Same emotion, Different church
Revitalizing the vacant Grote- of Mariakerk towards a new purpose that honours the existing Sense of Place while paving the way for new emotional bonds to be formed
L.N. Steevensz (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
C. Visser – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / AE+T)
A.S.C. Meijer – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / AE+T)
W. J. Quist – Mentor (TU Delft - Heritage & Architecture)
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Abstract
More and more churches are closing, facing vacancy, or even being demolished at an alarming rate, as a result of the declining amount of ecclesiastical in the Netherlands. While many churches are being repurposed, this isn’t always easy, as repurposing is an extremely emotional process for the local community. The locals hope to maintain their Sense of Place towards the church buildings and when this is endangered, they go as far as placing restrictions on business dealings. One of these churches is the Grote- of Mariakerk in Meppel. Instead of the local’s Sense of Place being a roadblock, this paper aims to find a way of working with their emotional bond. By measuring the residents of Meppel’s Sense of Place towards the church, and defining the limits to which the form and function of the building can be changed, without diminishing or damaging the local’s Sense of Place. By doing so, hopefully finding a way of repurposing the Grote- of Mariakerk with their Sense of Place instead of against it.