 |
| map of Blau made in 1649 |
The area used to be a bastion of the defense works of Leiden. In the end of the 19th century it was reconstructed into an english parkstyle. Nowadays it's a popular parkingplace for innercity shoppers. It has more or less a parasythical character as it doesn't bring any quality itself and lifes of this popularity of the innercity. Demand for parking is much bigger than currently is provided.
 |
| present situation Lammermarkt with the popular museum mill The Falcon |
The goal of the competition is to design a parking garage for about 400-800 parking places and to make the area part of the surroundings. It should provide new quality to the area and even get cultural institutions or meaning.
 |
| Bastion 2.0. |
The design I envisioned is called Bastion 2.0. After the defensive Bastion 1.0 and park-like Bastion 1.1 a new 2.0 version with open source development will offer much freedom and possibilities. Why? Because it doens't give a blueprint but only answers the main question definetely. The parking garage is integrated in a new bastion providing a green look city outwards and a new panoramsquare above it. The city gates can house all kinds of leisure functions and can be built later. The 27 plug & play parcels can also be slowly developed buy selling them one by one to families who want to built their own canalhouse. This way the plan offers the city to grow slowly into the area with genuine functions and the character of Leiden.
 |
| Bastion 2.0. as a part of the innercity |
Logistically the 450 parkingplaces and tourists offer enough critical mass to run a water taxi service to the shoppingstreet in the innercity. A re-dug canal connecting to the center offers this practical use together with bringing quality to this then former traffic knot. Also new possibilities like boat hiring for going to the nearby Kager lakes or just Leiden her canals, and the new canalhouses with their own mooringplace wil make Leiden again a true Dutch water city!
 |
| Bastion 2.0. details |
The competition results were announced on 14 january 20:00 in the RAP-center in Leiden. Later they can be found on www.rapsite.nl
Check this project on the portfolio site of Buro Breidablik
Edwin Santhagens of the buro Sant en Co won the competition with a design based on a green entrance to the innercity. Another desing called 'Puntgaaf' ('Outstanding Point')is, like Bastion 2.0, based on restoring the old bastion in a modern way. More info at on www.santenco.nl or www.rapsite.nl
ReplyDelete