< previous | next > | home ^ | print | image

In Geest en Grond (Soul and Soil), Bureau Venhuizen researches the role played by cultural-historical and modern-day heritage in the future spatial organization of the Dune and Flowerbulb Region, the bulb-growing region on the sandy soil just behind the North Sea coastal dunes between Amsterdam and The Hague. This is being realized with a two-year programme, consisting of three successive phases: drawing up an inventory, a range of design competitions and their implementation. People concerned with spatial planning – (urban) planners, (cultural) historians, (landscape) architects, artists, administrators, residents – are represented in each phase.

The project was launched in January 2003 with the making of an inventory of cultural-historical characteristics and qualities, landscape-related developments and current bottlenecks or areas of contention in the region. The region was charted with an open mind, setting aside any preconceived ideas or scientific intention; like an expedition, the outcome of which is still uncertain, though with a clear-cut objective in mind from the outset: the discovery of traces that might be significant for future spatial developments. Prominent traces were found and confirmed what was already suspected, while the discovery of barely tangible ones sparked curiosity or held the promise of an important find. In-depth studies of a selection of these highly promising traces were commissioned from a variety of experts. Other traces lent themselves to translation into concrete competition briefs, which are pivotal to the second phase of this project.

Based on the conviction that objects and structures primarily continue to exist because they are reused, the objective of the quest was to achieve continuity in the (functional) value of traces from the past.

The typology of the flowerbulb shed, with its characteristic windows and doors for natural ventilation, arose because of the climatological requirements for the storage of the sensitive flowerbulbs, realized within the technological constraints of the time. These sheds became obsolete with the development of machines that could control the climate much more adequately in simple ‘tin-can’ warehouses. Now that climate control is no longer a generator of heritage, the appropriate tailoring of the generic tin-can warehouses to the landscape might now fulfil that role. At the same time, the location of and space within the old sheds are important elements which might contribute to their effective reuse. Both traces are turned into the subject of a design competition. The desired landscape asks for special solutions for the adaptation of large, blank-walled industrial buildings to the open landscape. The Bulb & Breakfast competition asks for designs for lodging facilities in historic flowerbulb sheds.

The discovery that the origins of the internationally renowned Bloemencorso, an annual flower parade, were thriftiness and recycling rather than the suspected extravagance, was surprising. Flower stems are in fact the waste product of flowerbulb production. At some point, thriftiness inspired an extraordinarily creative form of recycling, namely decorating floats with the cut flowers and driving them in a parade through the entire region until they wither. Flowers are a desirable by-product of flowerbulb production, but the sludge in waterways and drainage ditches is not.

In times, sludge was spread across the land, not only to keep the waterways navigable but also because of its fertilizing qualities. Nowadays the sludge is sooner regarded as a problem that is not reused but transported out of the region due to it being contaminated. However, the treatment of contaminated sludge dredged from the waterways once again presents opportunities for landscape-related development. Specific treatment and processing of contaminated sludge could – like a ‘smart’ version of an old habit – generate new heritage in the form of cultural landscape. The possibilities will be studied further in a follow-up task with the title ‘Chemical heritage’.

The spatial situation in the Dune and Flowerbulb Region is determined by the tension between the desire to preserve the typical open landscape that has arisen due to flowerbulb production on the one hand, and developments that are necessary to keep flowerbulb production economically viable on the other. Against that tide of developments, people still wish to preserve the original landscape. That landscape has, however, only existed for 150 years and was created due to quarrying sand from the dunes to raise the level of the land in Amsterdam and other places. In fact people cherish a 'devastated' original landscape, and this is what they consider the original. Nobody is proposing that we spread a thick layer of sand for the growing of beachgrass, though it would be possible to formulate a perfectly valid historic legitimacy for it.

The competition briefs tie are linked to these regional problem areas and can serve as examples for how culture and cultural history might play a role in future spatial planning. The choice between suspended animation, theme-parkification or transformation of the region’s cultural and landscape-related qualities lie at the root of the competition briefs. The choice depends on the role attributed to history, and on which identity is distinctive for this region today.

Geest en Grond (Soul and Soil) takes the first steps towards ascertaining resilient and guiding cultural-historical qualities for future spatial planning. In follow-up studies, competition briefs and, above all, their actual implementation at locations in the Dune and Flowerbulb Region, the cultural-historic qualities must prove their ability to be a connective force in the creation of our future landscape.

Previously published cahiers which document the project:

In de ban van het land van ooit, Paul Meurs
(pdf 2 MB, juli 2003 - Dutch only)
Expeditie, an inventory of the Duin- en Bollenstreek (Dune and Flowerbulb Region)
(pdf 11,3 MB, sept. 2003 - Dutch only),
Onderzoek en kritiek, a follow-up to the inventory phase
(pdf 2 MB, dec. 2003 - Dutch only)

< previous | next > | home ^ | print | image

Geest en Grond (‘Soul and Soil’) is a project by Bureau Venhuizen commissioned by
Erfgoedhuis Zuid-Holland – the Heritage Centre for South Holland (September 2002 to January 2005)
Coordination: Onno Helleman

Concept development and realization
Bureau Venhuizen, Hans Venhuizen
Inge Hoonte, Francien van Westrenen, Mariëtte Maaskant, Isabel van der Zande
Interns: Peter Sevens, Iris van der Vos

Editing
Bureau Venhuizen, Gerda Zijlstra, Marieke Berkers
Onno Helleman, Erfgoedhuis Zuid-Holland (Heritage Centre for South Holland)

Communications and publicity
Mariëtte Maaskant

Photography
Dieuwertje Komen

Translation
Andrew May

Website
Archined, David Lingerak

Graphic design (website and publications)
Kummer & Herrman, Utrecht

Preparatory research for Geest en Grond
Paul Meurs and Projectbureau Geest en Grond (Bureau Venhuizen)

Inventory phase
Sessions:
Moderator: Bert van Meggelen
Advisers:
Centre development: Daan Binnendijk, Tom Frantzen, Maurits Klaren, Paul Meurs, Sjaak Smakman
Infrastructure and Archeology: Hans Jungerius, Jan Kolen, Geertje Korf, Wies Sanders, Douwe Sikkema,
Changing economic activities: Frank Helsloot, Jennifer Petterson, Jelle Vervloet, Marc Witteman, Martin Zandwijk
Recycling Heritage: Marca Bultink, Krijn Giezen, Jan Jongert, Peter Nijhof, Ineke Schwartz
Human Heritage: Gert Greveling, Hans van Houwelingen, Cor van der Heijden, Joop Zwetsloot
Public open day: Margreet Aangeenbrug, Marca Bultink, Ton Cats, Karola Dierichs, Cees Freeke, Rudi Halewijn, Johannes Langeveld, Margret van Leeuwen, Jan van Nieuwkoop, Henk van Os, Lilian Roosenboom, Tjeerd Scheffer, Mark Tilli, Christina Wallone, Bert Wolthuis

Art commissions
Krijn Giezen: concept & design of Hopen en gaten (‘Heaps and Holes’)
Tom Frantzen: concept & design of Projectie (‘Projection’)
Jennifer Petterson: concept & director of the documentary Huiskamers en bolwerken (‘Living Rooms and Bastions’)
Text: Alex de Vries, Stern/Den Hartog & De Vries
Exhibition design: Chris Koens

Follow-up commissions
Slibfarm: Chemisch erfgoed (Silt Farm: Chemical heritage)
Gerda Zijlstra in association with Ceciel Oud, SRO
De Detaillist (The Retailer): Rediscover your wholeness!
BAVO, Gideon Boie and Matthias Pauwels
The Limes: De Limes in Valkenburg, een nieuw publiek domein (‘The Limes in Valkenburg: a new public domain’)
Catherine Visser, daf-architecten

Competition phase
Gerda Zijlstra in association with Bureau Venhuizen

Ratification of competition programme
Steunpunt Ontwerpwedstrijden (Design Competitions Support Centre), Architectuur Lokaal, AmsterdamGraphic design for competition publicity
Evelien van Vugt, Rotterdam

Jury
Bert van Meggelen (chairman of the jury, director of Maatwerk voor stedelijke projecten en culturele planologie ‘Tailor-made solutions for urban projects and culture-based planning’)
Jan Vaessen (director of the Nederlands Openlucht Museum – the Netherlands Open-Air Museum)
Nathalie de Vries (architect, MVRDV)
Dirk Sijmons (landscape architect, H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten)
Marc Witteman (Alderman for Spatial Planning for the Municipality of Hillegom and chairman of the ‘Pact of Teylingen’ Steering Committee)
Joop Zwetsloot (former director of the HoBaHo flowerbulb auction and chairman of the Museum voor de Bloembollenstreek ‘De Zwarte Tulp’ – ‘The Black Tulip’ Museum for the Bulb District)
Marinus Houtman (chairman of Erfgoedhuis Zuid-Holland – Heritage Centre for South Holland)

Competition exhibition
Design: Eventarchitectuur, Herman Verkerk and Paul Kuipers
With thanks to Museum de Zwarte Tulp, Lisse

Project watchers
Annemiek Rijckenberg (independent adviser on urban development, member of the advisory council of VROM, the Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment)

Zef Hemel (editor-in-chief of Stedebouw & Ruimtelijke Ordening, the periodical of NIROV – the Netherlands Institute of Planning and Housing – and director of the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design)

Geest en Grond (Soul and Soil), culture-based planning in the Dune and Flowerbulb Region was realized to a commission from the Province of South Holland and the Erfgoedhuis Zuid-Holland. Geest en Grond is financially supported by the Province of South Holland, the Pact of Teylingen and the Stimuleringsfonds voor Architectuur (Netherlands Architecture Fund) via project subsidies granted in the context of Belvedere Policy Document.