Central Spaces // Public places: Redesign of the Koudenhorn police building into a public library and city dwellings

The Koudenhorn police building is located in the historic inner city of Haarlem. It sits on the western bank of the Spaarne river, along which runs one of the main traffic arteries of the city. To the north the plot is defined by the wide canal of the Nieuwe Gracht. The narrow Zakstraat runs along the southern side. Due to its current function,...

Publicizing Vacant Heritage: Combining public accessible use with elderly housing in the Koudenhorn in Haarlem to stimulate social interaction

The need for housing is still a relevant problem in the Netherlands, part of this problem is assigned to elderly while they often stay in their current housing situation for a long time and only move when they are in need for housing with additional health care. However, the actual problem, which is also visible in the city of Haarlem is that...

The Nature-Inclusive Redesign: The possibilities of nature-inclusive redesign in Dutch urban monumental buildings

In the last century, biodiversity has come under increasing pressure, and this is also the case in the urban context. The preservation of biodiversity is an important issue. Research shows that part of this biodiversity is largely dependent on the buildings and vegetation in the city and to help this biodiversity we need to build as nature...