Heritage landscape as a dynamic system that bridges the past and the future, on the one hand tells the history of an area and contributes to the identity of local people, and on the other hand need to meet the contemporary demand and deal with future challenges. In that case, apart from traditional strategy of isolating cultural heritages from urbanisation for protection, is there a new perspective to view heritage landscapes and a new approach to tackle them?

Hof te Dieren is an estate located in Gelderland province. With rich cultural-historical value lying in the land not fully recognised by people, it is simultaneously facing a series of challenges that are common in other Gelderland estates. This thesis studies Hof te Dieren as a case and uses palimpsest as an approach to read the historical traces in the site and to design new development.

The graduation studio of Heritage and Architecture evolves around the revitalisation of the Hembrug area, which is located between Amsterdam and Zaanstad along the North Sea Canal. The site functioned as military production stores, testing site and as the logistical heart of the “Stelling van Amsterdam”, the defense line of Amsterdam. This former military industrial site comprises of several different building ensembles, which include fifty monuments, historical green and water structures and remains of the former infrastructural system. The set-up of the military site followed a functional approach which, in combination with the former exclusive functions, led to a closed-off, inwards oriented character. Nowadays Hembrug is located in an industrial, excluded area. But the city of Amsterdam is expanding rapidly, growing towards Zaanstad and the industrial areas around Hembrug will be transformed into residential areas. Hembrug will also be connected to the public transport by the metro network. Within this project the aim for Hembrug is to transform the site into a vivid part of the developing Amsterdam-Zaanstad metropolis. The area should not only provide amenities and diverse qualities to the individual area, but also to the upcoming residential neighborhoods that will surround Hembrug. The new design for the Plots in the woods aims to connect people and nature through food and thereby strengthen the relationship between food consumers and producers. Functioning as a platform for urban farming, by means of providing space for food production, education/ innovation and social interactions. To accomplish this the plots in the woods will house the following functions: a food market containing a greenhouse along the south façade with innovative techniques for food production which are accessible through workshops combined with a food market with all kinds of food and market stands; office space ranging from permanent offices to public workspaces with reservable meeting rooms and other needed facilities to study or work; diverse food joints ranging from a small coffeebar to a luxurious restaurant using the local products; an education center which will be used to give workshops, exhibitions and lectures about possibilities to grow your own food within the city and an event hall which will function as a flexible, big open space for all the functions on site. The landscape was just as important for the functioning of the factory as the buildings. Therefor in the new design the earlier mentioned functions are not strictly binded to the interior spaces but will also flow towards the open spaces. There will be a vegetable garden, public square and flexible furniture which can be used in multiple ways.

This graduation project and the main topic that will be addressed derives from the context of the Hembrug terrain, in which the studio ‘Revitalising Heritage’ is placed. The problem statement, based on the initial site analysis, illustrated that the green and historical character of the Hembrug terrain may disappear due to the new proposed developments. These plans for extra housing and working spaces are pushing the greenery further outside of the city centres and putting
pressure on the ecological quality of the area. This led to the research question that will be explored in this project. ‘How can the re-design of the heritage site of Hembrug facilitate ecological growth and increase biodiversity while contributing to the public awareness on the importance of preserving nature?’ The combination of natural preservation and architectural design is a field that has been developing lately under the term ‘urban ecology’. This research field ventures beyond the traditional approach towards ecology and introduces the city as an ecosystem of its own. The theme of urban ecology is strongly represented in the program envisioned for the area of Hembrug, but also in the design approach for the area itself. The landscape and architectural design should reflect this combination of nature with the existing built fabric and can be viewed as an experiment to test the principles of urban ecological design.

In this thesis, it describes that spirit is the regenerative power in heritage design, and explained how it was inherited from past and still remain alive nowadays. A certain kind of method will be approached to help with the research on this topic. Since heritage design is the re-design based on the existing building, historical research places an important role during the architectural research. It shows the memory of the site. However, besides historical value and age value, other values such as use value, newness value and rarity value should also be considered in the value assessment, which makes decisions between demolishing, reserving or redesigning more convincing. Furthermore, the value assessment encourages architects reflect on history and find strategies for new design fit for the nowadays and look to the future. The value assessment can help find out the spirit of the heritage and the spirits of the can help to bring building into new life.