the making of h1

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THE MAKING OF H1 is a successor to the discovery of the Washland Model project. This studied the washland landscape, and most especially the area behind the dike on the southern banks of the Rhine in the Municipality of Beuningen. The process this entailed was key to this project. Rather than seek out purely physical features, we attempted to catalogue the cultural qualities of the area, historical and contemporary. By communicating our findings to the parties concerned, both the evident and less obvious cultural 'values' can be continued in new developments, as, for example, in a real-life situation such as the planned sand extraction in Winssen. The method The making of plays an important role in this process

pdf publication De uitvinding van het Uiterwaardenmodel (12MB)

A sand extraction plan for an area covering about 300 m2 is being considered close to the village of Winssen in the province of Gelderland. At least one third of the surrounding area has been earmarked for sand extraction. Because sand quarrying easily becomes a task where technical factors predominate, and design is only considered in the second place, there is the risk of starting a process that eventually leads to undesirable but irreversible results. In order to prevent this, Beuningen municipal council asked Bureau Venhuizen to devise a method for collecting as much information as possible about the sand extraction, and then applying it to arrive at a decision about the structural plan for the area that is as practical as possible. Bureau Venhuizen developed the project named The making of H1 in order to do this. The heritage that the title refers to is not only a reference to physical elements or objects, but also refers especially to the circumstances under which these have arisen.

The extraction plans are examined carefully during two intensive project weeks. At first a panel of experts from different disciplines discussed the intervention. On the first day, the designers of the structural outline, the administrators and a number of specialists talked about the conditions related to the sand extraction. The second day was devoted to the possible development plan for the area. The information gathered served as the starting point for the simulation and idea-generating game The making of.

The making of functions both as an idea generator and as a form of interactive policy-making. Participants are challenged to lay bare all the qualities of their ideas. The objective of the game is to gather as much information as possible at a point in time when no definitive decisions have yet been made. This approach ensures the implementation of a different kind of communication structure – or influencing of processes – between the various parties involved. Residents are actively involved in the planning process at an early stage, which is not yet the norm in traditional policy-making procedures.

The game was first played by teams of two experts made proposals on the basis of maps with ‘instructions’ and ‘phenomena’. The other teams then raised their objections. The participants were required to come up with arguments that were as balanced as possible. A judge decided whether an objection would be allowed. The winning team was the first one to overcome all the objections.

The same game also gave residents the opportunity to develop ideas about the future of their area during the second project week,. During this week, it became clear that the villagers of Winssen had a strong preference for small-scale forms of living and recreation, focused on the local population. There were also appeals for development of a natural area of peace and quiet, preferably with a number of smaller lakes rather than one big one. Unlike some of the experts, the residents considered the conveyor belt for the sand extraction plain ugly; they preferably wanted it camouflaged and removed as quickly as possible. The method employed was subject to criticism as well as spurring enthusiasm. Some residents felt that disturbance of the peace and the character of Winssen was unavoidable, no matter which proposal they might choose. A few individuals felt that a game did not do justice to the serious character of the spatial intervention.
The winners of the five previous evenings played in the final. Prior to the final, two aldermen and a trio of specialists reacted to the proposals that had been presented over the course of the week.

The making of H1 project has generated countless ideas about the scheme to extract sand near Winssen. The project’s multidisciplinary approach has produced innovative and concrete proposals relating to the possible content and design of the sand extraction. We now know the opinions of the people of Winssen with regards to the future of their village. Using this as their basis, administrators and designers can set to work accordingly in order to make a detailed and convincing plan.

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New Heritage is a project of Bureau Venhuizen assigned by
the Municipality of Beuningen. (October - November 2001)

Concept management
Bureau Venhuizen, Hans Venhuizen with the co-operation of Hilde de Bruijn, Marieke Berkers, Inge Hoonte and Caroline Wolf (concept and project contributors)

With the assistance of
Max Daniel, Lucas Verweij (moderators)
Olof Koekebakker (reporting)
Steven Venhuizen, Henk van der Werf (judges)
Peti Buchel, Carolien Feldbrugge (artists’ impressions)
Linda Rieken (designer, invitation for residents)
Krill designers and urban planners (design, facilitation of simulation game)
Thea van den Heuvel, Margit Schuster (photography)
Bert van der Molen, Herman van der Linde, Hans Jungerius,
Rianne Makkink, John Heemskerk, Martin van Dijk, Ad Habets,
Sandra Schuit, Annerie van Daatselaar; Bernard Colenbrander,
Frank Bezemer, Pieter Veen, Erik Vermeulen, Hans van Houwelingen,
Harma Horlings, Henze Pegman, Frank Werner, Gerard de Baaij
(participants in discussions and simulation games)
Jan Nuesink, Rik Herngreen, Tjerk Ruimschotel,
Guus van der Heiden, Alderman of Beuningen (forum on November 3)
Jan van Haren (miller)
Martin van Dijk, Piet Snellaars, Jolanda Bosch (Beuningen Municipal Council)
Residents of Winssen (game participants)
Gasterij de Arend (accommodation)

With thanks to
Belvedere (Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries)
Beuningen Municipal Council
Stichting van Weurt tot Deest (Weurt-Deest Foundation)
Province of Gelderland
Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation
VSB Foundation
Bouwfonds Cultural Fund
Cultural Fund of the Bank of the Dutch Municipalities (BNG)