Tag: program

Urban acupuncture (Ukr)

Mariupol Magazine, Ukraine_Urban acupuncture starting new perspectives for Mariupol

A country and a city hit by war. A need for new perspectives, despite the war. Cultural platform Izolyatsia from Ukraine invited fifteen architects, artists and designers to consider the opportunities and creative impulses for the city of Mariupol. One of them was Fulco Treffers from 12N.

Treffers spent two months in Mariupol. He talked to many people, experienced the city with the war so close by, but also the daily life and the resilience that goes with it. He made a glossy magazine, in which he described, in an accessible manner, what the current state of affairs in the city was, and the opportunities he thought existed on an urban, social and economic level.

In doing so, he looked both at the short and long term. In the short term, Treffers advocated urban acupuncture interventions: fast, small-scale local interventions that facilitate meeting, and thus have an added impact on the entire city. For the long term, he researched sustainable economic development: from the steel industry alone to a varied economic infrastructure. He views urban acupuncture as an engine for powering new energy, growth and change.

Download Mariupolmagazine ENG
Download Mariupol Magazine 2015 _ RU/UKR

Commissioned by: Izolyatsia, Kiev Ukraine – www.izolyatsia.org
Period: July – August 2015

Area prospect Strijp T

Strijp T_Future prospect based on sustainability

Strijp T seems to fall behind a little, compared to neighboring area’s Strijp S and Strijp R. The company Philips has long gone, but the site is still fenced. Many of the buildings are being used by companies, and some by designers.For a long time, little to nothing happened in terms of vision development for Strijp T. In 2016 however, the local government decided to set some outlines for the site.

12N Urban Matters was prompted by Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven to research future prospect, and look at opportunities and strengths together with entrepreneurs and business owners. Important, according to SRE, is a focus on sustainability, taking inspiration from the principles of Cradle to Cradle and The Natural Step.

Strijp T has the potential do develop from an unknown business area, into a leading campus for manufacturing and innovation. In 12N’s vision, activity will remain the backbone of the area, but the activity will slowly change focus. A so-called plug -in platform is a new urban planning instrument to support the transformation. Economic and legal developments will set the pace.

12N Urban Matters worked with Urhahn Urban Design and Thomas Rau architects. Urhahn Urban Design is the author of Spontaneous City, and is involved in Space-S. Thomas Rau received the  ARC13 Oeuvre Award. He designed the headquar,ters of Triodos Bank in Driebergen-Zeist railway station.

Download the book here: Strijp-T boek

Commissioned by: SRE
Period: 2016

Railway station area design

 Organic development scheme for railway station Driebergen-Zeist

An area vision for the Driebergen-Zeist station, with a seductive spatial framework. That is what 12N Urban Matters developed for the municipality of Zeist and Utrechtse Heuvelrug. Not a blueprint or a beautiful model, but a plan that entices owners and users to engage in new qualitative developments. With clear guidelines. Various technical measures concerning traffic are at an advanced stage of decision-making. The status of the train station, a large P + R parking, a new bus station and a grade-separated junction are the starting points. Further, there are concrete initiatives from local owners, including the establishment of a new Triodos office on the Reehorst estate.

The aim is to enable the immediate vicinity of the station to hitch a ride on the traffic developments. The area is expected to undergo enormous development during the following ten years.

In the beginning, 12N made a plan of action aimed at working on a seductive common vision of the future together with the owners, users and interest groups in the area. Innovative and sustainable space usage is the core objective in the ambitions of the “pearl on the Stichtse Lustwarande”. Following, the rules of the game are made along while the game is already being played. In other words, private initiatives are already in full swing during the development of this area vision. Without established frameworks, but with good coordination between the parties involved in the area and the authorities (two municipalities and the province).

The result is the area vision that guides the municipalities of Zeist and Utrechtse Heuvelrug, the INFRA project organization of the station, and other area parties (entrepreneurs, residents and users). Here, among other things, target objectives are sketched out and organic urban planning is described for the coming decades.

A concrete example of elaboration of the area vision is the Driebergen-Zeist parking garage. 12N has visualized the first phase of the process: assignment, program and a spatial study. A concise spatial analysis was performed (water, landscape, buildings, route, ecological structures).

Commissioned by: municipalities of Zeist and Utrechtse Heuvelrug
In collaboration with: Verhoeven|De Ruijter
Period: from August 2011

Creative district, Dordrecht

Voorstraat Noord Dordrecht_Creating a street full of culture

What are the measures used to create the right climate for creative, dynamic initiatives in the monumental Voorstraat Noord in Dordrecht? 12N inventoried the possibilities for creating more vitality out of the 130 monuments in the street and the buildings in between, as well as from public space, by shifting emphasis.

The inventory resulted in advising both to the Department of Economic Affairs and the Department of Cultural Affairs. The reason for using 12N was its experience in optimizing the relationship between culture and the city. In the narrow street, the organizational and programmatic recommendations turned out to be more likely to create change than the spatial design issues. Ideas for future models were sketched with imagination by collages.

Commissioned by: municipality of Dordrecht
Period: November 2005 – March 2006

Cultural area, Eindhoven

Viktoriakwartier_Programmatic vision and planning cultural creative neighborhood in Eindhoven

How is a neighborhood made to grow organically? What should and shouldn’t be done? 12N Urban Matters developed a toolkit and framework with which users, housing corporation and municipality could move ahead.

The client’s wish was for an inventory of programmatic and organizational aspects for the development of Viktoriakwartier in Eindhoven, to become the setting for a dynamic, creative-cultural neighborhood. Viktoriakwartier is a planned, top-down building- and redevelopment project in which living, cultural recreation and creative outreach come together in an intimate wijkje or mini-community; situated in the historic centre where old and new combine and the city eases out of the shopping spree towards an alternative, creative promenade scene.

To achieve a properly-balanced concept development, planning and implementation, the developing party, Woonbedrijf, with the support of the City of Eindhoven, assigned 12N as responsible for the project’s programme. 12N summarized the functions in Viktoriakwartier that could be merged and the necessary requirements to do so. 12N drew up the overall programme specifications, performed group studies and defined the various price levels for renting residential, shop, workshop- and office space. Methods introduced by 12N included excursions, networking days, workshop days, conceptual brainstorms and events which also welcomed outside expertise and cultural entrepreneurs as knowledge sources and creative motors.

12N also offered suggestions touching on the subject of identity, dealing with existing and historical urban elements, recruitment and selection of residents/users, contact with stakeholders, communication strategy and organizational structure. The process included interim presentations and products that adhered to the ‘style’ of the project – public sessions organized along with on-the-spot interviews, virtual 3D animation, DJ’s, VJ’s, live music and a 14 x 14 meter plan that enabled visitors to literally take home a piece of the neighborhood.

A very intense cooperation was achieved with Mathijs Bouw of One Architecture, who worked on the spatial parameters. 12N was in charge of the programmatic directives. The development of Viktoriakwartier has ground to a halt, mainly due to a change in priorities within the building plan.
Note: after thirteen years of waiting the redevelopment got new energy with several new partners in 2020. Realisation to be started in 2022.

Download the result here.

Commissioned by: woningbouwcorporatie Woonbedrijf
In collaboration with: One Architecture
Period: 2005 – 2007