PORTFOLIOMarije Rutten

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The glass Palace contains a dreamlike atmosphere in which virtually everything could happen. Spaces of rush and movement are positioned next to spaces of peace and calmness.

Most contemporary architecture in The Netherlands seems to reach for the iconic. While this architecture is addressing mainly the sense of sight, the other senses are being ignored. The result is a situation that is deprived of the stimulation of the senses. Wölfflin posed the idea that people experience their ‘self’ through the experience of space. By experiencing this space, they become aware of their body and their self. When there is nothing to be experienced, the body can not be experienced.

So what we have now are buildings that do not communicate with their users, that are not engaged with people. At the same time, in our contemporary society, people do not seem to be engaged with people. When in public space, we are not open for spontaneous encounters. Also, most contemporary architecture is not offering a moment in which these encounters could happen. In that sense, architecture could be seen as a reflection of its social context. We as a society receive the architecture that we deserve.

The same counts for the location of the project, Zuidas. As a business district, it is conveniently located between the city centre of Amsterdam and Schiphol airport. Like

pieces of decor, its buildings are made to impress the eyes, but they do not impress the person as a whole. The public parts of the buildings do not try to invite, they do not seem to try anything at all. In this artificial atmosphere, the particularities that usually provide a space with character are absent. As a result, the public spaces of Zuidas evoke a feeling of control and alienation, instead of attraction and invitation.

Moreover, the environment seems to be completely controlled and a sense of freedom of choice is nowhere to be found. I think this element of maybe adventure, of surprises that places can bring, is very important in a space. It brings us joy when unexpected things happen and it makes us become more aware of a place. Through this, a sense of place is evoked.

In order to achieve an experience of sensory architecture, focus must lie on the treatment of the ground floor and its facade and the atmosphere of a place. At the ground, we have the closest connection with our surroundings. Our senses are being stimulated the most, through sight, but also through touch, smell and hearing. It is at the ground where we experience the entering of a place, where we

The glass PalaceA new station entrance for Amsterdam Zuid

graduation project

Zuidas, AmsterdamThe Netherlands

Teachers: Mauro ParraviciniMark Pimlott

Jurjen Zeinstra

Marije Rutten2014

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relate ourselves to the place and thus become part of the place. In this experience, we become aware of the atmosphere of a place. This can be an inviting one, a sad one, a serene one and many more. Through this experience of atmosphere, the space can become a memory that the user literary can come back to.

By inviting the user, the user is seduced to join and experience the space. As a proposal I would like to create a public interior that invites and seduces the 130000 users of Station Zuid that will be there every day in 2020. People are free to come and go, to stay and wander or to just transfer through.

In the current situation Zuidas consists of a chain of public spaces, surrounded by high-rise offices and interrupted by a train station and a parallel car road, the A10. The chain starts near the centre of Amsterdam, and ends at an odd bridge that is situated against the borders of Amsterdam Buitenveldert. However, these places do not seem to be related to each other, or to the greater city of Amsterdam. What is needed at Zuidas is a public space that connects all the other public spaces, but at the same time connects Zuidas to the larger area of Amsterdam.In my design, I propose a new public interior that is

situated adjacent to the train station of Amsterdam Zuid and functions as both a prelude to the train station and an individual public space. Here, it becomes part of the concatenation of existing public spaces that shape the central axis of Zuidas. By placing it in the heart of the axis, the public interior tries to achieve not only a level of association between the user and the interior space but also between the user and the surrounding public spaces.

When looking at the ground floor plan of the proposal, one can see how the interior space is half open to the outside and half closed off. From the Zuidplein to Station Zuid, a huge stream of people will walk through the axis of the building every day. On the western side, a bus stop is situated, while on the eastern side, a garden is proposed.

Amsterdam Zuid, 1:45000. The location of Zuidas is situated in between the city centre of Amsterdam and Schiphol airport.

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E-W section: The section shows the image of a shelter, an interior space but not completely closed off. The ground is dense and like a bee hive full of people, while above there is the shelter that provides a sense of enclosure and intimacy.

Ground floor plan: Different atmospheres are placed together on the same ground, creating different experiences.

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West entrance: The west facade leads the user directly to the designated waiting space, which provide a clear view on the buses.

East entrance: The east wing is closed off from the outside, providing an east wing where people can stay and roam around the shops and gallery.

South entrance: Entering from the train station, ne is first in the dark and low station tunnel, but enters the interior through a threshold of sudden light.

North entrance: The northern facade of the public interior is welcoming people in, seducing people to enter it’s dreamy state.

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By placing these opposite atmospheres, of peace and of rush, together in one space, the ground becomes even more important, since it hosts different activities throughout the building. The edges of the interior contain shops and cafes on the station side and a lounge and gallery space on the northern side. Next to the bus there is a waiting area. By placing the bus stop and the garden on opposites sides of the building, the user can choose where he or she wants to go, which atmosphere is preferred at that moment.

The floor of the main hall as well as that of the waiting area consists of quartzite. The white honed stone reflects the light in a subtle way, and has a subtle texture. In the volumes the floor is made out of concrete, while in the station tunnel black travertine is used. By using this dark material, the spaces becomes more narrow and dark, which creates a greater contrast when entering the public interior.

There are three types of proposed movement through the public interior, resulting in different atmospheres. These atmospheres are not absolute, but invite to engage in certain activities. The visitor is free to stay, go or wait a while.

In the centre people can sit at the edges of the garden and

wait on whomever they want to meet. Maybe they are not meeting anyone at all. In any case, one can sit at the edge and watch people passing by.

The lush green garden evokes a sense of intimacy and enclosure. When sitting in the garden, the other, more noisy, parts of the interior fade away and one finds oneself in an atmosphere of tranquility. Also, by making the garden impenetrable to the eye, a mysterious space is created, that seduces people to enter and to find out what the garden has to offer.

The shops and cafes provide for places where people can roam around, just like the gallery and lounge space. Here one can sit and meet someone, look at the art on display, or engage in events that are being organised in the space.

The structure is threefold. The building exists of arches that are placed every 4 meters. These arches provide the space with a vertical rhythm, but they also create perspective within the glass roof.

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West facade: Buses on hydrogen can freely drive in and out through the west entrance.

Left: The filigree of the ceiling is reflected in the ground by adding thin brass strips at the joints of the tiles. At the ground the gold frames the density of a floor crowded with people, while in the ceiling the gold frames the lightness of the sky.

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During the day, light will shine through the ceiling, which will cause shadows to appear on the ground. On the ground the space bathes in light, and is subject to a constant change of shadows that are playing on the ground during the day.

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The edge is the place where the built and the unbuilt environment come together, and where both can be experienced at the same time. It is at the edge of a place where people stand or sit, where they move, wait or stay. It is also at the edge where you can have an overview of the surrounding spaces, but are not the centre of attention. The edge provides a sense of safety, by protecting us from possible enemies from the back, but, maybe more relevant, from the elements such as rain and wind. (adapted from Gehl)

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West wing: The waiting space for the buses is freely accesible.

Left: East wing. Different rhythms mark the interior and the exterior of the building. Benches are placed between the interior arches.

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Aiming for a light and slender appearance, the arches are open profiles that have cut outs in the top and are dressed with white paint. Each arch contains cables which provide the rounded arch with stability. The cables are cladded with a gold-like material, brass. The same golden cladding is used for the window framing of the windows that are placed over the structure of the arches.

The colour of the gold will provide the space on the ground with a certain richness and refinement, without being to present. Only when paid attention to these details, for instance when looking up, the user should be able to them. On the exterior, white coated cables span from the arches to thick concrete slabs. The slabs then are placed on thin dark grey steel profiles.

During the night, the abundance of daylight disappears and the character of the interior changes radically. It becomes more monumental. The volumes provide the ground with direct light. The shelter is not transparent anymore, but functions as a mirror that reflects the ground. In case of the end facades, an endless sequence of the facade appears. The garden becomes an enchanted forrest, where lights from the ground light up the green leaves. The ground that was so dense and vivid during the day, has changed into a

mysterious ballroom in the night. The glass Palace, already seducing people during the day, is now even more a place of seduction, waiting for people to come in and enjoy its atmosphere.

Through my proposal, I am hoping to remind the observer of the allure that a public space can attain. Not only allure in a monumental way, but also in a social way. In the past, the public space was the space where people would meet each other and therefore the public space was a social space. In contemporary times, where we do not need to go outside anymore to get into contact with other people, places like these tend to be forgotten or considered not necessary anymore. This scheme could therefore be seen as a critique on contemporary architecture and social structure, but at the same time it does not want to be reminiscent of times in which buildings such as the Crystal Palace flourished.

I believe that contemporary public interiors are not attractions anymore. However, they can aim to facilitate the possibility of encounters between strangers, and to facilitate the moment in which people that are moving through the space can experience their surroundings and simply enjoy them.

N-S section: The north-south axis is maintained in the project, providing for an easy flow of traffic between the station and the various destinations on its northern side.

The glass Palaca at night: Interior and exterior view.

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Scale model, 1:100.

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The complex is situated adjacent to a square, a main road and in the vicinity of the Museumpark. By placing one of the volumes closer towards the Westersingel, a small square is created.

The disease of obesity is a relatively young phenomenon in our society. It should be considered that obesity, besides being a physical handicap, is a psychological illness. One gets estranged from ones body and progressively estranges from ones living environment. In that sense obesity could be seen as some kind of addiction. The question arises how to cope with this illness that seems to be a result of today’s society.

The assignment focusses on the design of an obesity clinic. Its program varies from short stay rooms to a cooking school for educational purposes. These proposed functions acknowledge that obesity is something that deserves a place in society and should be known to people. Keeping in mind the mental part of the illness, the main goal of the obesity clinic lies in the creation of a space that brings psychological empowerment to its residing patients.

Besides this private function, the clinic also has a public role in providing knowledge on obesity and all its facets. Hence its location in the urban area of Rotterdam. With these requirements and this location comes a paradox: how to provide a private and safe healing environment that at the same time should set a public example?

The site is located in the area of Dijkzigt, Rotterdam. On the east side is a main road, the Westersingel. The west side of the plot is adjacent to the green and spacious Museumpark. Both the south and north side of the site are enclosed by other buildings on the Westersingel, though on the south side there is a square adjacent to the Westersingel. This square functions as a drive through for the neighbouring rehabilitation centre. With the main road on one side and the park on the other, the design should include at least two representational façades.

Architecture is seen as a means of shaping our living environment and to a certain extend of shaping our lives. The obesity clinic should therefore function as a place where its architecture guides its users towards an improvement in their state of being. This task asks for a discrete building which exterior blends in with its urban context and keeps its users from the spotlights. The creation of a buffer zone where the patients can experience the society outside the clinic, without being forced to actually take part in this society, seems a logical thing to do.

Dijkzigt, RotterdamThe Netherlands

Teachers: Dirk SomersGert Somers

Marije Rutten2012

sense and sensibilityobesity clinic

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E-W section: The entrance hall has the functions of street and square, placed between volumes of different height and size.

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N-S section: The entrance hall gives the complex a public core, which leads to its private functions.

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The complex is situated on the east part of the site, making it possible to extend the Museumpark on the west side of the plot. By pushing part of the complex a little bit back from the Westersingel, a small square is created that could function as a prelude to the larger square on the south side of the plot. The south side is also the side of the complex where the main entrance will be located, making it easy accessible from the underground car park that belongs to the rehabilitation centre.

By dividing a mass into three pieces and by pushing these pieces apart, a fourth space is created. This space functions as the entrance hall. Its three entrances are pushed back between the masses of the three buildings, provoking a sense of enclosure when entering the clinic.

The hall is covered by a green roof constructed on wooden beams. These beams are connected to the primary construction of the three volumes. This way, the roof is literally hanging in between the building volumes.

The exterior of the clinic is materialised with red bricks. The façades are fitting in with the urban surroundings rather than standing out. This is in line with the certain level of modesty that has been the aim of the design. The windows on the plinth are continuing until the ground, making interaction between the public functions on the ground floor and the urban realm possible. An exception has been made at the facade covering the ground floor swimming pool. Here the façade contains high placed windows.

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East façade, 1:300. The complex is placed directly against the adjacent dwell-ings on the north edge of the plot.

West façade, 1:300. The complex has no entrance on the side of the park. However, the view from the patients rooms and treatment spaces are directed towards the green environment.

South façade, 1:300. The main entrance is placed adjacent to the square on the south side of the plot. By pushing the entrance facade a bit back, a sense of enclosure is evoked.

Rotterdam, 1:40000. The location is situated at the city centre, between a busy road an a green park.

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+00, 1:250. The entrance hall is situated at the core of the building.

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+03: The structure of the roof above the entrance hall is always perpendicular to the direction of the traffic flow in the hall.

+02: The OR and short stay rooms are connected by an open bridge hanging in between the buildings.

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+01: The first floor can be reached by staircases deriving from the entrance hall as well as by internal elevators.

The entrance hall functions as a threshold between the public realm and the private space of the buildings it connects. It is the heart of the clinic. By creating an entrance hall in the centre of the complex, the experience of entering the building is prolonged. One first has to enter into the core of the building, before moving outwards towards is functions.

From the entrance hall, three staircases lead the visitor towards the first floor of each of the volumes. These stairs ensure the visibility of the traffic between the three buildings, between the private and the public. The visibility of the traffic through the building is further enhanced by a bridge that is connecting the second floor of two of the buildings. This open bridge connects the OR with the short stay rooms, but can also be used by patients as a lookout point over the entrance hall. The notion of traffic brings a feeling of movement and vividness to the entrance hall.

When leaving the entrance hall and permeating further into the building, the atmosphere becomes gradually more private. The ground level beholds the functions that will probably be used most by people from outside such as a

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restaurant and cooking school. When going up one level, the program gets more private, with treatment spaces, a physiotherapy room and offices. The second floor is the top floor for two of the buildings and comprises the short stay rooms, OR and a library for staff members. The third building continues to a third floor, where offices are situated.

By making the patients in the short stay rooms go down one floor in order to get their treatment, they are mildly forced to engage themselves with other people. When their condition improves, they can go further down, to the ground floor. The entrance hall is now seen as an urban environment for the patient, where he/she can visit the restaurant, swimming pool or enjoy the coming and going of visitors. The feeling of safe however is preserved since the patient is still inside the clinic and can go to his/her room whenever he/she pleases.

Right, above: 1:20 detail showing the roof of one of the buildings. The eave is given a surplus in height. This makes high ceilings possible in the top floor without disturbing the proportions within the façade.

Above: 1:20 detail showing the ground floor of the entrance hall and inside one of the buildings. The constructive wall does not need insulation since both sides are interior spaces.

Right, below: 1:20 detail showing the roof above the entrance hall. The roof is hanging onto the primary construction of the building.

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international habitat design studioslum regeneration

The roofs comprise a large surface, but remain almost unused. On the other hand, multiple activities take place in the streets, such as cooking, washing, playing, sitting, storing and drying clothes.

of Yogeshwar Nagar seems more irregular, with more open space and houses that are placed more random. Most of the approximately 1000 inhabiting families have been living at the site for at least ten years and are not planning on leaving. Their houses stand symbol for the typical Indian living pattern: new spaces and rooms are continuously added. As the family grows, the house grows along. Most of the rooms are multifunctional and can be kitchen, living space or bedroom depending on the time of day.

According to certain standards, Yogeshwar Nagar is considered a slum area. Since approximately one year, all the houses are connected to drainage, water pumps and electricity. The electricity however is not available throughout the whole day and power cuts are considered standard. Also, the streets are sometimes barely more than one meter in width and most of the time not paved. During the day, there are many children in the streets. They only get educated a few hours on certain days because it is too expensive.

During the first visit of the site, two aspects continuously appeared. The streets are not mere public space. They host all kinds of activities, ranging from a playground

Each year the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation, founded by Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, hosts a so called international habitat design studio. During the two month studio, students from several universities work together on the designated project. The 2013 studio comprised the area of Yogeshwar Nagar, a slum in the southwest of Ahmedabad. With only one computer per team and occasional powercuts we performed a thorough research on the area. This included measuring every street, so a proper cad file could be produced. But it also included spending two days a week in the neighbourhood, talking to the people and thus finding ways of neighbourhood regeneration that would fit this particular society. The result therefore is a practical instead of theoretical kind of architecture.

Yogeshwar Nagar is an approximately 30 year old neighbourhood in the south of Ahmedabad, India. It consists of two parts that are separated by a main road. This main road hosts a market and several shops and temples. The east part of the area has a very clear structure with streets running parallel from west to east. However, these streets are not reachable from the main streets. One has to use small links that run north-south. As a result the area has become an isolated neighbourhood. The west part

Yogeshwar Nagar, AhmedabadIndia

Vastu-Shilpa FoundationBalkrishna Vithaldas Doshi

Viktoria FalkSasha Mahajan

Gonzalo NavarreteDilara Orujzade

Marije Rutten2013

How many people are in the picture?

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for children to an outdoor work space and a place to dry clothes. Because of this the streets are always being occupied during the day. The lack of open spaces results in the narrow streets being often very busy. This bustle finds its opponent in the sky, as was seen the first time a house was visited. A lot of the houses have, to some extend, a roof terrace. However, these roof terraces are only used for storage space and for sleeping during the hot summer. Because the streets are so narrow and cannot be seen properly from the roof terraces, one could actually think the site is a quiet area when spotted from above. A second aspect noticed was that there are almost no vegetation and no recreational spaces. When mapping the area, only four or five trees were found and this number is decreasing. At one visit, one of the trees was missing: it was used as firewood for cooking.

The proposal for Yogeshwar Nagar consists out of the implementation of a new cycle of life. This cycle beholds aspects that focus on architecture, sustainability and social structure. In concept, an extra layer of plug-ins is progressively placed above the existing tissue. The plug-ins consists out of a bamboo and steel structure, to be constructed and built by the inhabitants themselves.

The skills necessary for the construction will be taught to the inhabitants in a workshop area, set up next to the bamboo plantation. The structure provides a framework that the inhabitants can use when adding spaces to their homes or when ‘upgrading’ their homes. Next to this, the plug-ins will give space to new amenities, concerning the neighbourhood as well as the larger scale of Ahmedabad. The houses in the worst condition are demolished so squares can appear. Especially around these squares, the plug-ins are used to connect some of the existing roof terraces, resulting in a new urban open space.

By planting the bamboo on site, the whole cycle of the to-be constructed layer is visible and accessible to the inhabitants. The different processing steps of the plants will take place in the new workshops. The main hub for the workshops will be placed on the east side of the site, next to the bamboo planting grounds. At the plantation, the poplars help infiltrate the rainwater into the ground, resulting in a better environment for the bamboo to grow. Once grown, the bamboo is used for the construction of the plug-ins. The productive forest will generate wood and biomass while it helps to filter and infiltrate the water.

Above: Impression of daily street life.

Left: Analysis shows that there are very few entrances to the area, making it an almost secluded space. Also, the area is very dense and lacks open space.

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Masterplan for Yogeshwar Nagar with a first proposal for roof terraces marked in dark yellow. The red/orange plots behold new amenities situated around the new squares. On the east side the plantation is located, being connected to the water system. The edges of the area comprise restructered commercial plots (blue).

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Concept for a square. The roof terraces are now connected and a new urban layer is created. This layer contains amenities but also provides a safe place for children to play.

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One of the mayor challenges that the site faces is the monsoon period. During this time of year, most of the site is flooded and the inhabitants have to move outside their neighbourhood for a few months. In order to reduce the water problems, a new underground drainage system will be implemented. This system includes several open water surfaces that are situated on the newly created squares. By interconnecting these surfaces underground, a large amount of the water is collected and stored for dryer times. When there is more water than the system can handle, it will be guided towards the plantation. Here it can help the plants grow. In the future, the underground storage system will be connected to a small water filtration plant. This way, the people of Yogeshwar Nagar are provided with their own (grey) water.

Concerning the social structure of the neighbourhood, it occurred that the women of Yogeshwar Nagar seem to be continuously bound to their houses. During the day they are cleaning, cooking and taking care of their children. However, these women are full of capabilities that are not being used at this moment. By giving the women a place to get together and set up their own businesses, they will gain more power over their lives. The women’s empowerment

centre will consist out of several smaller hubs: a workshop centre, a financing centre and a shop where their goods can be sold. Along with these places, child care units will get a place. Since the women have their family as their main priority, it is important for them to have their children with them. By making a place for the children, the women will gain more freedom.

The finance system that is being implemented is based upon the ideas of Mohammed Yusuf on micro credit. However, instead of providing credit to only one person at a time, his theory provides credit to people that are collaborating in a small group of around five persons. Each person still has their personal responsibility, but at the same time, each person also has to make sure that the others are taking their responsibility. In the proposal, a variation on this theory is implemented where the site is divided into certain larger groups, according to the number of streets. Within the streets, the households are also being divided into groups. Five houses will form one group. On a larger scale, all of the groups in one street have a responsibility towards each other. This way, the people of Yogeshwar Nagar will regenerate their own neighbourhood in a way that fits their society.

Right: Street section. The bamboo structure is placed over the existing houses.

Below: Section and plan of central workshop square. Houses in a very bad shap are being demolished to make space for the workshop area.