Re-creatie in Rotterdam

Abstract

Graduation project for the service of Sport and Recreation Rotterdam. Industrial Design Engineering Master Integrated Product Design. The research is based on the following defi nition of sustainability: Able to continue existing because of attributed value and adaptation to the energetic, material, ecological and social context. The research on the four contexts and values of Feijenoord has revealed these possibilities for sustainable recreation: • The energetic context offers wind, biomass, sun and tide as local energy sources. Effluents of the adjacent factory of Unilever can be converted into energy. Existing technology can be used to turn biological waste and CO2 into food. • The material context is being developed into the central recreation cluster of Feijenoord. The abandoned harbour allows for recreational use of water as an extension of public space. There are local waste materials that can be used in the design. • In the ecological context, water- and songbirds can benefit from a recreational facility that stimulates biodiversity. The north end of the harbour is suitable for an ecological shore. • The social context has the main opportunity that inhabitants are willing to invest in their surroundings. A park that is maintained with help of the community shows that people are committed as long as nothing is obligated. • The prevailing values in Feijenoord are conservative, seeking enjoyment and following tradition. A modern group of inhabitants is being attracted to Feijenoord, and they like challenge, experience, and self-realisation. The use value of the design has the highest priority but it should also have experience and narrative value. The context analysis led to the vision of sustainability as a natural phenomenon of prosperity; I want people to experience the retention and enjoyment of nature by adding value to the surroundings trough rest, re-creation and togetherness 2.0. From this vision, four recreational functions of the facility have been deduced: • a communal living room • a self-suffi cing food garden • a co-workshop • Fort Feijenoord These functions have been elaborated in five concepts. The chosen product is a fitness fountain which uses human power to purify or aerate water. It offers the possibility to add value to the environment trough an enjoyable activity. The product is designed to have a minimal environmental impact in production and disposal, and an eco-effective impact during use. A playground based on fitness fountains is a gift to its surroundings, in Feijenoord and other parks.