prijsvraag
type stedenbouwkundig/ architectuur
ontwerp jos & tim harnischmacher / 2009 

Seen Amsterdam on a bigger scale the building environment towards the centre is increasing like many cities too. Beside our plot is located the Rembrandt Park, which can be excluded as space for the growing city. If you look at the plot of Amsterdam it can been noticed that Slotervaart will be next with filling up the empty sites and breaking down the small and bad quality houses, to make space for new high-rise buildings (6 or 7 levels). Across the street of the August Allebeplein this process can been seen too.

It means that the original plans from the square have to develop and grow also. In around ten years the pressure on the August Allebeplein will increase as a service centum with stores for daily needs. So more space on groundlevel is needed. The original plans have to change to the needs of the people and the city. This also happened already on the August Allebeplein. First designed as a big public area for relaxing with pool and fountain, but now the function of this square developed into a service based small center function with main issues like grocery stores Lidl and Albert Heijn.

Some important things can be noticed when walking trough the area. There is a constant turning of front and back of the buildings. This is part of the original plan from van Eesteren, but it was designed as a Garden City. So filling up the “garden” spaces makes to consider the use of flipping fronts and backs. 

Around the square most buildings are orientated towards the square. But the new buildings are having their main entrances on the other sides. When looking at the two biggest stores we can notice that they are not giving the square a friendly feeling with their introvert facades. Further the square is dictated by large buildings, but on some spots the square is no enclosed square, the space is not catched, it fluids away. So it means no clear definition of the square in terms of created space on ground- and upper level.

The meaning of this square in Slotervaart can be simple. It’s not the big central square of Amsterdam with the biggest church or Pales. It will also not be the square for all the demonstrations or events on country level. It means that size and importance need to be fitted to it’s program. To make a square for relax to bring back the “Garden City feeling” is also not a logical thing to do, because the Rembrandt Park is in walking distance. So current service functions are ruling the activities on the square as can been seen during day. One of the important facts than will be the use of the car. The current square is dictated with the car.

So the strategy I want to suggest for the reinstall of the August Allebeplein is reduce size and locate it more to the east and middle of the plot. Here it also can make a good connection to the other cultural important buildings for the neighbourhood. Than a new building in the place of the Lidl can close the square in the west side. The open place of the  former school can be built with a heavy building for living and offices. This building need to make a new second upperfaçade for the square that can compete with the long linear building next to it. The mosque (which is extending already) can be extended to finish the square in eastern side. Than there is a possibility to rearrange the main entrance to the central square and to give the building a representative first façade. Than there is one more block that closes the square in south-eastern side, this need to be fixed also. Many new buildings here already are more all sided orientated, but this one still have a strong front-back orientation. So a new building solving this by having stores on ground-floor and houses two sided on top with entrances in the south. The stores are orientated towards the square. Last intervention will be done to close the square with a second façade in the background by building a high rise building almost nearby the railroad. 

Now let’s focus on the building that will influence the square programmatically. Main functions and attractions of this square will be the services. One issue is taking out the Lidl and Albert Heijn from street level because of their introvert character. To put these big square meters under level, new and more shops who need (and decorate) their windows can give a more friendly feeling to the square. On the ground level of the corner building it’s important that pedestrians still can enter the square from the corner, so there need to be a split up into two buildings on ground level. Also important is to make the stores under level accessible very easy for customers and also trucks. Beside these logistic issues there will be stores, voids, and ramps on ground level. These ramps will connect the roof to the ground. It means that it can be used as parking space during day and for sports when stores are closed. The entrances of the ramps are designed in a way that unwanted activities cannot take place when rolling down a metal wired gate. This roof actually starts at the square in the northern side, just by walking up you will enter a zone mixed, from square to parking space and garden. On top it finishes in a roof terrace with a view towards the main square of the neighbourhood. By bringing the cars up and make the roof accessible the roof also gets more attractive for all the high buildings around it, because all movements can been seen. Two vertical shafts with elevators make sure the grocery from the basement can been taken with you to the car directly.

The square is now defined by the buildings around it and is functioned as the service square of the neighbourhood. To have a central open space in high density areas is automatically attracting activities like markets, voyeurism, appointments, meetings, parties etc. So along the sides it’s nice to have possibilities to sit down and have a look at all these activities around. Trees are put in two lines at the sides of the square to cover. But mostly the square will be used by people crossing it from one shop to another, entering the other buildings, or just passing trough. Just like all the other timeless squares in the world. That’s why timelessness was the inspiration for how to decorate the square. The tiles will be layered and coloured so when many people walking the same routes after a while you will start to recognize the main routes. Or maybe after some years routes change or disappear again. But the square will be there.