The project Open House, ‘gleans’ a derelict and underutilised part of the riverfront in Maastricht and gives it over to the everyday people of the city in the form of a public building - an Arts Centre for Maastricht. The ambition for the project is to create an architecture that will mesh seamlessly with the public realm, breaking down the conventional barriers between public and private.

Typically, the establishment of artists studios in existing building stock is the initial trigger of the process of gentrification, but this project tries to resist this cycle of gentrification by giving artists a permanent place to reside in the city, specifically designed for their needs. The idea is to connect artists with the public, forming a mutually beneficial relationship.

The aim is to create a porous building that activates the outdoor public spaces surrounding it and feels open and accessible to all, hence the name Open House – by definition, a “place or situation in which all visitors are welcome”.

This design agenda is a response to contemporary issues of spatial inequity, privatisation of space, and commodification of space, which were uncovered through continued research into the themes of Spatial Justice, Gentrification and Authenticity.