members and professors.

After six months they completed their work with a catalogue listing possible

solutions to all kind of urban environmental problems as well as advice for further

investigation.

With each faculty now having one ore more professors of environment it is hard to

imagine that at the end of the seventies talking about the environment met with so

much resistance in the then very technocratic University of Technology. After the

first ' S O M ' group (StadsOntwerp & Milieu / Urban Design and Environment) more

groups were set up, with an average of 1 each year. These ' S O M ' groups

continued the research work and made a design for a town or neighbourhood,

using the S O M 1 catalogue. These groups consisted of students and supervisors

from a variety of subject areas; architects and town planners, economists and

biologists, sociologists and mechanical engineers, and other participated. This

method of working resulted in plans for towns and for housing on Delft, Almere,

Rotterdam, Dronten, Schiedam and Wageningen.

In order to have students and supervisors from such a wide range of subject areas

cooperate intensive guidance of the group process is required, which was provided

by staff members of the department of the interdisciplinary Study groups Town

and Country Planning.

Cooperation regarding content was based on the system theory; especially the

relation theory derived form it, as taught in Delft by Professor Dr. Chr. G .

Leeuwen, proved to be an excellent means for interdisciplinary cooperation.

Black box

The representation of a S O M 1 town needed simplification in order to work on

environmental issues involving many different subject areas.

Towns, districts and buildings, as so many other things, can simply be represented

by a so-called black box. In order to keep up supplies by means of transport,

energy and raw materials are required, which leads to environmental problems as a

result of depletion and harmful effects. Examples are: exhaustion of the reserves

of fossil fuels and harmful effects on river foreland caused by the brick industry.

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s t > I N 4 ^

t / N t

INTO building

or district or town

OUT OF

figure 4 : A black box

Disposal, the discharge from a building may be hazardous to the environment and

to the building itself. Environmental problems arise through pollution and harmful

effects, for instance pollution of surface water and harm to the open space.

INTO building material

flue gas (after 1 min)

and heat (after 10 hrs)

waste water (after 10 min)

building rubble (after 100 years)

figure 5: In order to function various streams are required, which differ

strongly in flow rate

In order to save energy and raw materials supplies should be reduced. Discharge

ought to be limited in order to save space and to prevent pollution of air, water

and soil, for which better techniques are required. Besides recycling particular

attention should be paid to the effectiveness of the systems with regard to the use

of energy and raw materials, and their life cycle.

Buildings and the built environment as a model apparatus

The ecologists G . van Wirdum and Chr. G . van Leeuwen have developed the so-

called eco device in which besides "INTO" (feed) and " O U T O F " (disposal) as

functions of the black box, also the " N O T INTO" (resistance) and " N O T O U T O F "

(retention) can be distinguished.

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« , * * ' *<< ,

feed INTO

resistance

NOT INTO

disposal OliT OF

retention

NOT Ol T OF

figure 6: The model apparatus or eco device

The source (where the stream comes from: the sun and energy) is on the feeding

side and the drain (into which everything disappears; for energy the universe) on

the disposal side. Of the four functions present in the eco device: IN (feed), O U T

(disposal), N O T IN (resistance) and N O T O U T (retention), it is particularly the

functions IN and O U T that have been used by technology.

Almost everybody is becoming aware of the "primary" environmental problems of

depletion and pollution. Perhaps the time has now come to have a close look at

the other functions N O T IN (resistance) and N O T O U T (retention), the shield

functions.

primary: - depletion - harmful effects

\

INTO

NOT INTO

building or town or society

primary: - pollution - harmful effects

OUT OF

NOT OUT OF

secondary: - harm to health - harm to animals and plants - harm caused by loss of function of things

Figure 7: The eco device with regard to environmental problems

The Netherlands as a flushing system

The Netherlands function as a flushing system in which rainwater and the waters

of Rhine and Meuse function as a means of transport, the countries upstream and

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s t * ' * 4 .

Dutch agriculture and industry being the "source" and North Sea and Waddenzee being the "drain". (For years w e have indignantly pointed to Germany and France as the big polluters of the Rhine, the conurbations of Rotterdam and The Hague not even having sewage works).

energy

water

raw materials

C O 2 > global warming

damage to the o/on layer

N O 2 < SO2 > acidification

waste water

waste

Figure 8: Flushing system

The shield functions will have to be deployed to prevent things from deteriorating further. The function of resistance (NOT IN) m a y be strengthened by concluding treating with Germany, France and Switzerland about reduced disposal by industry, agriculture and households; the function retention (NOT O U T ) m a y be strengthened by reduced disposal into inland waterways by our o w n industry, agriculture and households and, of course by prohibiting disposal into the sea.

mor e resistance/

block more more retention/

retain more

Figure 9: a control system with less feed and less disposal resulting in less depletion, less pollution and fewer harmful effects, and consequently less harm to health, less harm to plants and animals and less harm caused by loss of function

The difference in the thickness of the arrows in the figure 8 and 9 indicates the necessary change. The extent of this change will be indicated with the concept of space for environmental use.

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Space for environmental use

On 8 January 1993, the Delft University foundation day, prof. Dr. L. Jansen and

prof. H. van Heel gave an idea of the extent of the necessary change in the next

50 years. The space for environmental use was representated by the formula:

¿áí

In the formula D stands for the total pressure on the environment; M stands for the

necessary amount of environmental goods per unit of prosperity; W is the average

prosperity per head of the population and B is the size of the world population.

As

the world population B will probably increase in the next 50 years by a

factor 2 or 3

the prosperity per head W will increase by a factor 4 to 8 especially as a

result of the need in the second and the third world,

the pressure on the environment D should not increase any further or

preferably should be reduced by a factor 2.

therefore:

M , the "quantity of environmental goods" per unit of prosperity, must be reduced

by a factor 8 to 50. This will be a heavy task for future generations of technicians.

But this is the N e w Necessity.

Three-step strategy

The means available to increase efficiency can be applied in accordance with the

"three-step strategy".

IN

On the IN-side of the system this strategy is:

step 1

step 2

step 3

Prevent unnecessary use

Use renewable sources

Make a sensible use of limited sources

a. clean and

b. with a high efficiency

This approach holds true for all fluxes and all streams which go through a system,

such as energy, water and building materials.

Through this three-steps strategy a contribution can be made to the solution of the

primary environmental problems: depletion, pollution and harmful effects.

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Step 1 : Prevent unnecessary use

This step is part of the functions of blocking and resistance in the eco device,

which raises questions such as:

Is the n e w building actually necessary? W a s the previous building not good

enough? Cannot w e do with a little less? Has the building been designed and

executed in such a w a y that guarantees a long lifespan? Will energy be wasted

due to insufficient insulation? Will materials not rot a w a y due to badly worked out

details and/or insufficient attention with regard to possibilities of maintenance?

Step 2: Use sustainable / renewable sources

This step is part of the feed functions in the eco device and includes the use of

solar energy and wind energy, as well as the use of daub and w o o d as building

materials, i.e. if the w o o d is not the product of exhaustive cultivation. Recycling

waste materials and rejected heat is also included in this step.

Step 3: M a k e a sensible use of limited sources

This step includes all kinds of highly efficient equipment; high efficiency boilers

and heat p u m p s , but also public transport.

OUT The three-step strategy for the OUT-side is as follows:

step 1

step 2

step 3

Prevent waste

Recycle waste

Sensible waste processing

a. as clean as possible

b. retaining for future use

Step 1 : Prevent waste

Step 1 includes disassembling buildings which are to be demolished, and recycling

materials such as roof tiles, bricks, b e a m s of steel and w o o d

Refusing unnecessary packaging, the extension of the lifespan of goods by using

better qualities and more repairable goods are also included in this step.

Step 2: Recycle waste

This step includes the separation of waste at the source as well as selective

demolishment, as a result of which recycling (e.g. granulated brick and concrete)

will be possible. Insulating material m a d e from old paper is another example.

Step 3: Sensible waste processing

According to step 3 waste still remaining should not be burned. First the problem

of emissions (dioxin) must be solved, for instance by prohibiting the production

and use of P V C . Instead of burning the waste material should be stored in such a

w a y that future use will be possible w h e n mining technique are improved.

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On 1 may 1993 a number of environmentalist groups (among them 'Natuur en

Milieu' {Nature and Environment), 'Milieudefensie' (Environmental Protection) and

the 'Platform Biologische Landbouw en Voeding' (Platform Biological Agriculture

and Food) proposed the eco-tax plus. This tax includes: tax on the usage of limited

energy and materials, and tax reduction on labour. This is an important policy

measure for step 1', both for the IN-side and the OUT-side.

Interdisciplinary cooperation

Building teams generally consist of experts from various functions and disciplines.

The functions may be: municipal administrator, civil servant, developer, contractor

and external consultant. Possible disciplines may include: civil engineering, town

planning, architecture, landscape architecture, industrial organization and

economics. All these people together will try to cover the whole building process.

Yet it often happens that certain subject are inadequately dealt with because they

do not come under any of the disciplines mentioned, or if they are related to many

disciplines, but only slightly per discipline.

Examples may be:

the design of the environment of a residential area

frequently the exaggerated size of cable trenches

the relation between pavement and sewer systems

the design of places for the collection of separated waste

spatial consequences of separation of waste in houses

quality of the interior environment in buildings

design of the residential area

figure 10: Mono-disciplinary cooperation: Design of residential area is a

field that falls between the various disciplines

The first step to prevent the above problems is to make the disciplines meet, often

called "multi-disciplinary" cooperation.

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architecture 1 town planning]

v design of the residential area

figure 11 : The subject areas meet: Multidisciplinary cooperation

The next step is interdisciplinary cooperation, in which participants venture across

the safe borders of their o w n subject areas and occasionally try to think from other

subject areas. This requires s o m e insight into and appreciation of the other subject

area.

Figure 12 : Participants venture across their borders: Interdisciplinary

cooperation

In order to find sustainable solutions interdisciplinary cooperation is very important.

Method of four variants

Accomplishing an environmentally sound design depends on all the partners in the

design process. They will use their influence not merely on the basis of motivation,

but especially on the basis of the available finance and practical possibilities. In

order to prevent the majority of ecological measures from failing during the

building process because of practical and financial objections, it is advisable to

take up positions at an early stage in consultation with all parties involved.

Good designers always see more, sometimes even m a n y , possibilities or variants.

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Other disciplines do not always have a clear survey of this abundance of ideas.

Grouping the variants in accordance with environmental themes and arranging

them as to environmental goals will result in a convenient method for all

concerned.

Possible themes are: Energy, building materials, water, food and waste. In the

arrangement four levels may be distinguished that ascend in environmental

friendliness.

D: The normal situation

C: Correct normal use

B: Minimizing damage to the environment

A: Autonomous: the most favourable situation

The D variant represents building based on current standards.

De A variant has maximum feasibility. The C and B variants are somewhere in

between. This method informs the building team about the possibilities and leads

to selections for which those involved are responsible. All kind of themes and sub-

themes are possible.

Theme: Energy

D: Normal according to the Building Regulations, approximately 1200 m 3 of natural

gas for heating

C: 800 m 3 level 'Overbos 8 district' in Hoofddorp

B: 400 m 3 , minimum energy houses by Kristinsson

A: Zero energy house

Theme: Building materials

D: Normal, economic selection

C: Indigenous / North-West European

B: Biological Building, the house as a third skin

a: Indigenous and biological building

Theme: Water

D: Normal

C: Economical with drinking water

B: Use rainwater for flushing and cleaning

A: Completely autonomous

Theme: Food

D: Food from the supermarket

C: Educational food production 1 - 2 0 m 2 per household

B: A vegetable garden for everybody, 100 m 2 per household

A: Completely autonomous, 1000 m 2 per household

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T h e m e : Waste

D : Normal

C: Limit the stream of waste

B: Minimize INTO and O U T O F

a; complete cyclical process

The themes of this method of four variants can be detailed in various sub-themes:

Sub-theme: Ecological structure

D : Hardly any attention

C : attention, but no m o n e y

B: equal to h u m a n needs

A : priority over other interests

Sub-theme: non-motorized transport

D : Flexible, therefore rest item

C : determining structure

B: + priority

A : + only form of transport

Sub-theme: Electricity supply

D : large scale power stations

C : "total energy" principle

B: + place for PV (photovoltaic cells)/ wind outside town

A : Only wind and solar cells

Sub-theme: mounting kit housing

D : plaster, chipboard, melamine

C : no polyurethane, P V C , formaldehyde, etc.

B: + flexible mounting kit, w o o d

A : W o o d , adobe, w o o d oil, w a x

O n the basis of this method of four variants Sustainable Building has been and is

being carried out in various places in the Netherlands. These are research projects,

such as studies on building costs of ecological building and on possibilities of

ecological upkeep for the NCIV (Nederlands Christelijk Instituut voor

Volkshuisvesting / Dutch Christian Institute for Public Housing). Housing projects

such as Morrapark in Drachten (1100 houses), Ecodus in Delft (250 houses) and

Nieuwland in Amersfoort (5000 houses) are under construction.

Also in non-residential building projects such as the State College of Agriculture in

Leeuwarden by PRO-architects the variety of environmental possibilities is

structured this w a y . W h e n designing in variants a computer m a y be of great help,

for generating variants on a screen is relatively easy.

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^ » " » ^

The new ' I M A G O ' (Integration of Milieu Aspects in the Built Environment)

For a long time ecological building, including its design, has had the image of

'grass roofs, do-it-yourself building and kitchen garden". Many 'modern' architects

thought this the main obstacle when thinking of building and the environment.

Fortunately extremes are evidently meeting. Firms such as O M A and Mecanoo

apply vegetation roofs in a museum in Japan and in a plan for the new university

library respectively. A high-tech architect like professor M . Zwarts makes use of

organic shapes (of trees) carried out in steel for a Metro station in Rotterdam.

Besides these unexpected combinations there are more architects who apply

themes of Sustainable Building. Architects such as Lafour en Wijk and Theo Bosch

apply passive solar energy by means of excellent orientation. In Prinsenland

Rotterdam Mecanoo is building a whole neighbourhood orientated towards the

south.

These are promising developments, but there is still a lot to do for the new

' I M A G O ' (Integratie van Milieu-Aspecten in de Gebouwde Omgeving = Integration

of Environmental Aspects in the Built Environment) by thinking in systems and

designing in variants.

Literature:

Boom: Energiebewust Ontwerpen van Nieuwbouwwoningen [Vademécum]

iov Novem BV Sittard/Utrecht/Apeldoorn. Delft September 1992

Bouwens, C. en Dubbeling, M : "Het experiment". In het themanummer

Duurzaam Bouwen Bouw nr.2 January 1993

Dorrestein A , (ed): Ontwikkelingsplan Nieuwland, Gemeente Amersfoort,

augustus 1992

Dorrestein A . (ed): Basisdocumenten Nieuwland, Gemeente Amersfoort,

augustus 1992

Drok, M . , Duijvestein CAJ: Duurzaam bouwen op grote schaal (In opdracht

van de gemeente Amersfoort en de Stuurgroep Experimenten

Volkshuisvesting) Delft, mei 1993

Duijvestein CAJ: Ecologisch bouwen, SOMgroep Faculteit Bouwkunde TU

Delft, feb. 1993

Duijvestein CAJ, Teeuw, P e.a.: Blokboek IMAGO (Integratie van

MilieuAspecten in de Gebouwde Omgeving) Faculteit Bouwkunde, TU Delft,

februari 1994

G o m m a n s L: Werkboek Eco-Design-Tools voor de woningbouw, SOM/PEBI,

TU Delft 1993

Grondmij N.V.: Milieu-effectrapport voor de bouwlocatie Nieuwland te

Amersfoort. Zeist, juli 1991

ISP S O M 1 : Stadsontwerp en Milieu, een catalogus van milieumaatregelen,

afdeling bouwkunde, TU Delft 1979

ISP S O M 3 : Stadsontwerp en milieu, S O M 3 rapport, afdeling Bouwkunde,

TU Delft april 1982

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s t . * ' "4^

NE

Israels, E., Overbeek G . van, Duijvestein CAJ: De Bouw-

kostenconsequenties van het ecologisch bouwen van eengezinswoningen.

Boom, Delft. NCIV, Ede 1990

Leeuwen, Chr. G van: Collegedictaat Ecologie, afdeling Bouwkunde, Delft

1982

Ministerie V R O M e.a.: Nationaal Milieubeleidsplan Plus. Tweede Kamer 21

137. Den Haag 1990

Ministerie V R O M e.a.: Notitie Instrumentarium bij Nationaal

Milieubeleidsplan Plus. Rapportage Duurzaam bouwen. Tweede Kamer, 21

137 Den Haag 1990

Reijenga, T . , Stofberg. F., Duijvestein, CAJ: Bouwmaterialen en Milieu. S D U

Den Haag. 1990

RIVM, F. Langeweg ed.: Zorgen voor morgen, nationale milieu-verkenningen

1 985 -2010 Samson H . D . Tjeenk Willing, Alphen a/d Rijn 1 988

Tisma a: A computer based planning for the re-use of agriculture land, with

case-study of Randstad en West-Brabant, SOM-group, Faculty of

Architecture, Delft, april 1993

Tomasek, W : Die Stadt als Oekosystem; Ueberlegungen zum Vorentwurg

Landschaftsplan Köln; Landschaft + Stadt 11 (2) 1979

Udo de Haes, H .A . : Milieukunde, Begripsbepaling en afbakening. In

basisboek Milieukunde, vierde druk, Boom, Meppel 1991

Vries, G . de: Definities van milieuvriendelijk bouwen; (i.o.v. SBR) Concept,

V & L Consultants, Rotterdam, maart 1993.

Curriculum vitae prof.ir. C.A.J. Duijvestein

Prof.ir. C.A.J. Duijvestein is professor Sustainable Design.related to architecture.

Delft University of Technology.

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c , * * ' * ^

>* * é-tii . sei

asa*.«*** - *»SMS!g

7??e 'Amstel' brewery changed into the School of Fashion Management and Design

in Amsterdam (see page 97)

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' R e - a l I o c at i o n o f B u i l d i n g s '



2.3 Re-allocation of buildings from a conservationists point of view by drs. A . L . L . M . Asselbergs

'Re-allocation of buildings' s e e m s to be bread and butter for a conservation policy.

But I want to point out to you that this has not always been the case. O n the

contrary, early conservationists from the nineteenth and the beginning of the

twentieth century accepted re-allocation only as an excuse for architectural

reconstruction. Although today's situation is quite different, conservation policy

does not consider re-allocation from the aspect of 'building for permanence' , but

mostly from the economic point of view. To put it more simple, re-using and

renovating of the existing building stock is often more profitable that total

demolishment and reconstruction. From a cultural point of view, where upon the

conservation policy of m y department is aimed, the existing social-cultural values

of the built environment are considered as a starting point for integrated

conservation and n e w developments.

History is an important resource for the development of an identifiable and livable

environment. Every place has its 'time': its o w n history, legible in the unique

combination of urban structure, building types and styles; all environmental factors

that enable us to identify the place in space and time. This identifiability, being an

essential condition for a well-tempered environment, is eroding rapidly these days.

History is an indispensable resource for explanation of the present urban structure

and architecture, but also for creating a deeper comprehension of the social, eco

nomic and cultural processes that have led to todays urban and architectural form.

After the second world war towns all over the world have grown explosively. In

industrialized countries this is due to the economic growth (mainly in the service-

industry) and the increasing population and prosperity in urban areas. In developing

countries, the urban growth is due to migration and postcolonial economic

development (shift form agriculture to the industry and trade-sector, with a

concentration in urban areas). The consequences of this growth are noticeable;

uncontrolled urbanisation and social and economical expulsion-processes are the

inevitable s y m p t o m s . Increasing condensation and monofunctionality, buildings in

the city-centre rising out of scale, trafic-congestion, they all lead to an increasing

erosion of the historic urban fabric.

Under economic pressure, the environmental identity is often overruled by

international architectural standards. Unlimited growth leads to administrative and

infrastructural uncontrolability, cultural disorientation, estrangement and - h o w

paradoxical it m a y seem- social and economic pauperization.

To maintain acceptable living-conditions and an identifiable and valuable living-

environment on the long therm, it is necessary to formulate and maintain a

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restrictive development-policy, based on continuity of the present environmental

qualities. The historic urban heritage can be an asset of inestimable value for that

purpose. A responsible urban development therefore will always be a combination

of re-allocation, renewal and conservation on one side, and redevelopment and

urban extension on the other.

I wish to point out to you the outlines of an integrated approach to planning the

historic urban environment and to give recommendations and points for attention

concerning the preparation and execution of a policy in that respect.

Legal protection if historic and outstanding architecture and urban design is

relative young in the Netherlands. Although academic interest arouse in the late

seventies of the nineteenth century, it took until 1961 before the first M o n u m e n t s

and Historic Buildings Act w a s passed through Parliament. The execution of this

law remained a responsibility of the central government and implied the designing

of a register of protected historic buildings and townscapes and the judging of

building-permissions for alterations (or demolishment) of protected m o n u m e n t s .

The protection of townscapes followed a different procedure. The appointment by

the central government of a protected town or village obliges the community to

draw up a development plan. The latter being regulated by the Housing Act and

(from 1963) by the Physical Planning Act. It m a y be considered a decentralized

action which w a s of great influence on the (centralized) conservation policy.

At this m o m e n t about 4 3 . 0 0 0 buildings and 3 2 0 villages and (parts of) towns have

been enlisted. Although highlights of the modern architecture (from the period of

1 850-1 940) are also protected, most of the less exclusive modern m o n u m e n t s are

not yet. A national inventory program is n o w been carried out in order to extend

legal protection also to this episode of the built culture.

The Housing (and physical planning) Act in the Netherlands dates from 1902 and

covers social and planning aspects of the built environment as a whole. It

regulates building permissions, urban renewal, aesthetic control and obliges the

communities to draw up extension-plans for n e w suburbs and development-plans

for renewing or reconstructing the existing built area. The execution of the

Housing Act is reconstructing the existing built area.

The execution of the Housing Act is a responsibility of the local authorities and

influences in the first half of this century the structure of the Dutch towns and

countryside in an immense w a y . Renewal of the neglected city cores started, the

necessity of physical planning and the possibility of aesthetic control stimulated a

n e w (social-democratic) culture in town planning and architecture. Especial the

ideas of the Modern M o v e m e n t of breaking with adaptation, continuity and its

dislike of monumentality created a n e w type of townscape and architecture that

influenced the Dutch building policy in a remarkable w a y , even today.

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Due to the fact that the execution of the M o n u m e n t and Historic Building Act w a s

organized at a central level, the public acceptance w a s poor. Conservation

remained an academic action and saddled the owner with high costs of

reconstruction, repair and maintenance. Therefore the first registers of protected

buildings with m u c h opposition.

The protection of towns and villages (with the obligation of drawing up a

development pian) however m a d e it legal acceptable to penetrate into the

(decentralized) planning and urban renewal scheme. Although the first concern of

urban renewal is the improvement of the impoverished living conditions, it

stimulates the re-allocation (and therefore the conservation) of the historic urban

fabric and building structure. This fact stimulated the Ministry of Culture in the

Netherlands to support the urban renewal of historic centres. Not only by

appointing them as protected areas and reserving special funds to enlighten the

conservation costs, but also by designing, in close co-operation with the Ministry

of Housing and Physical Planning, urban renewal guidelines to support

municipalities drawing up a development scheme. O n e of the main elements of

these guidelines w a s a 'historic interest m a p ' , a cartographic representation

showing the cohesive cultural historical values (not only the protected

monuments) . In combination with other inventory data as:

technical quality of the building stock;

current use and functional zoning;

clearance or redevelopment areas and

public works,

the local authorities could easily design a development-plan and an annexing multi-

year execution scheme in order to have it approved by the town's council.

Within a period of 1 5 years most of the Dutch historic cities have been renovated,

not only from an architectural point of view, but also from a social-economic

option. With that the protection of historical values has become a stimulus for a

local, high quality conservation policy and the development of n e w architecture in

necessary redevelopment areas. It also fitted in the Dutch tradition of planning and

continuity. Inspired by the positive social effects of the improvement of historic

city centres, inspired also bij the rather simple implementation method, a similar

system for environmental quality management is n o w in development.

With the following example I will explain the mentioned theory. It considers a

former textile factory, the so-called M o m m e r ' s complex, in the town of Tilburg.

These textile works, as m a n y labour-intensive activities in the western world, had

to close d o w n in the seventies of our century. A s Tilburg possessed m a n y

factories of this kind, one can imagine h o w a policy of closing d o w n these works

influenced the social situation in the town's structure. Factory buildings without a

function, as empty ruins in the centre of the town, unemployed people having to

abandon their former factory o w n e d h o m e s . In the s a m e period, the interest for

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industrial remains, or industrial archaeology arose from a conservationist point of

view. It w a s not possible to re-allocate all the deserted factories, but the

conditions were favourable for the transformation of one of the locations, the

already mentioned ' M o m m e r ' s complex' into a textile m u s e u m . This seemed a

rather static function, but in practice it became possible to maintain an functioning

factory, aimed at the manufacturing of products for visiting tourists and special

orders.

In fact, the conservation scheme developed into a revitalization of the existing

textile works and today aimed at special tasks. Besides that, it is n o w possible for

the public to visit the working factory and receive an explanation on the ongoing

activities by a special trained employee. The architectural changes are few, only a

n e w public entrance and annexing restaurant are added to the original concept.

This conservation, or if you wish the re-allocation had not only its influence on the

survival of the existing building stock of the former factory, it influenced also an

increase of employment in the environment. Which m a d e it possible for the

community of Tilburg to revitalize the built environment around the textile works in

a w a y which kept the renovated dwellings accessible for people with low incomes.

The re-allocation of these textile works, started as a cultural activity, worked as

accelerator on the socio-economic renovation of a whole neighbourhood. And

keeping this in tact, Tilburg kept one of its scarce historic remains recognizable.

Today's conservation policy in the Netherlands is based upon the following laws:

M o n u m e n t s and historic buildings Act from 1 988 (execution is n o w

decentralized), regulates protection, plan-approvals and government grants;

Physical Planning Act (decentralized), regulates the development plan for

protected towns and villages and the integration of historic structures as a

whole into today's (social-economic) development;

Urban Renewal Act (decentralized), regulates urban renewal, conservation

areas and an urban renewal fund;

Housing Act (decentralized), regulates building permits and aesthetic

control, relates with n e w architectural developments.

Funding of conservation activities is organized by the National Restoration Fund

which specializes in low renting mortgages, the Urban renewal fund which

supports the communities in there urban renewal task and a special Stimulation

Fund for Architecture which a m o n g others is aimed at revitalization of urban

planning and n e w architecture in historic areas.

The modern conservation policy is based on the ideas of cultural continuity and re

allocation and aimed at land development, urban planning and architecture; in fact

it is focused at redesigning the present urban and rural environment by adapting

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everything of cultural value. The cultural component has become an inseparable

part of the physical planning process. In order to locate the opportunities and risks

of the cultural identity in the light of the desired socio-economic development the

following aspects are taken into consideration:

the geographical structure and the socio-economic use of the land;

special features such as openness (visual lines, silhouette effects), accents,

specific archaeological data, infrastructure and landmarks;

socio-economic utilization and structure of settlements within the area.

O n the local level this survey must be extended with:

The socio-economic and socio-cultural structure of different townparts;

the physical structure of the different townparts;

architectural qualities.

Although above mentioned analyses will preferable take place at the structure

planning level, it should be detailed to the development plan level. Development

plans are at this stage of great importance because they indicate the economic

feasibility of the conservation and development policy. A specific model for urban

development should be based on the (re-)use of existing cultural values (including

listed buildings). In addition to the development opportunities and risks of the

existing values, the plan should also be based on technical social, functional and

financial-economic feasibility. In combination all these factors offer a basis for an

integrated development policy.

The most important aspect for a successful conservation and renewal policy is a

political accepted and approved development plan in combination with a multi-year

execution program. Although the town's council must be prepared to take full

political responsibility for the fulfilment of the plan, the actual execution can be

assigned to ( a combination of) private developers. By doing so both conservation

and development can be approached commercial with annexing financing possibili

ties (among others there are in the Netherlands special conservation mortgages

and tax deductions on the maintenance of monuments) . Only in the interest of

social housing or unremunerative m o n u m e n t s does the government have to

interfere with extra financial support. Further more the communities have to be

sure of the support by the central government through:

a spatial policy aimed at making an efficient use of the scarce open space

and the existing cultural values in the built area;

an architectural policy aimed at stimulating awareness of local (historic)

architectural qualities and potentials;

a conservation policy aimed at integrated conservation cultural

improvement and development-planning;

legislation in the field of development-planning, land-use schemes and

aesthetic control (also on regional scale);

a possibility of funding innovative planning and architecture.

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So far this s e e m s rather a administrative story. But don't be deceived. It has

b e c o m e practice in the Netherlands and although traditional conservationists are

still rather suspicious of this method of integrating the historic component into

todays world - they fear the apparent lack of scientific background - it has not only

proven successful, but it has also proven to be the only successful w a y for historic

city centres and its historic buildings to survive.

The following example is of a different gradation than the Tilburg factory. In the

western part of this province of Brabant, close to the province and the sea arms of

the province of Zeeland is situated the fortified city of Bergen op Z o o m . A s a

military stronghold it played an important role in the struggle for independence of

the Netherlands in the seventeenth century.

But the city of Bergen op Z o o m originates from a market- and, the sea being

nearby, a harbourtown. It w a s a rather prosperous town and possessed therefore

the economic potential to construct a huge church in the middle ages. After the

struggle for independence in the seventeenth century this roman-catholic church

w a s transformed into a protestant church. A s it still is today.

From the seventeenth century on the roman-catholic religion w a s not forbidden in

the Nederlands, but public divine services were prohibited. This prohibition went

on until the beginning of the nineteenth century, being the period of King William

the first of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In that period the State obliged itself

to built churches for the roman catholic worship. These churches are recognizable

by their n e w classical appearance. Bergen op Z o o m also became a similar church

which became situated in the centre of the town, opposite the original, medieval

church. It functioned as a roman-catholic church until the seventies of this century

and it w a s dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary.

For about twenty years a restoration started on the original, medieval church due

to the bad technical condition of the building, caused by lack of maintenance.

During the restoration period, which w a s slowed d o w n by a serious fire in 1972

and shortage of public m o n e y , it became quite clear that the existing protestant

community could never support and maintain such a huge building as the medieval

church of Bergen op Z o o m .

So the protestant community started to look for other participants and users of the

building. Within rather a short period they found the roman catholic community

willing to use part of the church for services, which w a s accepted its gratitude.

The catholic community decided therefore to return to their mother-church after

two hundred years exile. But to do so, they had to desert their nineteenth century

church of the Holy Virgin Mary, leaving a historic building situated at the Market

Place in the centre of the historic city, vacant.

Private developers only showed interest for this object as a potential location for

n e w developments, and from an economic point of view nothing had to be

expected.

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In the meantime the community, supported by the Ministry of Housing and the

Ministry of Culture, was executing a multi-year program of renovation of the

historic town centre. The revitalization included a strengthening of the economic

function, the improvement of the residential possibilities and the creation of a

cultural centre. In this field the community focused on the vacant church of the

Holy Virgin Mary.

After some considerations, the town council decided to obtain the building from

the catholic community in order to have it re-allocated as a theatre. Architect Onno

Greiner got the assignment to re-design a new classical church as a modern

theatre. He succeeded in a superb manner in re-allocating the former church and

for about 5 years the city of Bergen op Zoom repossesses an active town's centre

which economic, cultural and governmental functions.

The renovation policy for the historic town was awarded by this successful

operation. It was stimulated by a careful way of planning and a strong demand for

continuity and re-allocation of the existing building stock.

The situation at Bergen op Zoom proves that a conservation policy, based upon

these starting points, offers the most favourable conditions for the functional and

aesthetic survival of historic buildings and monuments.

Curriculum vitae drs. A . L . L . M . Asselbergs

Before being appointed as the director of the "Rijksdienst voor de

Monumentenzorg" (governmental service responsible for Dutch monuments),

Mr. A .L .L .M. Asselbergs has fulfilled various functions in the field of research and

documentation. He explored (the history of) architecture and culture.

Mr. Asselbergs is also alderman in the town of Amersfoort, and as such

responsible for rural planning, urban renewal, monuments and culture. From 1978

till 1979 he was also responsible for educational affairs in Amersfoort.

Mr. Asselbergs is chairman of a number of organisations dealing with architecture

and culture. He participates in several other organisations as a common member

and takes a lively interest in all recent developments in the field.

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2 .4 Real Estate is re-use? by prof.ir. Hans de Jonge

0. Introduction

The Chicago Declaration of the UIA congress in June 1 993 specifically states the

importance of sustainable building in the light of our environmental problems. This

seminar concentrates on a specific aspect of sustainability: the re-use of existing

buildings. Therefore in this paper w e will look into the existing stock of buildings in

The Netherlands, future developments and ways to deal with real estate in the

light of re-usability.

1. Existing stock

Real estate is the footprint of society: the way w e work, live, educate, recreate

and move about is printed in and on the surface of the earth. What are the

archaeologists of the year 3000 going to conclude about our society? One thing is

for sure: they will notice that in a very short span of time the industrialized

countries of the western world have added an enormous quantity of houses,

buildings, roads, bridges, etc. The past five decades have been decades of growth

in economy, population and intensity of traffic. In The Netherlands w e have with

± 15 million people roughly 6 million houses, 1.3 million buildings, 120,000 km

roads and rail-roads and 1 million km of pipes, ducts and sewers.

After the second World War the demographic explosion caused a big demand for

educational buildings. With the limited resources and growth in pupils that had to

decline within one generation the accommodation policy was based on volume

targets and investment levels. Rationalization and standardization became

commonplace. On relatively cheap locations w e have erected buildings in series,

semi-permanent buildings and emergency buildings. To give a few numbers: w e

have about 30,6 million square meters GFA (Gross Floor Area) of educational

buildings, 1.8 million square meters is leased space (6%) the rest is owned space

of which 1.1 million square meters represent emergency buildings.

By far the largest proportion of those buildings has been erected in the sixties and

seventies. Because they have been erected with speed, volume and budget in

mind they tend to offer more and more problems in terms of maintenance and

durability. A remarkable achievement has been made in accommodating an

explosive number of pupils in a relatively short time frame. Durability has not been

an issue then and even if w e would have known what w e know now, it is

questionable whether w e could have afforded a different approach. Fact is that

today w e are confronted with a stock of educational buildings that is offering

problems in terms of functional and technical life time. In fig. 1 three types of life

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times are given for a changing organization. The functional life time of a building is the timespan within which an organization can operate without major changes in the building. The top graph shows the growth and decline of one user-organization. It abandons the building because there is an under-utilization.

In the second graph is shown the development in the technical performance related to the first graph. The technical life time is the timespan within which the building meets the technical performance criteria in a given maintenance strategy. The required performance is not only depending upon the user but also heavily upon regulations. Safety regulations make buildings into longlasting products. At the points in time that the functional performance of the building is adjusted (years 10, 20 and 30) reinvestments take place. The third graph shows the economic performance of the building. The economic life time is the timespan within which the building meets the return-on-investment criteria. Each time when functional and technical adjustments in the performance are made the expenditure and revenue figures change. In the past decades the technical life time w a s as long as 50 years for structure and shell. Nowadays in some cases buildings with an age of 12-15 years have been demolished to give w a y to n e w construction. The average functional life time is becoming shorter and is connected with a return on investments that has to c o m e in quicker.

Shortening the technical life-time of the building will reduce the quality but not proportionally the costs: it is in fact destruction of capital investment. Generally the fiscal systems do not allow the speed of writing off for depreciation that good \A/ith t h o f i inr»tinnal \A/oar rti hi iilH¡r*nc

In view of what has been said about the character of the existing stock it is clear that re-use of existing buildings is only partly interesting. W e will have to accept that there are m a n y existing buildings that simply will have no future because they are not needed from a functional or economic point of view. O n the other hand there are quite a few interesting buildings in the older part of the stock that have the capacity to be redeveloped because of cultural, functional and technical properties of the buildings and very specifically their locations.

2 . Developments In a brief overview w e will go into major developments that affect the demand for

buildings.

economy

dynamics

information technology

physical planning

environmental issues

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Economy

The industrialized countries of the Western hemisphere are rapidly changing. Their

economies grow towards post-industrial ones in a global context, "head-body-tail

economies" are emerging:

head:

body:

tail:

product development & research (knowledge intensive high-tech)

high volume-low price production

assembly of parts that c o m e from all over the world

distribution and after sales service

high-tech logistics

These shift in e c o n o m y create a demand for different educational qualities.

Permanent education, post-experience training and in-company training are of

increasing importance.

Dynamics

The changing demand for education requires more flexible task-oriented

organizations that operate in project-teams on a temporal basis. The demand for

accommodation therefore is flexible. It will be more en more difficult to m a k e long

term forecasts of studentsnumbers per type of education.

Another major change is the process of decentralization and the increase of

autonomy for educational organizations. In this w a y decisions are brought from

central government level to local level or institution level. This process is going on

in combination with mergers between institutions. Decisions with relationship to

accommodation are more and more taken by the institutions themselves. The

related risks are also their problem n o w .

Information technology

The developments in information technology are creating possibilities for n e w

forms of education like distant learning, individual learning and simulating reality

through modelling. W e can expect the n e w forms to emerge in the next decades.

This will affect the demand for educational facilities, student- and family housing.

Physical planning

In the past decades w e have planned our cities in a "functional w a y " with all

separate functions in separate locations with designated purposes. The creation of

urban centres and living communities at distance has created mobility by car or

public transport till w e n o w have reached the level of suffocation. Physical

planning in The Netherlands aims to concentrate n e w developments in urban areas

and to reduce mobility by car and stimulate public transport. The latter

development has a lot of meaning for educational facilities since they attract a lot

of visitors.

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Environmental issues

Finally environmental considerations are of increasing importance. A changing

demand will have to be taken care of with relatively static buildings that have to

be more durable.

3. Re-use of buildings

In the light of the changes described above it is obvious that w e cannot treat te re

use of buildings as a more technological or architectural problem. Underlying

economic processes define the viability of redevelopment. W e have to face the

fact that the majority of educational buildings will become redundant in the next

decades. The first large institutions that grew from merges started to develop

plans for new accommodation, leaving existing buildings behind that very often are

of no use anymore. If there is no cultural-historic reason to extend the life of the

building it will be demolished with all the environmental consequences of that.

Redevelopment is very well possible if:

location is right

guaranteed use for a period of 20 years exists

the lessee is financially healthy

Finally, w e have to look into the new buildings w e are going to make. H o w do w e

cope with the changes that are described above in the design or purchase of new

buildings? There are a number of ways to cope with the tension between dynamic

demand and relatively static supply. In the context of this paper w e only name:

Organization

change operational hours

better space use

distant learning

Real estate stock

use right mix of leased and owned space

try to cluster functional groups in such a way that specific parts of the

building are concentrated

work with differentiated depreciation in a fiscal approach according to

functional wear

make distinction between locations with potential future value and unique

dedicated locations

* on location with potential future value make durable infra structure,

structure and shell; use infill systems to accommodate change

* on 'dedicated' locations use demountable, reusable building

elements

think of residual value in twenty years from now.

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4. Conclusion

If w e go back to the question in the tittle of this paper w e are able to say now that

real estate does not automatically means re-use. W e conclude with three

statements:

1. W e tend to look at nice examples of re-development and tend to forget

about the vast majority of uninteresting buildings in our building stock.

2. Redevelopment will only take place if there is financial viability through

private investment of government subsidy.

3. W e tend to concentrate on building level. The urban tissue, location,

infrastructure and public transport are often underestimated in the feasibility

of options.

Curriculum vitae prof H. de Jonge

At present Hans de Jonge is Director for Research and Development with the

'Rijksgebouwendienst'. This public building agency is responsible for all buildings

of the central government in The Netherlands. The real estate portfolio consists of

some 3.000 buildings with six million square metres gross floor area and an

estimated replacement value of 10 billion U.S . dollars.

Since 1 987 he is responsible for the research- and development-programs of the

'Rijksgebouwendienst' which cover a wide range of topics such as property-

management, facility-management, building economics, quality assurance,

buildings physics, environmental issues, post-occupancy evaluations.

Hans de Jonge published and lectured on various topics in the research field in

Europe, the U S A and Asia. From 1991 he is professor in Real Estate Management

and Development at Delft University of Technology.

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2.5 Spatial relations between town and college by mr. C . J . D . Waal

O n e of the favourite quotes of Dutch governors comes from England and says: " T o w n and G o w n never meet". It is suggested as though universities and polytechnics on the one hand and city and city institutions on the other, are two separate worlds. And it looks as though people enjoy cultivating an opposition between the two. In reality there have been strong relations between cities and schools through the centuries. This particularly goes for spatial relations. Put in different words: city governors have always concerned themselves intensively with the housing of the polytechnics of university in the city. School governors have exerted themselves to give the city a spatial imprint to their preference.

In m y presentation I will m a k e references to the cities of Deventer, Leyden and Rotterdam. In these cities large housing problems for higher education have recently been dealt with or are still being dealt with. The city of Deventer holds about 7 0 , 0 0 0 inhabitants and has a related region of about 1 3 0 , 0 0 0 people. It is situated on the river Ussel, 100 k m s . east of Amsterdam on the route to Berlin. Deventer as an imperial Free Hanze City w a s one of the major trading cities in the German Hanze. A s you will k n o w this Hanze w a s , in the Middle Ages , a union of cooperation of tens of cities in predominantly North an North-Eastern Europe (from Bruges to Novgorod). The favourable economic development of the city coincided with the cultural revival; Deventer w a s given a central role for education a m o n g other things. Amongst the Deventer students of the famous Latin school in the 1 5th century w a s Desiderius Erasmus, w h o later gave his n a m e to the University of Rotterdam. The Spanish King Philip the Second, w h o w a s also Lord of the Netherlands, considered to found the first North-Dutch University in Deventer. The Dutch Revolt changed the course of events; in 1575 the first university w a s founded in Leyden. Deventer, however, kept major educational functions. In our age Deventer is internationally famous, i.e. in Indonesia and other developing countries, in particular because of its education in tropical agriculture. In the eighties 7 institutions for higher vocational education merged into Usselland Polytechnic. The housing of this n e w Polytechnic of about 4 ,500 students, is n o w in its last stage. I will c o m e back to this.

Leyden is the prototype of a Dutch city with canals. It has the largest historic inner city of The Netherlands second to Amsterdam. It is situated on the Old Rhine and holds about 1 1 0 , 0 0 0 inhabitants; its related region is about 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 people. W e s a w that Leyden University w a s founded as the first in the North-Netherlands in 1575. It still has a leading position in Europe. It n o w has more than 2 0 , 0 0 0 students. Because of the predominant position of the University in Leyden City little attention has been paid to other forms of higher education. Higher vocational

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education in Leyden is modest. Higher vocational technical education does not

even exist there, even though an engineering school w a s founded by Simon Stevin

in 1600 . Technical education at university level is in Delft. Higher vocational

technical education in The Hague and Rotterdam.

You are all familiar with Rotterdam as the largest port in the world. The city on the

River M e u s e is undoubtedly in her appearance the most modern city of the

Netherlands. It holds almost 6 0 0 , 0 0 0 inhabitants, with an related region of well

over 1 ,000 ,000 people.

These three cities are examples in point of the great discrepancy between the

related region and the border of jurisdiction of the city. This is a phenomenon

which all older large and medium size cities have to deal with. It is a fundamental

problem of Dutch cities. Developers of large buildings m a y be "troubled" by the

consequences of governing problems: they m a y have to choose between either

being located in different municipalities or accepting the narrow possibilities of the

central municipality. Central municipalities are always financially poor and

therefore not always accommodating in negotiations about e.g. ground prices or

maintenance of public space.

Rotterdam's tradition in Higher education is less rich than that of Deventer or

Leyden. Yet the oldest of the schools which n o w form Rotterdam Polytechnic

dates back to the end of the 1 8th century. Particularly after World W a r II Higher

Education in Rotterdam has shaped up. Erasmus University is only s o m e decades

old; students number about 2 0 , 0 0 0 . The majority of Higher Education is part of

the Rotterdam Polytechnic. This Polytechnic c a m e into existence in 1 9 8 8 in a

merges of 1 9 institutions. N o w its students number about 13 ,000 .

Dutch cities highly value the establishment of higher education. There is a famous

anecdote about the city of Leyden. After they had bravely resisted the Spanish

siege in 1 5 7 4 , the population is alleged to have had the choice between tax

freedom or a university. The city is believed to have chosen for a university. This

story m a y not be true, but it does testify to the importance of the presence of

higher education. Of old, city governors have expected positive economic effects.

These days the effect on the level of schooling is also considered to be of great

importance; all the more so since institutions for higher education appear to have a

particularly regional function. Also from the point of view of spatial planning a city

benefits by the presence of higher education. Higher education generates

liveliness. A city without students is a dull city; this is shown by Dutch examples

which I a m not going to mention.

In an inner city higher education can also have the function of preventing

impoverishment or of providing a stimulus for revitalisation. In the historic inner

city of Leyden a distinct difference of the urban quality between several parts of

the inner city can be noted. The parts of the Leyden inner city which are spatially

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strongest, are precisely those parts where institutions of the university have been

concentrated. In the Leyden inner city the university has repeatedly given n e w life

to existing buildings by re-using them. W h e n founded the University benefited by

the loss of function of monasteries. The image building of Leyden University still is

the Old Nunnery. Also the Witte Singel/Doelen-project, a major building operation

in the existing city, w a s m a d e possible by the loss of other functions.

In Deventer the n e w building of Usselland Polytechnic is the first concrete

realisation of the so-called Grachtengordel-project. This is an ambitious project for

the redevelopment of an area between the historic inner city and the station. It is

an ideal location, at least according to the theories of Dutch spatial planning

policy. However , the soil is extremely polluted. Cleaning will require m a n y tens of

millions of guilders. The subproject Usselland Polytechnic has been the lever to

m a k e a real start with cleaning the soil and the redevelopment of the area.

In Rotterdam the 'Kop van Zuid'-project on the South Bank is being developed. It is

to be a project of international stature. Stimulation of the Kop van Zuid however,

m a y cause loss of function elsewhere in the city, particularly w h e n the office

market is slack. For buildings which are coming free in the area around the Space

Tower both higher education and the hospital are the most interesting functions.

It is by no m e a n s self evident that governors of higher education choose for inner

city locations. The Uithof in Utrecht and m a n y foreign examples m a k e this clear.

The considerations to build educational institutions outside the city, or as

governors sometimes put it, "in the green", are similar to those of housing.

The larger a building project or housing estate is, the more difficult it is to find a

"grain" in an inner city which is sufficiently large for such a project to be realised.

The smaller the scale of the city the more difficult. Larger sizes m a k e finding

adequate locations in an inner city more and more difficult. This does not only

apply to education, but also to hospitals, and, currently, courts of justice.

Inner city projects carry more risks in terms of time and m o n e y than outer city

projects. The risks have to do with matters such as participation in town planning

procedures and environmental aspects such as pollution and noise. N e w requi

rements with regard to fire precautions and working conditions m a k e adjustment

of existing buildings and their re-use more and more difficult. The cost of adapting

a n e w building to present insights can be enormous. Let us take the case of the

high rise building of Unilever in Rotterdam as an example in point. A s you will

k n o w Unilever is an international firm established in Rotterdam. Because of

reorganisation Unilever went to a n e w building elsewhere in Rotterdam. Rotterdam

Polytechnic b e c a m e the owner of the old Unilever building. The oldest part of it

has just been renovated to suit the needs of education of one of the faculties of

Rotterdam Polytechnic. It is an outstanding building dating back to the thirties and

an municipal m o n u m e n t . The second part of the previous Unilever housing is a

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high rise building of the sixties. It n o w appears that the cost of adapting the

building to educational purposes approaches the cost of breaking it d o w n and

constructing an n e w one. Is it wise, in these conditions, to go for re-use? Would-

not it be better to go for good and modern solutions on the s a m e location? M a n y

people m a y ask: Is the building so inferior? W a s the housing of the board of

executives of Unilever International so pathetic? It is the sum-total of several

desires, which in themselves are not unreasonable, which creates the problems.

The construction-bureaucratic complex turns every wish into a fixed requirement

so that in fact only "in the green" a building can be realised which complies with

all the requirements of the construction-bureaucratic complex. According to the

current planning policy building there is undesirable.

I n o w c o m e to a phenomenon which has surprised m e for years. The appreciation

of cities like Venice, Bruges of Prague is c o m m o n . According to the Michelin guide

Dutch cities like Deventer and Leyden also belong to the old cities worth a visit.

Rotterdam is interesting for its modern architecture. People c o m e to these cities in

great numbers; living in m o n u m e n t s is widely appreciated. Governors of public

authorities, institutions and firms love working in a m o n u m e n t . Yet, according to

the present rules these cities and buildings should or could not have been built.

(Breaking them d o w n is not allowed either, for that matter). If a building is a

protected m o n u m e n t , there is room for sensible interpretation of rules (deviations

and exemptions) so that re-use gets a chance. Existing buildings that are not

m o n u m e n t s do not get this room, even if they comply with modern ideas to a

greater extent than m o n u m e n t s . This lack of flexibility is a problem for keeping up

the high rise Unilever.

Another development seems to m a k e building "in the green" with as little risk as

possible appealing. The cost of housing which is subsidised by the national

authorities to Polytechnics, is based on fixed norms. Deviation from these norms is

at the risk of the Polytechnic. The bill of the disappointments in the renovation of

the old Unilever building could be sent by Rotterdam Polytechnic to the Ministry of

Education. In the n e w funding system Rotterdam Polytechnic has to pay for the

disappointment itself, e.g. in the case of renovation of the high rise Unilever

building. This would then go at the expense of education, which is being curtailed

anyway. The normative costs which are being used, are obviously not based on

teaching in re-use monasteries, hospitals, barracks, courts of justice and so on.

The norm is of course the dreadfully dull building "in the green", which complies

with the most recent prescription.

Usselland Polytechnic as well as Rotterdam Polytechnic and Leyden University

have expressly chosen for inner city locations. W h y ? I would like to mention a

number of relevant considerations which have played a role. Not all considerations

are rational, like emotional affection. Considerations which have played a role. Not

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all considerations are rational, like emotional affection. Considerations cannot

always be argued with factual data. E.g. Rotterdam Polytechnic finds it important

to present an urban profile. The Polytechnic can be recognized in the city and is

there. Students are confronted by the city. Does this contribute to students having

a better understanding of the phenomenon of a city and of metropolitan problems?

Does an inner city location contribute towards an attitude of cooperation a m o n g

students and teachers more than a site on e.q. the old Rotterdam airport? From the

point of view of the lawful task of higher education to promote a sense of social

responsibility with students this is also a relevant question. Strikingly enough w e

k n o w little about the relation between the location where students study and their

education. W h a t w e can measure is whether students appreciate studying in an

inner city. In its recruitment campaigns Usselland Polytechnic expressly

emphasizes the cosiness and atmosphere of the Deventer inner city. This strategy

is based on research data. In the competition for the student the question where it

is "fun" to study will draw more an more attention, in m y opinion.

A consideration which in itself m a y be decisive, has to do with the question of:

" H o w to get there". Inner city locations are within easier reach walking, by bike or

by public transport than those in peripheral areas. (Changes in study grant systems

will not enable students to go to the place of their education by car). In Deventer

the n e w building adjoins the station. In Leyden all faculties are within easy reach

of the central station. In Rotterdam a firm principle of Rotterdam Polytechnic is

that the building be situated on the east-west underground line. There is a

concentration of buildings at Dijkzigt station; stations Blaak en Coolhaven are near

Rotterdam Polytechnic locations.

In m y opinion another fundamental consideration for an institution of higher

education to be located in the inner city is the enlargement of the flexibility for the

school itself. Enlargement of flexibility in a number of aspects. Schools for higher

education have grown over the last years; will they keep doing so? The larger the

size of a building and the less attractive its situation, the larger and more

threatening the financial burden of a surplus of room will be. It is quite naive to

suppose that present n e w buildings will still be adequate in ten years' time

according to the prescriptions, insights and social developments of the time. E.g.

what will be the influence of technological developments?

In an inner city environment housing will have to be spread over several buildings;

for these separate buildings a n e w user m a y be found. There m a y also be flexibility

by using amenities in the vicinity. Deventer is an example in point. By the choice

of the location it is possible to m a k e use of the amenities of the nearby cultural

centre with several meeting rooms and theatre facilities. The existing city- or

atheneumlibrary, the oldest of Western Europe, can be used for Usselland

Polytechnic. (This library is situated on a previous monastery). Student facilities

are concentrated in the premises at the city square De Brink, between the library

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and the n e w main building. The co-use of facilities which are already there, m a k e s

limitation of the size of n e w amenities possible. In m y opinion enlargement of

flexibility implies: going for spatial and architectonic quality. Quality buildings can

develop or be given n e w functions. The age of a building is not decisive, nor its

original function. The "old" part of Unilever has quality and again functions

adequately. Previous monasteries in Leyden and Deventer are buildings where one

feels at h o m e for the education and library-function. Tjeerd Dijkstra will clarify h o w

in the case of the Arsenaal in Leyden quality present w a s being put to use and

h o w the building w a s enriched by modern additions and adaptations.

A housing policy aimed at the inner city can only be successful if the municipality

and the educational institution cooperate closely and have a frame of reference in

c o m m o n . The municipality plays an active and in principle determining role in the

development of the planning framework, in particular of the zoning plan. In such a

zoning plan a municipality can give the educational institute space, literally and

figuratively. A zoning plan m a y also be too strict a strait-jacket. In practice the

municipality functions as an "agent" which brings functions and buildings together

and thus stimulates the re-use of buildings. In addition the municipality is most

likely the lot-owner with w h o m the school has to negotiate. The municipality is

responsible for the quality of the open space around the educational premises. This

does not only refer to the right of laying pavement tiles or cutting the shrubs. In

Rotterdam e.g. it is crucial that the municipality see to it that the prostitution on

the doorstep of one of the buildings of Rotterdam Polytechnic disappears, not only

intentionally but also factually.

In Rotterdam a communicative structure between municipality and Rotterdam

Polytechnic is going to be started. The outline of the housing policy of Rotterdam

Polytechnic is becoming clearer. Essentially housing is aimed at in a limited number

of kernels along the east-west underground line in the inner-city. Around Dijkzigt

station as urban c a m p u s is developing, which consist of the "old" Unilever building

and the building of Higher Nautical and Technical Education on the brims. Above

Dijkzigt station there are possibilities for development, as well as on the site of the

high rise Unilever building. Communication with the municipality will in particular

be aimed at the spatial relations within the urban c a m p u s and the possibilities for

development there. Depending on the possibilities which Rotterdam offers on the

location, a smaller or larger part of Rotterdam Polytechnic will be housed at Blaak/-

Wijnhaven (also an underground station). A n interesting aspect of the axis from

Wijnhaven/Blaak at one end and Coolhaven at the other is the two-sided situation

at the water. Water is barely visible in the largest port of the world. Since a couple

of years Rotterdam has promoted itself as the Waterstad.

Rotterdam Polytechnic can link op with this by emphatically being present at the

water as a Polytechnic, and by making water a strong spatial element in housing

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plans. In fact Rotterdam Polytechnic then has the water as the third determining

element, in addition to the inner city and the underground. Over and above

Rotterdam Polytechnic is situated in the vicinity of cultural amenities as N A (Dutch

Architecture Institute), Booymans van Beuningen Museum and the Kunsthal.

Experience in Deventer and Leyden has shown how effective a joint operation of

municipality and education institution may be. In Deventer it was only thanks to

the joint operation that the cleaning of the soil and the construction of the building

have started. The ministers Alders and Ritzen were in favour, the civil servants of

the Ministry of the Environment against. The power of civil servants may be the

fourth, but it is the strongest in many cases. Joint efforts were necessary to make

national civil servants execute the policy which was agreed upon.

Cooperation between the University and the municipality of Leyden also formed an

essential element in the realisation of the Witte Singel/Doelen-project. Making a

fresh start also belonged to this cooperation. A previous plan which the muni

cipality and the university had agreed upon, the parties were less happy with. In

the sixties a plan was developed for towers of 128 and 60 meters high. The

highest tower would be the highest building in The Netherlands. It correlated with

the spirit of the age, but not with the scale, structure and character of the inner

city of Leyden. It is an example of how beneficial it may be not to execute a plan.

The following speaker, the architect Tjeerd Dijkstra, was one of the architects who

gave shape to this alternative plan, which proves that even in our time w e can

build with quality and insight. N e w buildings and re-use do not compete, but

complete one another.

Curriculum vitae mr. C.J .D. Waal

Cees J.D. Waal (50) studied law in Leiden. As a lecturer at Leiden University his

subjects included Roman Law.

From 1 974 to 1 984 Cees Waal was a town councillor for the municipality of

Leiden. As chairman of the executive committee for environmental planning, public

works, traffic and urban renewal. Cees Waal was closely involved in the Leiden

University housing plans. He was also deputy-mayor and, for some time, acting as

mayor of Leiden.

From 1 984 to 1 993 Cees Waal was mayor of Deventer, a town with a rich and

varied educational tradition.

Since November 1 993 Cees Waal has been chairman of the Board of Governors of

the Rotterdam College of Higher Education. The new College of Higher Education

faces complex housing problems.

Cees Waal is also a member of the government commission dealing with historic

buildings and ancient monuments and a member of the commission dealing with

passenger traffic.

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'Religous covers/on': a redundant church is now a theatre, Bergen op Zoom

(see page 71)

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2.6 'Re-use? Should Education and Science care ?' by drs H . W . M . Schoof

1. Introduction

Decentralisation of accommodation tasks to the field of education is in full swing.

With effect from 1 January 1994, institutions in Higher Vocational Training have

become autonomous in determining accommodation policy. In Scientific Education

and Research Institutes which fall under the Ministry of Education and Science, it

is also planned that genuine decentralisation will be implemented with effect from

1 January 1 996. Similar operations have been put in motion for other sectors of

education.

It might therefore be wondered why a Director of the Infra Directorate falling under

the Ministry of Education and Science's top directorate for Central Financing

(Institutions) has been asked to make a contribution to this symposium. In order to

answer this question, it is important to take a brief look into the past and into a

number of developments in relation to the theme up to the present time.

2. Policy developments vis-à-vis re-allocation

2.1 Within the Dutch government

In the last decade town and country planning policy and environment policy have

received close attention. Sustainable use of nature, culture and therefore space

and building materials is encountered in many government papers. These include

the following:

Fourth paper on town and country planning extra (Vinex)

The government's active location policy set out in this paper is also backed up by

other policy papers emanating from the Dutch government; these include the

Structural Scheme for Traffic and Transport (BVV) and the National Environment

Policy Plan (NMP).

Paper on Architecture Policy: "Space for Architecture" (April 1991)

This paper describes in detail how the ministers of town and country planning and

culture intend to upgrade the link between construction policy and culture policy.

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2.2 Within the Ministry of Education

Until recently, the total accommodation policy for all sectors of education fell

under the responsibility of the Minister of Education. This responsibility is, or in

some cases was, fulfilled in different ways for each sector. However, the actual

principal within these sectors is not the government.

Given this responsibility in the accommodation department, the aspect of "Re

allocation of Buildings" has also received a certain amount of attention. In this

framework, the following examples can be mentioned:

Education and Location Policy Working Group (WOL)

This working group's recommendation (May 1992) lists a number of important

aspects which have to be taken into account when decisions on the

accommodation of educational institutions are being taken. These include

flexibility, possibilities for re-use by other institutions or non-education users and

the relations to be developed with other institutions or companies.

"Guiding principles for long-term facilities in the accommodation of further

education schools"

These "Guiding principles 1994" were published recently by the Ministry of

Education. Inter alia, they contain guidelines on the acquisition of buildings for

educational activities. The underlying assumption is that, for any purchase, the

total cost (acquisition cost plus refurbishing costs) should not exceed the cost of

building corresponding facilities new. Attention is also urged, in each phase of

construction, for a number of environmental aspects, and it is recommended that

thought be given, as early as the initiative phase, to the possibility of multi

functional use of the premises in question.

3. Re-use by educational institutions up to the present time

Mergers and concentrations have been (and are being) stimulated by the Ministry

of Education and Science , and have taken place on a large scale. Partly as a result

of this, many institutions seek accommodation at a single location. The result of

this may be disposal of premises "in the wrong location" and a search for new

accommodation close to existing accommodation which is to be maintained.

However, investment initiatives relating to new construction in particular are long-

term matters. Between the time when an accommodation problem is notified, a

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blueprint is worked out, the initiative is incorporated in an investment plan and

actual construction can begin there is generally a very long period.

It is precisely the time element that is missing when the possibility of re-allocation

of empty (non-education) premises arises. When acquisition of such premises can

be linked with disposal of premises for which a good re-allocation (within

education) can be found, several problems can be solved at the same time.

Moreover, given that the situation is often "now or never", these are arguments

which can be used to make financial resources available more rapidly. In a number

of cases, an extensive shift operation regarding the accommodation of various

institutions from different sectors of education can be generated. Given that

projects become a chain in such cases, the parties must be aware that such a

chain is as strong as the weakest link.

Up to the present time decision-making in these processes has been largely

determined by the financing method. Since it is a question of "lost" financing by

the government, there is no need (or possibility) for an institution to write down

buildings and make provisions in the accounts for future investments. This can

result in a number of important parameters remaining under-exposed in the choice

to re-allocate an existing building. What are the running costs; how is the value of

the premises likely to evolve; how marketable are the premises; what is the level

of annual depreciation; etc.

It can be pointed out from experience that not going through with a number of re

allocation plans appears to be separate from the suitability of the premises

(suitability will be examined in more detail later). Decisions are often based on the

procedures to be followed and allocation plans and the lack of resources.

Opportunities for re-use of buildings in the future

4.1 General

The above developments within the government can have an influence on the

opportunities for re-allocation of buildings. Before looking at this more closely, it is

important to set out the factors which are determinant in the decision to re

allocate a building. Where there is a question of re-allocation of existing buildings,

a market of (potential demand and (potential) supply needs to be identified. Apart

from macro-economic factors, this market of supply and demand is determined by

a number of circumstances.

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In the case of the supply of empty premises, these include:

changing/shrinking space requirements

an (unwanted) ageing of the property portfolio

inadequate location

changing functional requirements

government policy initiatives

inappropriate exploitation

financing reasons: rent/lease/buy.

In turn, the d e m a n d for accommodation is determined by such aspects as:

increase in space requirements

availability of financial resources

need/desire to replace an ageing property portfolio

desire to concentrate at one location

changing functional requirements

need for flexibility

financing reasons: rent/lease/buy.

Given the market mechanism, it is important to identify which considerations

might or will play a role in making the optimal choice for the property portfolio.

Furthermore, the market mechanism will only work if supply and demand are

actually brought together. I shall examine this in more detail later on.

4 . 2 Re-allocation, as seen from the educational institution

If this choice is m a d e by an individual moral person (i.e. an educational institution),

this will be determined by a number of considerations. In terms of policy,

educational considerations will generally need to be in the forefront for an

educational institution. Think, for instance, of the following:

fluctuations in student/pupil numbers

changing teaching methods

possible mergers/concentrations/spearheads.

Also, the competition position vis-à-vis other institutions m a y increasingly play a

role. W h e n these policy assumptions are being worked out, technical/financial

arguments will generally be decisive.

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A number of c o m m e n t s on this:

It cannot and should not be possible to examine investment decisions and

exploitation consequences in isolation, as has often been the case in the

past.

The quest for optimal use of space (occupation and utilisation) is expected

to receive extra attention from institutions themselves.

If an educational institution wants to present itself increasingly as a

"business", it is important that the real property should also be involved. A

good mix in the above-mentioned portfolio is a part of this exercise.

Flexibility and multi-functionality can be important. Given that this often

c o m e s at a price, it is good to assess the desirability or need carefully. This

assessment will take place at two levels; vis-à-vis the form of financing

(buy, rent or lease) and on the basis of a programme of requirements

(extendibility, flexibility and multi-functional use).

Once an accommodation decision has been taken, the depreciation period

and fixtures will have to be taken into account. In addition, an effort must

be m a d e to estimate the functional service life of a property.

The image of an institution is determined to a not inconsiderable degree by

the accommodation; this "visiting card" of an institution can (and may)

have a price. Just as a m a n is often judged by what he wears, buildings

can be what m a k e s an institution; in other words, under s o m e

circumstances a more expensive "bespoke suit" will be selected over an

"off-the-peg suit" to add to the "wardrobe" as a whole.

In order to reach a reasoned choice between the various alternative

accommodation possibilities, a large number of aspects need to receive attention.

Optimal attention must be given to each alternative:

investment costs (acquisition + refurbishing versus n e w construction)

functionality, running costs

state of maintenance

location, accessibility

allocation plan possibilities

environmental aspects (asbestos, ground pollution, ventilation system)

financing alternatives

time pressure (now-or-never situation, urgency of need for space)

specific requirements/functions (e.g. laboratory buildings)

in the case of re-allocation: desired level of renovation

technical, functional analysis versus user requirements.

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O n this side, there is the impression that if an institution pays attention only to the

above-mentioned aspects, only rarely will the opportunity arise for the choice to

(be able to )fall on re-allocation of an existing building. Only w h e n , say, the state

of the premises (seen from the angle of construction and exploitation) is relatively

good, the current and future use of space has m a n y similarities ( or the premises

are very flexible), the location is in line with wishes, etc., will re-allocation have a

serious chance. If buildings are to be re-allocated on a greater scale, it looks as if a

catalyst will continue to be necessary for this process.

4 .3 Re-allocation, seen in terms of society's interests

However , if other interests apart from individual educational interests play a role in

the assessment process and the owner/user of the premises or "society" also has

a direct interest, the balance m a y tip to the other side. These interests bridge not

only sectors within education but also at various other levels. These include

environment, town and country planning, culture and social renewal.

In concrete terms, it is then a matter of re-using construction materials (= limiting

the quantity of waste); limiting energy consumption; optimal use of limited space;

contribution to compact towns; using locations well served by public transport;

retaining characteristic buildings with individual architectural features or which

harmonise with their surroundings; stimulus for town renewal, countering

pauperization, etc.

If these interests are serious, it should also be pointed out that this too c o m e s at a

price. By pooling interests, and thus as a rule forms of financing, solutions can be

found which are particularly attractive for society as a whole but which fall outside

primary education and research interests for the individual institution.

In this context, it appears important for the parties to be aware of supply and

d e m a n d . To date this has been partially ensured by the government's preferential

right to real and other property which is returned to the state because it is not

needed by the government's property arm. O n decentralisation of the

government's accommodation tasks to institutions, this preferential right will

probably have to be decentralised at the s a m e time in one w a y or another to these

institutions in order not to lose the potential advantages to "society". The Ministry

is currently working to improve data processing and provision of information. It is

possible that targeted m a n a g e m e n t of accommodation data within the various

sectors of education and registration of premises no longer needed by government

can help to prevent that unnecessary capital destruction.

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5. Conclusions

The conclusions to be drawn from the above can be set out as a number of

theses:

Bearing in mind the macro interest, decentralisation of the accommodation

task to institutions does not mean that the government retains no

responsibility vis-à-vis (large) investments and therefore also education

accommodation!

Without (financial) stimulation, individual institutions cannot be expected to

do more than spend resources assigned for educational activities "well and

effectively". Cultural (and other) values then take second place, although

the links with education can often be demonstrated!

Multi-functional use of buildings and facilities by several users can result in

more effective use of limited resources at macro level and in more flexible

reactions to developments.

Re-allocation of a building as an educational building can be a laborious

process. Belief in it among the various parties involved is of great

importance for the success or otherwise of such a project. A condition for

this is that accommodation should not be seen only as a question of

financing.

Curriculum vitae drs. H . W . M . Schoof

Drs. H . W . M . Schoof is director of Central Finance of Institutes, dep. Infra of the

Ministry of Education and Science.

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3. Cases

3.1 Introduction of the cases

Several examples of the re-use of buildings that have lost their function have been

shown. Most of the buildings, all adapted for cultural or educational purposes,

were previous industrial buildings or warehouses. The cases must all be seen in

their specific context and were meant to share experiences. An essential aspect of

each case is given:

Mr. Crouwel made clear that it was the use of the qualities of the existing

building that made his case (changing a factory into a museum) a success,

Mr. Greiner focused on the question whether or not a church can be

re-used as a theatre;

in the Town Hall of Bishop Auckland Mr. Ainsworth expressed that the

conservation of the exterior was essential;

Mr. Rijnboutt made it possible that dwellings and cultural activities can be

combined in one and the same building;

Mr. Castellana showed how cost can be saved by re-using an old school

buildings instead of building new;

the University Library of Bucharest Mr. Swoboda stated was an expensive

project to renovate but cultural and aesthetic value of the building were

most important;

the case of Mr. Dijkstra shows that a sustainable building with a long

technical life time is not necessarily suitable for re-use and that a building in

a relatively poor technical state can be re-used, when suitable from a

functional and economical point of view;

Mr. Hertz contributed to a sustainable future for educational spaces in Nes

Ziona by using the historical, natural and cultural values of the site;

the context in Buenos Aires was comparable with the urban developments

in a lot of other cities in the world: using industrial areas in or around the

centre of cities, as was explained by Mr. Schneider and Mr. Lopez Rivarola.

The urban-practice in Breda was also dealt with by municipality-official

Mr. Hartman, who promoted ecological urban planning. Main item was the

theoretical lively city whose inhabitants must feel responsible after participating in

the realisation of the ecological urban development. What is needed for sustainable

building is to realize the necessary support.

The last case was 'De Upelaar' by architect L. Rienks. Before this, Mr,Rienks

made a general statement: form follows multi-function; the architect will need

special architectural characteristics to express a form that can adapt to several

functions without becoming a faceless building.

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3.2 Case 'De Pont': Museum De Pont in an old wool mill

by W . M . Crouwel

One of the business involvements of J.H. de Pont concerned the wool-spinning

mill Thomas de Beer in the city of Tilburg. Much to his satisfaction the mill was

able to function again in 1 969. A few years later, after his death in 1 987, it was

necessary to close down the mill. The fact that the mill complex now houses the

art foundation that bears his name would certainly have given him great pleasure.

One of the primary aims of the De Pont foundation is to form a collection of

contemporary art, according to the last will of Mr. de Pont, within the Netherlands

and abroad.

Due to the solitary way which it is situated at a slight angle on an enclosed plot,

the building of the former Thomas de Beer wool mill, which is the remainder of a

much larger factory complex, has a certain mysteriousness: a peculiar closed box

that reveals nothing about its interior. The mill was still in use when w e came their

in the early part of 1 990. The process of transforming raw wool into yarn

determined the lay-out of the complex in a very logical and simple manner.

Because of this process, there is a characteristic alternation of spaces. First the

large storage rooms for the wool, then a wide and high corridor, an area with

smaller storage rooms, and then a vast open area with skylights. The condition of

the factory made it necessary to carry out a total renovation and rebuilding. In

terms of its structure and physical presence, the building had all the distinguishing

characteristics of a Dutch factory: functionally and technically, there was no more

than was absolutely necessary. This is why the roof and the floor of the large hall

were completely renovated and all the walls restored.

The guiding principal in the rebuilding has been to retain the character of the

building as much as possible, on the one hand due to the usefulness of the spaces

and, on the other, to preserve something of the past. By way of three simple

breaks trough walls, the routing was optimized and a line of sight from the

entrance was effected, making it possible to read the outer dimensions of the

building on entering it.

All the additional constructions are designed as being separate from the building in

order to maintain the distinction between the existing structure and additions. The

tone of all the facilities oriented to the public is silver grey or the natural colour of

steel and contrasts with the rough brick building. A great deal of stainless steel

was used, due to its quality, its suitability for intensive use and the association

with the previous function of the building. The elements are purely functional and

do not monopolize the atmosphere of the interior.

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N e w installations, wiring and pipes have been concealed as much as possible, so

that the building, as a bare structure, is able to constitute a non-distractive, natural

accommodation for the art.

Each of the exhibition spaces has a character of his own. The corridor with the

large storage vaults for wool has been sandblasted, so that the colour of the red

brick is dominant. In contrast to this, the smaller wool storage spaces have been

finished in white and given parquet floors. In the large open area a dark, concrete

floor has been poured; the existing steel structure remained its original silver grey.

The new spaces in the open area have been made with free-standing walls, that

are 365 c m . in height and remain below the fragile truss construction. Because of

this, the separate rooms continue to be a part of a larger space. Moreover, the

walls are placed in such a way that the extended lines of sight are maintained and

the main space is kept intact as an entity.

Company Profile Benthem Crouwel Architekten BV

Benthem Crouwel is a dynamic and expanding practice of architects and building

engineers, established by Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel in 1979.

The firm has an international reputation for very functional though exciting

architecture, extensively using modern technology in a humane way. Building is for

the future, not for the past !

The office aims to be a very versatible problemsolver. The skills of the present

1 8 employees, 1 3 of w h o m are university graduates cover the complete field of

architectural design. Projects range from urban design and infrastructure projects,

public service and office buildings to social housing, interior design, restauration

and productdevelopment.

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3.3 Case 'De Maagd': Roman Catholic Church as Theatre

by Onno Greiner

When one plans to rebuild a Roman Catholic Church into a theatre, one can bear in

mind a few considerations:

1. Is it desirable to use a consecrated building, a church, in which people have

prayed for 160 years, for another purpose?

2. If the Community decides to do so, does the architect then have a moral

responsibility, or not?

3. In the case of 'De Maagd' in Bergen op Zoom, there was the choice

between building a shopping arcade, a carpet shop or a theatre. A theatre

was chosen.

4. The architect considers that rebuilding a church as a theatre is no longer as

strange as it might seem ( after a conference in Delhi 'Concepts of Space'):

the Atlantic Theatre (theatre as we know it today), is a direct descendant of

the Greek theatre (religious origin) and the Christian religion: the

development of theatre space is typically European and runs almost parallel

to the development of religious space in Europe (and later in the Atlantic

Christian world).

5. In Bergen op Zoom the case is rather special: the Roman Catholic church

was taken from the Roman Catholics by the Protestants at the end of the

1 6th century, during the 80-years war - a war of liberation - which was

partly a religious war. The Spanish (Roman Catholic) army was defeated

and the Dutch Roman Catholics were persecuted. (King Philip II of Spain

was a devout Catholic). The Gothic Basilica became this Protestant Church.

Until 1828 the Roman Catholics had no church of their own. King William I

gave them a church, 'De Maagd'.

From 1 828 to 1 987 this was a Roman Catholic Church. In 1 987 the Gothic

church was restored and this once again became the Roman Catholic

cathedral, (The Protestant no longer needed a church in the centre) and 'De

Maagd' was handed back to the town of Bergen op Zoom. This made the

church available for change of use. But meanwhile it had to become a

National Monument. Then the question arose: what do w e do with it?

(architect proposes: concert hall). Town council decides: theatre for 650

people.

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7.

Question: can a theatre be built in the former church, while also preserving

the historic monument?

Architect's answer: yes, if no high demands are made. Fly tower must

remain within the church roof, which is just possible.

- height of vault 1 7.00 m .

- small flies

- stage opening 10.80 m .

- two balconies

- first two bays: foyers + stairs

- next three bays: hall

- last two bays: stage

- abscise: back stage

- youth group building: dressing rooms.

Architect decides to 'suspend' balconies between the columns, and to

leave the church space as visible as possible.

Question: can a historic monument of this kind actually be used in a

positive way? One may wonder whether this is a better use than building

offices, as is customary: is there a big difference, or not?

Question: does the change of use contribute to greater longevity?

Answer to this question: yes.

Company Profile Onno Greiner Martien van Goor Architekten bv

In addition to its work on psychiatric clinics, hotels and offices, since 1960 the

firm Onno Greiner Martien van Goor Architekten bv has worked on 11 theatres

and cultural centres, including the restoration of the oldest theatre in the

Netherlands in Leiden (1705/1865), restoration and new building of Twentse

Schouwburg Enschede, new theatres in Hoogeveen, Amersfoort, Sliedrecht,

Biberach an der Riss (Germany) (realized competition, 1st prize), and Kevelaer

(Germany); design of Opera Damascus (3rd prize), design of Opera House The

Hague 1993/1 994; (current projects), Greiner has developed a theory about the

importance of the shape of voids in theatres (Munich 1978, N e w Delhi 1986, U S A

1980 and 1986) in relation to communication and interaction.

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3.4 Case 'The Town Hall of Bishop Auckland'

by Bill Ainsworth

Bishop Auckland, County Durham, is a substantial market town in a fine position

between the River Wear and the small River Gaunless. The Town Hall is part of a

group buildings forming an island in the large Market Place. It was built in 1862.

The original design, the result of a competition, was by J.P. Jones with

modifications by John Johnstone of Newcastle.

The external facade in the Franco-flemish style with corner towers, steeply pitched

roofs incorporating dormer windows and a spirelet above the main entrance, has

changed little in 1 30 years - although the interior has undergone several changes.

The 1 932, drawings uncovered indicate that the glazed roof of the market was

removed and a new structure built over the market to accommodate the Council

Chamber for the Bishop Auckland Rural District Council. The main hall was

referred to as a music hall.

The building was listed as Grade I by the Department of the Environment as a

building of national Importance forming a part of the market place.

A survey and conditions report of the building was carried out in 1 988 when

evidence of cracking in the stone north wall at first floor level was reported. A

system of restraining steel bracing was introduced at eaves level to the main hall

to prevent any further outward movement of the wall - the result of gradual

spreading of the feet of the raised collar trusses.

During 1 990/1 991, the owners of the building. Wear Valley District Council,

entered into a joint initiative with Durham County Council - the objective of the

project being to alter and refurbish the building in order to provide a multi-purpose

complex of community facilities comprising a library, tourist information and

consumer protection offices, a performance area, function and meeting rooms and

a gallery and exhibition space.

The architects, Ainsworth Spark Associates, were successful in a limited

competition and appointed to progress with the scheme to restore and alter the

building.

The main contract for the works was started in December 1991, following

separate and smaller contracts for stripping out and investigatory works, asbestos

removal, and archaeological evaluation (the Roman road known as 'Dere Street'

runs close by). The building was complete in June 1993.

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Works of art by local artists including a new set of iron gates and etched glass and

tile work have been incorporated in the finished project.

The renovation, repairs and re-allocation of space usage have ensured the survival

and much extended life of an important building and piece of the heritage of

Bishop Auckland, maintaining the continuity of past and future generations.

Curriculum vitae W . R . Ainsworth

W . R . Ainsworth is the founding partner of Ainsworth Spark Associates, a

multi-disciplinary design practice, in 1963. The practice has completed 2800

projects in that period in almost every building type.

Major recent works include the Rapid Transit System in Newcastle upon Tyne,

including the Airport Station (approx. £ 400 million) and commenced construction

of the only Test Match cricket ground to be build in this century for Durham

County Cricket Club, first phase to be completed in 1995.

As a RIBA Vice President in 1 988-1 989 Bill Ainsworth was also Honourary

Librarian to the British Architectural Library and Drawings Collection.

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3 .5 Case 'Wolters Noordhoff : Reanimation of a skeleton2

by K. Rijnboutt

To choose for controlled partial demolition presupposes a building task which

shows all the characteristics of an experiment. By buying the former Wolters

Noordhoff printing works, the municipality of Groningen let themselves in for such

an experiment.

The complex was designed as a whole and built in three phases by the civil

engineer Arend G . Beltman in 1 91 9: low buildings with a sawtooth roof (1919), an

elongated building of two storeys (1928), with a third and fourth storey added in

1950. The architect Kees Rijnboutt was asked to investigate whether it would be

possible to convert it into dwellings (1984). When this turned out to be infeasible,

it was decided to change the programma: in order to alleviate the shortage of

space among dance and theatre groups in Groningen, rehearsal space was added

as well as a car park. The local parties responsible had the courage to defend the

qualitative norms which had been agreed on to the last breath and managed to

withstand the financial and political pressure from above to downgrade the

building.

The designer Kees Rijnboutt removed the third and fourth storeys and stripped the

first and second storeys right down to the skeleton. This destructive deed showed

how the spatial effect, the lay-out and access of light in the rest of the building

remained untouched. The vital core provided the constructive points of departure

for the incorporation of today's requirements: the skeleton carries and structures

the entire building.

The spatial effect, the measurements and the use of materials in the oldest part of

the building, including the sawtooth roof which hangs above the cultural activities

like a heat shield, have been maintained and combined with the ground floor of the

elongated housing block. All the facilities for cultural activities are concentrated

here and separated from the living section, that is now allocated to the first and

second storeys of the building.

Along this imposing axis, to one side offices and recreation rooms are arranged.

On the other side the space under the sawtooth roof functions as a rehearsal area

for the dance and theatre groups, separated by narrow deep alleyways, that

prevent any bother from noise. In order to achieve the desired height, the practice

rooms are sunk into the ground like bunkers.

by Koos Bosma, published in 'Architectuur in Nederland 1988-1989', summarized

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Reanimation of a building damages its origin, but extends its history. A s the m a n

w h o gives form to today the designer must have the guts and be given the support

to pull d o w n the old trusted decor, in the knowledge that his architectural

experiment can be once again assailed in another time. Whoever wants to make

history live, has to treat it violently.

C o m p a n y Profile

The office 'architectengroep Loerakker Rijnboutt Ruijssenaars Hendrinks bv' set up

in 1 956 and has a remarkable organization structure. The office is the collective

property of the employees and the management . The most important characteristic

of the office organization is that each of the four architects has the total

responsibility, both internally and externally, for his design portefeuille. Each

architect has a staff of between 10 to 2 0 draughts people.

In the office policy, the architectural design, in the sense of the concern for the

quality of the built environment is of paramount importance. The office has

commissions practically in all sectors. Housing projects constitute 2 5 % of the

bureau production in comparison to 7 5 % in the seventies. For the construction,

installations and building physics, external advisory offices are consulted.

The advantages of a large office are factors such as stability and continuity; and

also the possibility to build up certain expertise, and a department responsible for

specifications and budget estimates. In such a w a y the office is able to receive

and totally carry out a complete commission.

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3.6 Case ' N e w Life for Older Schools'

by John J. Castellana

The revitalization of existing educational facilities is indeed a challenging and

rewarding endeavour. Preserving our heritage by interjecting ' N e w Life' into older

structures enables facilities to once again serve society. Using sound design

principles, architects are able to focus on positive aspects of an existing facility

while improving the overall.

Our office, T M P Associates,Inc., Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U .S .A . has been

involved with numerous revitalization projects over our 35 year history. I would

like to share with some relevant examples.

In this abstract I will already name one example:

Cranbrook Educational Community, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U .S .A .

Gordon Hall of Science

Eliel Saarinen's Masterpiece has provided us the opportunity to respectfully adapt

and upgrade facilities to make them appropriate learning centres for today's

students. T M P was responsible for designing an addition to the Cranbrook Boys

School and transforming an existing industrial arts structure into a viable science

instructional facility. The former Linquist Hall was a simple, flat roofed rectangular

building set in a lovely, tranquil courtyard.

In order not to disturb the court, new facilities were housed in two wings from the

ends of the renovated building. A glass-enclosed corridor connects the three forms

and serves as an exhibition/reception area. The academic/laboratory addition

contains four main laboratories for biology, physics, chemistry and earth science in

addition to classrooms, prep rooms and faculty offices. Other significant features

include a computer resource centre and a science library. The materials used are

compatible with the elegant campus - buckskin coloured brick, copper roofing and

oak doors. A commitment to satisfying today's needs in am manner compatible

with yesterday's inspiration made this a success.

For Cranbrook also a 16,000 square feet gymnasium was converted into a

Performing Arts Centre.

All of the examples to be presented physically show the benefit of giving older

facilities a ' N e w Life'. Of greater importance, however is the fact that with these

re-allocations, our heritage and society and society as a whole are enhanced.

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y O N E *

Curriculum vitae John J. Castellana

John Castellana has a very impressive portfolio of accomplishments in the

architectural field. He has been a member of T M P Associates of Bloomfield Hills

for over 20 years and is now Vice President of Design.

John received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kent State University in

1 971 and in 1 972 received a Master's Architecture degree from the University of

Illinois. He is a registered architect in Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, Colorado,

California, Louisiana, and holds N C A R B certification.

As a result of his expertise and accomplishments in the field of architecture, John

was named Young Professional of the Year in 1978 by Building Design and

Construction magazine and more recently, was elected to the College of Fellows

by the American Institute of Architects.

He is an active member of various professional societies, including the American

Institute Architects, Michigan Society of Architects, the AIA National Committee

on Architecture for Education, where he served as Chairman during 1989-1990

and is currently a representative of the 'Union Internationale des Architects' at

working group 'Espaces Educatifs et Culturels', the American Assocation of

School Administrators, and the Council of Educational Facility Planners,

International.

78 Borgerssfede 9

51 31 NX Alphen

Phone/Fax

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3.7 Case 'The restoring and extension of the

Central University Library Bucharest'

by Petre Swoboda

The block of buildings of the Central University Library in Bucharest exists of 3

buildings:

The construction of the old building of the library began in 1 895 and was finished

in 1914. Following the plans of the French architect Paul Gotterau, it was built in

Louis XIV style. For almost a century it has represented the cultural and university

tradition of Bucharest. Equipped with reading halls for 110 readers and with

bookracks/stackrooms for 300,000 volumes, the building can seat 500 people for

conferences in the smart assembly hall. The building takes up an area of 7,910

sqm. During the events of December 1 989, the building was almost entirely

destroyed by fire. It was reconstructed after the original design, although some of

the inner decorations and roof decorations exists only on photographs.

The adjacent building to Boteanu Street has also been assigned to the Central

University Library, or to be more precise the part of the building that was not

demolished after the events. The building belongs to the same epoch (1 895) and it

once accommodated the premises of a Bank. The building covers an area of 2043

sqm and it houses the functional administrative services.

After the events of December 1 989, the extension of the building was appropriate

and possible at the same time. The extended building will have the entrance for

readers in C . A . Rosetti Street and it is going to be built around a central hall with

basement and ground floor. It is four-storeyed and in the area of stack-rooms six-

storeyed. The extended surface provides 360 seats in the reading and references

hall and space for 1,500,000 volumes. The building takes up 12,500 sqm.

The three buildings will be interconnected, so all activities should be executed

easily. The necessary conditions to this end are provided for by the automation of

the library and by the installation of a transport system of an elevator type.

The cultural and aesthetic value of the buildings, placed in the centre of Bucharest,

commits us to renovate and modernize the pile, even if the cost exceeds the cost

of a new building on another emplacement.

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Curriculum vitae Petre Swoboda

Petre Swoboda was born on the 7th of May, 1934 in Bucharest. In 1 958 he

graduated at the Architecture Institute of Bucharest.

1958-1 966 (Project Bucharest): Projects for blocks of flats. Exhibition Halls,

Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest, joint author with academician Professor Octav

Doicescu.

1 964-1 976: Assistant lecturer. Architecture Institute of Bucharest.

1 966-1 984 (Design Institute, Ministry of Education): Greenhouses at the Botanical

Gardens of Bucharest: electronics Faculty of Timisoara:

Chemistry Institute, Constantine, Algeria: Student houses in Timisoara, Bucharest,

Petrosani: Supervisor of Project.

1984-1 990 (Design Institute Carpati): People's houses, joint author.

1 990- (PRINCER-S.A.): restoring and extension of the Central University Library

Bucharest, Supervisor of project.

80 Borgersstede 9

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3.8 Case 'Renovation and reconstruction of 'Het Arsenaal"

by prof. ir. Tj. Dijkstra

In 1978 the decision was taken to preserve the military building "Het Arsenaal", a

rather striking project. The building is situated on the so-called "Doelensite" in

Leiden and serves as a reference to the historical situation of this area. The

building turned out to be highly suitable for reconstruction and for the housing of

three Institutes of non-western Languages of the University of Leiden.

Prof. Tj. Dijkstra was commissioned to draw up the reconstruction plan.

The building consists of two adjoining squares, built successively in the 1 9th

century. Being used for military purposes, it has been built in a traditional and

solid, but also simple way: Brick facades of massive load-bearing masonry,

occasionally one and a half brick at ground level. The upper floors consisted of

massive wooden beams of approx. 30x30 c m , at a distance of approx. 90 c m ,

covered with a heavy wooden floor.

The oldest part was very well suitable for an open storage for books without the

need to affect the typical symmetry. Concerning the facade: studies in good

daylight were made. In the inner court a new construction was made for a closed

store, in which the most precious books could be well preserved.

The second square, which is of a more recent date, was re-allocated into a chain

of studies along the outer facade, around a very light open inner area. This is to be

used as a communal space. The depth of this part of the building was about 7 m

at the south facade - and also at part of the western facade- just enough for a

zone of 5 m for workrooms and a corridor.

As the other facades had only a depth of 5 m , it was decided to demolish this part

and to make a new construction with the same measurements as those in the

parts to be preserved. It became possible to make a corridor along the inner court

on the ground- and first floor. The solution led to a great flexibility in the

compartmentalisation and to an easy access to the library.

The inner court was covered with a roof mainly consisting of glass. This roofing

led to a decrease in the investment costs as well as the exploitation costs. The use

of energy should be decreased by using passive solar energy, diminishing the outer

surface of the building as a whole.

It turned out that the three institutes fitted well into the building. As a

consequence of its spatial organisation, the libraries had to share the storage part

and a big common reading room.

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Curriculum vitae prof. Tj. Dijkstra

Tjeerd Dijkstra (born 1 8 May 1 931 ) graduated in 1956. He has worked as an

architect on numerous projects, while teaching architecture at several universities

at the same time. His work as an architect was temporarily interrupted during the

period in which he was appointed to "Rijksbouwmeester" for the Dutch

government.

Apart from the numerous designs for various projects (among them some prize-

winning), Tjeerd Dijkstra is responsible for many publications in the field of

architecture. He gives lectures and has often been a member of the jury for prizes

concerning built-up environment projects.

Since 1 986 Tjeerd Dijkstra works independently. His bureau makes use of the

services of free-lance architects and engineers, meanwhile maintaining

responsibility for the design process. He is also involved in large projects in the

city of Amsterdam as a supervisor.

Fotograph on the next page:

'De IJpelaar'. The seminary is renovated for the College of Fine Arts and Design',

Breda. The courtyard is now exposition space (also see page 90).

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3.9 Case ' N e w life for Micheal's Hill in Nes Ziona'

by Yaacov Hertz

Re-allocation of buildings for preservation of cultural, historical, economical and

social values comes true for buildings sites of a special nature. The preservation of

historical and natural values was practised in the re-allocation of the site of Givat

Michael (Michael's Hill) in the town of Nes Ziona, Israel.

Nes Ziona was founded at the end of the 1 9th century as an agricultural

settlement. After the founding of the state of Israel in 1 948, Nes Ziona took in

thousands of immigrants who arrived from Europe and the Arab countries. The

rapid growth transformed Nes Ziona from an agricultural village into a small town.

In order to cope with the changing needs, a new outline scheme was recently

drawn up. Our office was in charge of the planning. As a solution for secondary

education, two high school centres were planned, one in the western and one in

the eastern part of town. For the western centre the site of Michael's Hill was

chosen. This site, with a splendid view of the surroundings, has a beautiful

vegetation of trees and shrubs. Since the nineteen thirties it was used as a youth

village, i.d. a boarding school for children who came to Israel without their

parents. In the last twenty years the boarding school has not functioned any more

and, consequently, the buildings were neglected and in a deplorable state.

In order to preserve the beauty of the site and to bring new life to it, it was

decided to re-allocate it as a High School Centre serving the entire town of Nes

Ziona. The centre will serve for a student population of 3,000 students of high

school age. It includes two junior high schools and one senior comprehensive high

school, as well as common facilities such as a library, gymnasium, sport grounds,

auditorium and administration.

The existing structures on the site were in such poor condition that only one of

them could be preserved and integrated in the new building areas. In order to

preserve the natural values and beauty of the site, w e adapted the new buildings

to the topography and scenery. The low and terraced buildings blend very well

with the beautiful surroundings. Special attention was given to the use of building

materials such as natural stone surfacing. The buildings were erected in several

stages to facilitate the gradual populating of the campus, and they are now

reaching their final stages.

To conclude: The re-allocation of Michael's Hill as a High School centre preserves

the cultural, historical and natural values of the site, and contributes to a

sustainable future of the educational spaces in Nes Ziona.

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Curriculum vitae Yaacov Hertz

Yaacov Hertz, 1923, was born and educated in the Netherlands. He immigrated to

Israel in 1951 and established his reputation as an architect since 1960. Today he

is senior partner in the firm Hertz-Fogel-Schwartz, Tel Aviv. This firm practices

both architecture and town planning and is specialized in educational facilities. In

addition to the planning of elementary -and high schools Hertz-Fogel-Schwartz is in

charge of the planning of educational systems for several municipalities.

Yaacov Hertz was consultant of the Minister of Education in the years 1 965-1 980.

He was one of the founders of the Institute for the Development of Educational

Facilities in Israel (1970).

Some of the more representative projects of Hertz-Fogel-Schwartz are:

a masterplan for the Wizman Institute of Science, Rechovot;

a comprehensive High School, Ashkalon;

a High School Centre in Nes Ziona;

the Memorial Building for the Fallen of the Communications and Electronic

Corps of the Israel Defense Forces.

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3.10 Case 'Sustainable urban planning in Breda'

by A . W . Hartman

Changing the use of buildings is the subject of this seminar. M y subject is not

about the buildings themselves but about the context in which they play their role.

Sustainable urban planning is becoming an increasingly important item in the

Netherlands. What do w e mean by this.

One could say that the very concept of a city is anti-ecological. Most of the

environmental pollution comes from urbanised areas. The cities are the hot-spots

of consumerism and of the spilling of resources. But this approach is not very

fruitful in the today-situation where an increasing percentage of the population

lives in cities and suburbs. One can better accept that apparently cities are the

way that species Man occupies its territory.

Sustainable urban planning than becomes the way to organise the city and its

surroundings in such a matter that also future generations can live in it, and to use

the resources in such a way that the city exploits its context as little as possible.

One of the ways to look at sustainable urban planning is to look to it in three

different ways: sites, flows and people.

For sites the keywords are: identity and variety.

For flows: water, energy, waste and traffic.

For people: social life, pluriformity, communication and commitment.

For each of these themes strategies should be developed, linked to each other.

And this on the most appropriate level of scale for the different types of urban

environment.

For the strategies for the central business district will be different (for instance

more hightech), than for quiet residential areas (more community-directed).

Breda has a certain tradition on the field of sustainable urban planning, and is often

mentioned as a example-municipality. In cooperation with the Ministry for Housing,

Physical Planning and Environment (VROM) some ideas on a more theoretical level

are worked out for daily practice. In this project, called Sustainable Urban Planning

(DUSO), the four goals are:

increasing the public support

innovation and transfer of knowledge to get a learning organisation

monitoring of the effects of urban planning policy

realization of (some of the) ideas.

M y contribution to the seminar will point out some aspects of the DUSO-project.

One of the projects within D U S O is the re-development of a former theatre, so I

will stay within the scope of the UlA-seminar.

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Curriculum vitae A . W . Hartman

Since almost a year Ton Hartman is director of Urban Planning of the municipality

of Breda. He is member of the National Advisory Council for Physical Planning

(RARO). From 1 983 till 1 993 he was secretary-general and director of the

Netherlands Institute for Physical Planning and Housing (NIROV), and a founding

secretary of the Netherlands Platform for Urban Ecology.

87 Borgersstede 9

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3.11 Case 'Re-allocation of two educational buildings'

by Arch. Jacobo Schneider

When w e consider re-allocation of spaces with educational functions, w e have to

distinguish two different ways in doing so. First possibility: recycling the same

building which the educational institute used for many years, or second possibility:

renovating other buildings with special educational requirements in order to move

the institute to those renovated facilities.

In the first case, the existing spaces are generally recycled to answer to new

educational requirements and it would be convenient if the building possesses

architectural and constructive values that justify the new work. In the second

case, the institute wants to concentrate its traditional and new sections in one

central place. The last case contains the examples w e are dealing with in our

presentation.

The O R T Technical School

The physical planning of this re-allocation was prepared as a result of three

preceding steps. First, analysis of the existing reinforced concrete structures and

its adaptability to the new technical and functional requirements; second, analysis

of the building's systems of sanitary, electricity, gas and comfort devices, and the

possibilities to be adapted to new distributions; third, the proposals for new

arrangements for educational and technical spaces which the school needs in

future.

After these preceding steps and with all information available, the technical team

elaborated an architectural brief, organized the project requirements, and settled

the guidelines for the physical planning of the new facilities.

Within the new requirements, w e had to consider special aspects of educational

demands and all the conditions of the technical needs. Basically, it was agreed

that the new spaces had to reflect the following educational aspects:

1. the idea of freedom

2. the continuous sense of work

3. flexibility

4. participation of the community

5. the sense of belonging

About the new location: The spaces were rebuilt to give place to traditional school

orientations such as electronics, computers, business activities, etc. and to new

professions like multi-media with a professional TV-studio, AM-FM-radiostation,

graphic design, and audio-visual techniques, with a photographic laboratory.

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With this example w e want to show how it is possible to adapt old buildings to

new functions, to rebuild existing spaces for new activities, as here for example

for educational functions.

The Argentine Catholic University

This case, the re-allocation of an important university of Buenos Aires, was

realized in four old warehouses, in one section of the old port of Buenos Aires.

About ten of these warehouses, located in front of the river Plate (the river

surrounding Buenos Aires), were sold by the government to private enterprises for

developing affiches, shops, restaurants etc. The university bought four of these

warehouses in order to re-allocate all the faculties of this location. The works

include not only the re-adaption of the warehouses, but also of the outdoor places.

Special open spaces with "patios", coffee-shops etc. were created, where

students and professors can stay and enjoy the beautiful place, overlooking the

river.

The first thing to be done was to rehabilitate one of the four docks, which was

just finished with a surface of about 22,000 sqm for a population of 5,000

students. This building was five-storeyed: Basement, ground floor, three upper

floors and one new floor added on top of the dock and assigned to research

departments.

Curriculum vitae Jacobo Schneider

1. Graduated at the University of Buenos Aires, 1 952

2. Professor of Architecture at Technical School, 1955-1985

3. Adviser in the "National Council of Technical Education"

4 . Professor on "Educational Architecture" for graduated at the

Universities of Buenos Aires, Belgrano, and Morón, Argentina

5. Adviser in the "National Board of School Building", Ministry of Culture and

Education, Argentina

6. Researcher in the "Institute of Research" of the faculty of architecture on

the subject 'planning of educational buildings' in the city of Buenos Aires

7. Coordinator of the "Forum of educational Architecture" in the Buenos Aires

International Biennial of Architecture

8. Design and building of schools and sports centres for students in Buenos

Aires, La plate, Rosario and other cities of Argentina

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3.12 Case 'Upelaar': Re-allocating Educational Facilities

by Luut Rienks

Re-allocation of buildings is not a new phenomenon. There are already examples of

old factories, abandoned seminaries, etc. that have been redesigned or renovated

to accommodate an educational function. But in the recent years new elements

have been added to the discussion on housing an educational function in an

existing building.

Consider a building as a system that consists of a structure and a package of

build-in facilities and suppose that the system is designed to accommodate a

function. W e can assume that the structure has a technical lifetime of several

decennia. The activities in the building will evaluate the total system by comparing

structure and its facilities to its needs. Because these needs are changing, and in

our present environment these needs change increasingly faster, there is always

the possibility that an existing building does satisfy no longer those needs. The

building has reached its economic lifetime.

It is clear that when one invests in a new package of build-in facilities, the building

can meet with the changed needs again. In case of demolition, a structure in

physical fairly good state can be wasted, both a loss to our environment and to

anyone that is in need of new accommodation. Only investment in a new package

of facilities could have made the building suited to a new functional life-cycle.

The 'Declaration of Interdependence for a Sustainable Future' (UIA/AIA World

Congress of Architects, Chicago, June 1 993) makes fundamentally clear that a

sustainable design of an accommodation, structure and facilities, also includes re

use of existing buildings. This means that a design should be assessed when a

new building is about to be build as well as when an existing building can be

re-allocated to a new function.

But there are more elements in the discussion to re-allocate or to make a new

building besides the system-approach. An existing building can offer opportunities

that are (financially) hardly to be realized in a new building, the preservation of a

building that has a considerable cultural-historic value is of social importance, etc..

Much of these elements can hardly be measured or are not of immediate interest

to the owner or user of the building. For the building 'Upelaar' from the start there

was a conviction that these considerations were indeed a concern of the

educational institute 'West-Brabant'. But also a believe that the educational

function to be re-allocated could benefit from a re-used accommodation. The effort

made by owner and architect for a deeper reflection on the possibilities of the

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building by means of an analysis of the structure, an opinion on architectural

aspects and lengthy discussions, was worth the trouble. Re-allocation of the

facility was considered a better alternative than a new building both from

functional, cultural-historic and economic point of view.

In the case of 'Upelaar' the presentation will demonstrate the considerations that

led to the decision to re-allocate a 'College of Fine Arts and Design' in a former

seminary. It will show a practical approach to a system that possesses more value

for the educational activities. The example of 'Upelaar' will prove that a deeper

reflection on housing-policy by an educational institute can be rewarding in more

than financial terms only.

Curriculum vitae L.J. Rienks, M .Sc .

Luut Rienks (48) is member of the UlA-working group on Educational and Cultural

Spaces and member of the Architects Foundation for Research into Educational

Buildings (STARO), which is a subsidiary of the Royal Dutch Association of

Architects (BNA).

He is founder of a private firm of architects and consultants. About fifty

professionals form a multidisciplinary team operating from Breda and Amersfoort

mainly in the field of designing and managing projects for new and re-allocated

educational facilities.

91 Borgersstede 9

51 31 N X Alpheri

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Excursions

4.1 Introduction

Four projects were visited:

A warehouse re-used as an institute for history; the architect of the re-use

design showed that a warehouse is a building type that easily can be

adapted for other functions with good architectural qualities. After a walk

through the building also a housing project of the same architect in the

environment was visited;

A church re-used for housing a feminist organisation; the Naamloze

Vennootschap Amsterdams Monumenten Fonds is an actor who tries to

find solutions for interesting old buildings that are not monument-listed by

making the connection between the buildings and possible cultural users

like a real estate agent. They also exploit the buildings if necessary.

The former office of 'Amstel' (a breewer of beers) turned into a school; the

building was still in renovation so all the architect were really pleased. It's

re-use for an educational purpose did not need structural adaptions; a 1000

guilders each square meter renovation mostly existed out of cleaning and

painting and redecoration.

An old complex to which new parts were added to make it an institute for

educating art; the architectural expression of the spaces was clearly the

most important item in this case. The old building stays old whereby only

space counts as space and the new parts are full of spatial surprises and

take in central place in the complex.

92 Borgersstede 9

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4.2 International Institute of Social History

The activities of the International Institute of Social History (IISH) concern the

collecting, indexing, presenting, conserving, researching and publishing of millions

of documents reflecting two centuries of social thinking and industrial conflict.

These activities require a large amount of space and in 1984 the housing of the

IISH was too small and hardly suited for the needs of the institute. At the same

time the city of Amsterdam faced the task to redevelop an area known as the

Eastern Docks, practically abandoned since harbour activities had moved to the

Western Docks. In the Eastern Docks area the warehouse 'Koning Willem II' stood

empty. The City Administration suggested the IISH to look it over.

The warehouse 'Koning Willem M' was erected in 1961: a heavily reinforced

concrete structure, 23 metres in height, its five floor measuring 76 x 33 metres

and easily sustaining 2.000 - 4.000 kg/m2 , it served the cacao trade for a quarter

of a century. Professor Weegener Sleeswijk, the original architect, had obviously

designed a functional building - massive where necessary, as in its 900-1 200 m m

concrete columns, light were practicable, as in it prefabricated wall elements and

steel-supported roof. To provide cranes with easy access to every story without

impeding movement on the quay, a huge unloading platform extended from the

first floor, which in critical places increased in thickness up to 600 m m . Another

platform was created by laying back the wall on the upper floor. Floors in between

were fitted with giant trap-doors capable of receiving merchandise directly. T w o

centrally located lifts of impressive proportions provided vertical transport to a

railroad platform on the landside. Plainly, once redesigned, the building would

qualify as a good place to store tons of paper. Its convenient location was

appealing, but its lack of windows and the mean size of the ones it had set in

dirty, monotonous walls were a far cry from any kind of elegance. And lingering

doubts remained on its supposed merits as the new work-place for IISH's staff and

users. However, a survey conducted in 1989 showed that is was indeed possible.

In order to surmount its drab massiveness, from the very start Van Beek, the chief

architect, formulated the idea of a 'sweeping spatial gesture, a breach'. In view of

the demands set out in the programme, which distinguished between work and

storage operations, his first sketch delineated a transparent, atrium-like hall,

stretching diagonally across the entire width of the building, to the left of the main

entrance. Allowing deep penetration of daylight trough its northern glass wall, it

was intended as the core around which the public area and most office space

would be concentrated. As it would also allow the retention of the impervious

aspect of the eastern floor segments, which were mostly assigned storage

functions; in fact, this was even enhanced by replacing the trapdoors with

elements obtained from glazing the west and south walls.

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The basic idea not only prevented monotonous reproduction of the long, uninspired

corridors separating exterior offices from the interior storerooms, but also

suggested natural answers to fundamental questions raised by the IISH's

programme. The Institute expressly wanted to have its policy of openness

embodied in its residence, presenting a wide range infrastructure for the study of

social and economic history to researchers from all over the world. With an eye to

future developments, this called for multi-purpose arrangements for consultation

and teaching, conferences and exhibitions.

The hall meets most of these conditions. Light and pleasant, it is an inviting foyer,

from which stairs or a lift lead up or d o w n to a reception desk, a bookshop, a

cafeteria, a 60-seat conference room, an exhibition floor allowing a glimpse of the

bindery and overlooking an outside terrace, four carrells large enough to

accommodate groups or classes and, of course, the reading room. Designed as a

set of open, inter-connecting spaces on six or seven levels, the hall offers such

possibilities as temporarily transforming the cafeteria into a 200-seat conference

room, the bookshop into a registration desk, or the exhibition floor into a reception

room.

The most daring step w a s devising the atrium on the north side, whose elevation

gradually narrows as it rises. Its construction required the removal of part of two

floors, exposing 1 5 metres of the heavy column that suddenly began to look

slender, and even svelte after the application of coats of metallic paint. The

building's solid framework m a d e for soaring demolition costs, but permitted the

operation without too m a n y adjustments. The floors even proved strong enough to

hang the glass front like a curtain, thus cutting by half the amount of steel needed

for its unusually slim buttressing strips. Steel bridges, stairs and railings with their

stainless steel tubing, are vaguely reminiscent of the ships once moored at the

quay.

The loss of usable floor-space resulting from the atrium's design w a s compensated

by the creation of an n e w story halfway up the ground floor's 7-metre walls. Most

of the former unloading platform remained intact, allotted to the reading room and

the Audio-Visual Department. Its western corner protrudes slightly in a soft curve,

slanting back trough the glass wall. In the reading room users can n o w sit at

windows overlooking the old dock, or m a y prefer one of the carrells further inside,

most of which were suspended in another m o v e to recoup space without

obstructing m o v e m e n t underneath. They are reached by w a y of a gallery lined

with seats that facilitate consultation or study of old works. Decoration is

generally sober: walls of corridors are whitewashed slabs of light-weight porous

stone, walls between rooms are papered plasterboard in metal frames.

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Though unusual, the entire process w a s successfully managed in all stages, both in time and financially. The design process w a s completed in six months, including specifications. The building process started M a y 1 988 and in February 1 989 the storerooms were ready for use, followed by the rest two months later. Never in the entire process w a s there a danger of exceeding the budget limit of a little over U S $ 10 million.

The transformation of a cheerless, ponderous looking warehouse into a welcoming, multi-functional building is not only an architectural feat. Designers had been given the a w e s o m e task of reflecting and expressing the IISH's aims and purposes by providing the building on the Cruqiusweg with an extensive and modern infrastructure for researchers and other interested in the field of social and economic history. In combination with the restructured building's numerous facilities, openness and hospitality guarantee the realization of that goal. It is n o w up to the users to take full advantage of all these n e w facilities.

Summarized from 'Moving Marx' , 1989, Hans van Beek and Jaap Kloosterman.

95 Borgersstede 9

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4.3 The Gerardus Majella church

The church, which is called after an eighteenth-century Italian monk, Gerardus

Majella, dates from 1 924. The architect was Jan Stuy, who also designed, among

other buildings, the Amsterdam Boerhaave Clinic, the Obrecht Church and the

Church of St. Agnes.

The rebuilding

In 1 990, when it was learned that the owners of the church, the bishopric of

Haarlem, had already signed a provisional contract to sell it to a developer who

wanted to demolish the church, the local inhabitants, the district of Zeeburg and

N V Amsterdams Monumenten Fonds (NV A M P ) set about preventing this. The Van

Stigt firm of architects carried out a feasibility study and N V A M F looked round for

a main tenant. The result of the search was that the church would be rebuilt to

house offices, an industrial undertaking and an archive room. The main tenant was

the IIAV (International Information Centre and Registry for the W o m e n ' s

Movement).

A start was made with the rebuilding towards the end of 1992. During rebuilding

the greatest possible account was taken of the church's qualities as a monument.

Its most characteristic feature, the large area under the dome, was left

undisturbed. Elsewhere extra floors were laid, making it necessary to install

windows for adequate daylight access on the ground floor. The rebuilding

operation was designed by the architect, Ir. A.J. van Sticht, who was also the

architect in charge of the rebuilding of the Vondel Church, the Posthoorn Church,

the Entrepot Dock and the Orange-Nassau Barracks.

The Gerardus Majella was opened for its new function in December 1 993.

The project

After rebuilding, the former church has 4,000 square metres of floor space,

distributed over five storeys. There are lifts at two entrances to the building. More

than half of the building, namely about 2,100 square metres, is leased to the IIAV

for use as offices, an archive room and a library.

The remaining 1,900 square metres consist of up to 17 variable-size units, ranging

from 80 to 300 square metres net floor space. The other lessees are the Clara

Wichmann Institute, the Donk firm of lawyers and the Amsterdam Stichting

Thuiszorg (Domiciliary Care Association).

96 Borgersstede 9

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4.4 From brewery to fashion academy

The office building at the corner of Mauritskade and Andreas Bonnstraat in

Amsterdam dates from 1 928. The design was done by F.A. Eschauzin and

A.J. Ranghout.

The two wings of which the building consists are at a sharp angle to each other.

The Mauritskade wing mainly houses the management rooms, the conference

room and the reception rooms. The wing on Andreas Bonnstraat houses the

offices, the porter's quarters, etc. The basement contains the main reception hall,

where the excellent product of this factory is drawn, tasted and enjoyed. The

belief in durability is clearly visible here: red floor tiles, steps made of red stone

from Comblanchien, palisander and walnut. On the outside w e can identify

cyanite, hard brick and Bavarian granite.

Re-use and use for a new purpose, namely as a fashion academy, have scarcely

affected the original appearance of the building. Because of its necessary

functionality an air-conditioning system has been installed and also a modernised

lighting system, a data and telecom system and a CAD-design system.

The inside walls of vaults and offices have been pulled down to create larger

rooms. A fabrics laboratory has been added and sewing, drawing and design

rooms integrated.

The corridor pattern has been retained and shafts for technical purposes added.

N e w toilet facilities have been installed, the entire building has been painted on the

inside and the outside walls partially cleaned.

In short: attractive re-use on a relatively low budget.

97 Borgerssfede 9

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4.5 An Utopian artists village in Amsterdam

Is there such a thing as a 'logical' building ? There must be, if were are to believe

the architect and the director of the renewed Rijksacademie. The Rijksacademie is

now housed in the former Kavalleriekazerne of 1 864 (originally the Cavalry

Barracks, used as a government medical store from 1889). The building, converted

and extended to a design by Koen van Velsen, is logical in that it reflects the art

academy's organization in architectural terms. The old oblong building, with its

demure facades, seems to enclose a territory of quietness. Inside, people must

sort out matters among themselves, especially if we are to judge by the immense

number of gathering areas reserved in the plan. The technical workplaces have

been set up in the former stables on the ground floor of the old building. The

individual studios are situated above them and in the inner courtyard there are two

towers that house the Studium generale lecture rooms, a library (coordination of

knowledge) and the administration (coordination of facilities). The academy's three

core components (studios, workshops, central facilities) correspond to its three

raisons d'etre: artistic development, the expansion of technical capacities, and

dialogue. The individual parts are linked by overhead walkways (although

communication at ground level is still possible, fortunately). With such an all-

encompassing interpretation of the artist's metier, one thing is guaranteed: the

inhabitant will be immersed in his work at every conceivable moment.

Viewed as a commission, it is difficult to see the Rijksacademie's new buildings as

separate from a familiar phenomenon of recent times: the feverish spate of

building that has held the cultural sector, especially the fine arts and architecture,

in its grip. Museums, colleges, postgraduate facilities and private arts centres all

appear to be bursting at their seams in their present accommodation. At least, that

seams the most plausible explanation for why they are on the move. But another

reason, one just as important in these highly competitive times, is the image of the

institute or the person who runs it. 'Culture' seems increasingly limited to

whatever is noticed - and what is more striking than a glistening new building,

preferably one bearing the unmistakable stamp of a noted architect. Build or

perish, as the saying goes, in a variant that apparently has the universities in its

stranglehold. The justification will come later. Architecture, once the art of the

permanent, now finds itself in the uncomfortable role of a purveyor of fast images.

The wish to make performance measurable, to express culture in concretized faci

lities that were meant to make that culture possible, is an observable consequence

of this situation. H o w often are exhibition budgets not slashed, and how often is a

cut-down staff not expected to perform the work, in order to fulfil the promise of

the architecture? H o w often are institutes not confronted with a change in

subsidizing policy that degrades their considerable investment in building to sheer

capital destruction? There is evidently a growing confusion of ends and means.

98 Borgersstede 9

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The Rijksacademie seems to be riding the same merry-go-round as it moves into

the complete rebuilt and extended Kavalleriekazerne. Koen van Velsen's design is

completely in line with the requirement for architectural spectacle. Walking into the

inner courtyard, you are struck by the amazing amount of space Van Velsen has

managed to create, in spite of the central building, and by a series of architectural

details that are astonishing in their informality and virtually improvised character.

From this point of view the n e w building satisfies today's demands. But the

underlying reasons for the academy's m o v e , namely its organizational concept and

the condition of its previous accommodation, are more durable principles than

those of the cultural market. The building is not for consumption at a single

glance. The whole property is too reticent for that, too concealed behind the

historic fabric of the city. And the building is too heavily concentrated on the kind

of spatial experience that needs a lengthy stay for proper appreciation.

There are quite a few terms in circulation for Dutch institutes that fall part-way

education and practice: workplace situations, 'third-phase'-education, post-

academic institutes or, as the Rijksacademie has described itself in recent years,

an 'institute for practical study'. The last is meant to imply that the participants

can engage both in study and in professional practice situations.

Van Velsen: ' W e proposed trying to create a working atmosphere in the academy.

The idea w a s for one large workplace. The thought had already been present as an

undercurrent at the Rijksacademie and I put it into words to make it more tangible.

The concept developed during the discussions, after it became clear to m e w h y

the academy had to m o v e . While the academy w a s spread out over various

locations, casual encounters between people were impossible. There w a s no

feeling of being an entity, of working together or of overlapping disciplines.

Obviously, technical workplaces have to be provided, but that concept of people

meeting and seeing one another is also of great importance. It's not something I

dreamed up, but ideas that were already present and which I have been able to put

into a concrete form and treat as fundamentals during the building process.'

The organization and circulation structure of the design looks quite clear on paper,

but the 'village' makes a practically labyrinthine impression on the unsuspecting

visitor. A major idea behind the design w a s to foster face-to-face contacts and it is

true that wherever you can go you can look trough all kinds of apertures and glass

divisions and see people walking about in other parts of the complex. However, if

you try to chase after them, they will have disappeared before you reach them.

Thus it is random encounters that are more likely to be generated here. With over

100 people distributed around more than 7 ,000 m 2 , there will inevitably be a

certain amount of getting lost and rambling around. So the staff will be given a

good 'findability' system and will be equipped with pagers.

from 'An Utopian artists' village in Amsterdam' by 0. Bouman and A. Wortmann, 'Archis', 10-1992.

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a sustainable future for educational !


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From wool-spinning mill to a museum, Tilburg (see page 69).

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5. Report on the plenary discussions

Plenary discussion Monday 20 June 1994

The chairman Mr. Mooij opens with two questions:

is facadism, to demolish a building but to keep the facade, good or bad ?

are there differences in building regulation between new design and re-use?

Mr. Ainsworth reacts on facadism (because of his Town hall case) by pointing out

that it's something not chosen by the architect's but a result of the circumstances

in which the authorities demand the maintenance of the facade.

Mr. Hertz adds 2 questions to 2 cases which were told:

to Wolters-Noordhoff (by Mr. Rijnboutt): can houses be built in a object

situated in a narrow urban context without green space?

to 'University library Bucharest' (by Mr. Swoboda): H o w do the costs of

this case relate to the cost of a new building?

Mr. Swoboda answers that calculating costs (during or after construction) is very

difficult in Rumania because of the great inflation. Second, during construction the

building had been subject to vandalism. But the main point is that economics were

not important in this case, because of the cultural value of the building.

Mr. Ainsworth adds to this on basis of his own experience that a new building is

most of the times cheaper than intensive restoring of a monument.

The chairman asks about cases of re-using old school buildings:

Cranbrook (by Mr. Castellana). In this case the decision-making process

was based on economics: $500.000,-for the re-use of the old building,

while a new building would have cost 3 million dollars.

Mr. De Jonge states that re-using old schools (for another function) does

not often take place in the Netherlands. There are a few examples where

old schools are re-used as apartments. The main problem is that most of

the old schools are garbage. Also zoning regulation is a problem.

Plenary discussion Tuesday 21 June 1994

Opening with difficulties by re-use:

restricting building regulations (fire, ventilation, noise-reduction etc.)

restricting townplans (changing functions is often difficult)

complex decision-making processes in areas with a lot of people living there

Question: Are there any incentives for stimulating re-use, instead of making of

constructing a building new less favourable?

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Mr. Waal answers:

the flexibility in regulations makes re-use as easy possible as new building

quality of existing buildings that attracts users must be seen as an

important incentive (especially in the short term according to Hartman)

Mr. Hartman adds:

in the long term: all the environmental costs concerning building and

demolishing should be integrated in the decision-making process

also adding new buildings in a sensitive (love-like) way brings about new

incentives to coop with the old buildings and visa versa

Chairman: The quality of the existing buildings knows different appreciations from

the different participants in the decision-making process, what about that ?

Mr. Rienks notes that it's possible (like in the case 'Het Arsenaal' by Dijkstra) that

technical sustainability doesn't imply functional/architectural sustainability, but

that a re-usable building (from a functional/architectural point of view) can be at

the end of it's technical lifetime.

Mr. Wandrekar has learnt that:

adapting a building must relate to modern thoughts and techniques

educational institutions must be in a city, nearby public transport

architect should decide, also in terms of cost, what buildings can be reused

there should a reduction of the building cost for schools when old buildings

are adapted on the inside so that new buildings are not necessary any more

And what does John Castellana (of the Cranbrook case) think about the relation

between city's and universities, taking in mind that old educational buildings are

left behind in innercities that need new functions.

The U S A doesn't have a tradition like European cities, universities are often built

outside the cities or came first. For re-use warehouses are being adapted all over

the U S A , because this building-type is very suitable.

Mr. Rienks underlines to think about re-using urban areas and not only buildings.

Paneldiscussion Tuesday 21 June 1994

Panel: Chairman mr. D. Mooij, Mrs. G . Adlercreutz (vice-president UIA-Europe),

Mr. Y . Michail (secretary of the UlA-working group), Mr. C.J.D. Waal (chairman of

the board of governors of the Rotterdam polytechnic), Mr. C . T. H. van Rongen

(professor in Re-allocation at Delft University of Technology) and Mr. Heckelman

(Director of the bank of Dutch Municipal Councils).

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First issue, brought about by the chairman: the potential architectural quality of re

usable buildings. H o w can an architect communicate this aesthetic quality to

potential users or to the authorities? (e.g. case ' D e Pont' by W . M . Crouwel)

Mr . Van Rongen states that architectural quality is:

to a certain degree connected with the budget of a project

always related to the capability of the architect himself

Mr . Waal says that architectural quality c o m e s from the personality, the character

of a building and notes that nowadays there is a tension between the need for

multi-functional building and the need for an specific character.

Mrs. Adlercreutz mentions that its not c o m m o n knowledge that buildings need an

esthetic quality, just as m u c h as cars, and this quality can only exist by

appreciation of the client. Making the client aware of the usefulness of this quality

is a difficult, but necessary task for the architect.

Mr . Heckelman states that the most important factor for achieving architectural

quality is the client w h o must be aware of the need for architectural quality.

Chairman: W h a t about an obligated quality-investigation before getting a permit for

demolishing a building?

Mr . Michail quotes a colleague from Switzerland pointing out that spaces in cities

get smaller and smaller, what makes the need for re-use even greater. Moreover

authorities m a k e stronger regulation to save monumental buildings and sights.

Mrs. Adlercreutz points out that designers communicating the relation between

architectural quality and economics must deal with long term cash flows, not just

with the cost of building.

Chairman: another problem is the fact that architects often get involved too late,

namely after demolishing a building instead of during the decision making process

whether to re-allocate or demolish a building. (An example of an case where the

architect w a s involved in this decision making process is 'Het arsenaal' by

architect Dijkstra.)

Mr . van der Zwet interrupts with his concern about the contradiction in two recent

trends:

educational institutions get 1 0 0 % independence (specially financial) for

there housing;

the urging need for architectural quality.

Mr . Schoof answers that maintaining quality is no longer a concern for the

government and that a basic quality, according to the regulations, is always

necessary to get a building permit.

The main item according to Mr . Schoof in meeting the problems, which can arise

out of the described contradiction, is to m a k e schoolboards more aware of the

needed quality for their buildings.

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M r . Waal also believes in better results from a decentralized decision-making instead of giving the responsibility for the quality of educational buildings (again) to the (inter-)national government. In the past, centralized decision-making has not worked in Holland either. O n this V a n der Zwet replies that the quality of the product (the education) is regulated, so w h y not parts of it's input, the quality of the buildings.

Chairman: Instead of discussing incentives working against re-allocation (e.g. restricting regulations which m a k e re-use costly or even impossible), the question is: h o w can w e stimulate sustainability and re-use? Also important is the possible dynamic character of education nowadays as a result of the developments in the field of information-technology.

M r . Meyer (director ICS) reacts on the question of stimulating sustainability by giving the example of an organized competition in building schools with quality. Also making a bridge, between re-usable buildings and possible functions, with operational information must be seen as an incentive that can stimulate reallocation (e.g. a bank for real estate objects).

Mr . Michail claims that direct restrictions should be avoided. Planning tools from the government regulating development of locations should stimulate the re-use of objects at locations where n e w building is allowed. In Greece and other southern European countries, old buildings can be threatened because of n e w allowed building-heights. The law m a k e s it possible to build the extra volume, caused by the difference in heights, at another location.

Mr . Wandrekar (India) says that every function has it's o w n quality, and that also the budget plays a role in achieving quality. Furthermore, re-using a building as educational space stands or falls by the potential quality of the building to give room to the everchanging process of education. Just talking about whether a building is beautiful or not does not relate to the question if it can be a good schoolbuilding. After deciding that the building can serve as a school, adapt it with min imum cost; schools are always poor.

Mr . Fielmich adds to the subject of finding incentives for re-use s o m e possibilities: doing pilot-projects subsidization by tax-regulation (reducing ground-tax) competitions for a growing awareness re-use competitions for architects a five-year-plan for more subsidies

Mrs. Adlercreutz stresses the impact that the price of the land has on the decision whether to re-use or demolish; a relative extreme high land prices, like in Japan,

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doesn't stimulate re-use of buildings, because the financial difference is nothing

compared to the price of the land. The question what is best for society must be

valid, no matter what market-situation there is, a role for the government.

Mr . Van Rongen notes that regulations always bring negative side-effects.

Mr . Ainsworth warns for a future dictated by the past, not everything can be

maintained. Wishing so implicates a lack of confidence in architects and

innovation, that's fashionability which can lead to wrong decisions whereby better

solutions don't get a chance.

Mr . Rienks wonders whether investors are willing to invest more m o n e y w h e n a

(new) building is proven to be re-usable. Heckelman states at this point that it's

better to have a multi-purpose building than no building.

Mr . Druckman raises the question if re-use is architectural design or a technical

service to the client. In his opinion you can't create n e w concepts by re-use of old

buildings.

Mrs. Adlercreutz points out, relating to Ainsworth, that w e must preserve s o m e

understandable cultural heritage (especially the outside, which is for everybody),

but not every building, because creating n e w things is also necessary.

Mr . Van Rongen is invited to point out w h y buildings are unnecessary demolished

because of the incompetence of (local) authorities. Van Rongen explains this

statement by 2 aspects:

the lack of insight in, thus not calculated, environmental cost of

demolishing buildings;

authorities can manipulate for other reasons the decision-making process,

so re-use of worthwhile buildings (even financially feasible) sometimes

won't take place Mr . Michail wants to avoid extremes, n e w buildings are

necessary just as good as a wise protection of history.

Mr . Waal takes side for the local authorities because they often struggle with each

other; for s o m e departments n e w buildings are profitable, others want re-use.

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6. UlA-working group comment on plenary discussions

For obvious reasons (to save energy, building materials, site, continuity of our

cultural and social history, etc) w e have to save more and more of our existing

buildings. To make it possible w e have to study which qualities of the buildings are

the most suitable for re-allocation.

The central theme of the seminar (re-use of buildings for cultural/educational

purposes) can viewed at in a many different ways. The two most important are:

starting with the building. What is its architectural quality ?

starting with the cultural or educational functions. What are the needed

architectural quality and costs if w e use these functions for filling the old

buildings?

From both sides the central question is: H o w can w e find incentives to stimulate

re-allocation?

6.1 Problems when stimulating re-use for educational purposes

From the plenary discussions the organizing committee has gathered the problems

that were mentioned concerning 'Re-allocation of Buildings' for educational or

cultural purposes. The UlA-working group comments3:

1. Re-use is more difficult then building new, because of the regulations

(restricting building regulations, townplans, complex decision-making

processes in areas with a lot of people living there).

The working group judges the statement as to specific. This kind of

comparison cannot be made.

Almost every building and its major issues and demands are different. Some

new build projects are equally complex in requirements, but in a varying

way.

Moreover, architects have not much experience in designing a building for

re-use and find it difficult. They need help: building regulations should be

better adapted to re-allocation of a building.

3 Special thanks to Bill Ainsworth and Olle Wahlström for their help to formulate

these comments.

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Facadism, as a result of the circumstances in which the authorities demand

to maintain the facade, does not result in good (architectural) solutions.

This is only an opinion, others would disagree. In some situations the only

possibility for creating good architecture is not to change the existing

facade. If it is the only way to keep a quality street scene facade then it

can be legitimate. Better to have facadism than demolition and a third rate

new building. Quality of patron is a major player is this decision.

The cost of re-using a monument, related to the cost of a new building is

more expensive, in most cases.

Generally is this correct, but clearly dependent on the condition of the

existing building and the need for the introduction of complex mechanical

and electric services.

The quality of the existing buildings know different appreciations from the

different participants in the decision-making process.

Statement correct. This is why it is important that our profession and its

view are respected in the final analysis. Architects are trained, have a

benchmark and should have an important role when decisions are made.

Technical sustainability doesn't imply functional/architectural sustainability,

but a re-usable building (from a functional/architectural point of view) can

be at the end of it's technical lifetime.

Statement correct, but this is always a question of judgement at the time of

opportunity. Sometimes if we could wait there may be a solution in the

future, usually we cannot. If one has an open mind towards the relation

between space and function, there are more possibilities than one could

image before.

Architects often get involved too late, namely after demolishing a building

instead of during the decision making process whether to re-allocate or

demolish a building.

Statement correct. Architects should be involved at feasibility.

Educational institutions must be in a city, always nearby public transport.

Public transportation is necessary or needed for educational institutions,

and can be provided both in urban and rural environment.

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Educational institutions get 1 0 0 % independence (specially financial) for there housing; nobody can control them if they want to demolish their buildings.

Building regulations prevent this, both in theory and in practice. Local authorities have to co-operate.

The need for educational school buildings will fluctuate, due to the dynamic character of education nowadays, partly as a result of the developments in the field of information-technology.

Generally, the statement is correct, but there is not (yet) much influence of information-technology on the need for educational school buildings, especially for compulsory schools. Fluctuation still largely depends on migration and economy.

Direct restrictions or subsidies have nasty side-effects.

This statement needs to be elaborated before useful comment can be obtained. Certainly there are awkward repercussions and constraints from subsidies. What side-effects can be named ?

Schools are always poor.

Statement as formulated, is rejected. Too many examples serves as an example to substantiate the opposite. What financial problems can an educational function meet when considering a re-allocation P This issue needs need more investigation, if of any relevance at all.

A relative extreme high land price, like in Japan, doesn't stimulate re-use of buildings, because the financial difference is nothing compared to the price of the land.

Statement is correct.

Investors think that having a multi-purpose building is only better than no building.

Statement needs development.

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14. Creating new concepts is difficult by the re-use of old buildings.

Statement is far too general. Sometimes it is difficult but other times its

very existence makes it easier. Statement needs development.

1 5. There is a lack of insight in, thus not calculated, all the environmental costs

made by constructing and demolishing buildings.

Statement correct.

16. Authorities can manipulate for other reasons the decision-making process,

so re-use of worthwhile buildings (even financially feasible) sometimes

won't take place.

Statement correct.

6.2 Discussed solutions

Until now the following solutions were discussed:

1.

2.

4 .

5.

6.

7.

8.

9. 10.

11.

12.

More flexibility in regulations makes re-use just as easy possible as new

building (or better: 'just as difficult as ').

Better communicating the quality of existing buildings to users and

authorities.

In the long term: all the environmental costs concerning building and

demolishing should be integrated in the decision-making process.

Urban contexts showing love between old and new buildings.

There should a reduction of the building cost for schools when old buildings

are adapted on the inside so that new buildings are not necessary any

more.

Make schoolboards more aware of the need for sustainability.

Organizing competitions in building schools with sustainable quality (for re

use).

Making a bridge, between re-usable buildings and possible functions, with

operational information (e.g. a bank for real estate objects).

Doing pilot-projects.

Subsidization by tax-regulation (reducing ground-tax)

Competitions for a growing awareness about the environment.

More subsidies for re-allocation.

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The working group generally agrees with the discussed solutions as mentioned so

far, but all the solutions need development.

Users and architects must change their attitude on allocating an existing building

to a new function. It must be a mutual adaption between function and the existing

lay-out, e.g. for economical and architectural reasons. This means that a user

looking for an old building for his function should at the beginning only have a very

preliminary list of demands. When the user finds a building for re-allocation and

learns about the building and its conditions (plan lay-out, technical condition), a

detailed list of demands can be worked out in interaction between the required function and the existing building.

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7. To conclude

In the announcement the Organizing committee formulated their expectations with

regard to the seminar 'Re-allocation of Buildings'. W e quote:

Re-allocation of buildings has become an ever increasing important

phenomenon in recent years. In the past pleas have often been made in

favour of the preservation of existing buildings. These pleas were usually

supported by arguments of a cultural, historic, economic or social nature.

These arguments of course are still operative, be it that the major issue of

the interest of ecology has been added to the decision whether to pull

down or to re-use the building.

'Sustainable Building is a Must'

the Dutch Minister of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment

recently stated. In the context of the seminar the organizing committee

would like to link up with this statement by putting:

'Re-allocation contributes to Sustainable Building'.

The consideration whether to maintain or to pull down buildings needs a

longer and deeper reflection than before.

The Organizing committee believes that at the seminar a beginning is made to

make that longer and deeper reflection. In most of the speeches and cases the

importance of the element re-allocation of sustainable building was mentioned or

underlined. But the Organizing committee also has to conclude that there was a

tendency to pay more attention to economic and financial aspects of the matter

instead of the interest of ecology. Apparently re-allocation requires extra money.

The Organizing committee calls upon the responsible institutes to make an extra

financial effort when re-allocation of a specific building is under discussion.

On the other hand, the organizing committee concludes that it is not always a

matter of money to make re-allocation possible. Note that some of the cases

showed that the creativity of the architect made it possible to re-allocate a building

without any extra financial means.

The many aspects and complexity of the theme on one hand and the different

points of view on the other, were input for lively discussions. W e had to conclude

that the discussions have not yet reached to an agreement. Therefore the results

of this seminar have to be preliminary. The Organizing committee calls upon the

UlA-working group 'Espaces Educatifs et Culturels' to continue the discussions at

another appropriate occasion in order to draw final conclusions.

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Documents

UIA/UNESCO Seminar on Re-allocation of Buildings, a ...unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001012/101291eo.pdf · by prof. H. de Jonge 48 ... Mr. A. Eduardo Millan, Caracas, Venezuela