HAND_MADE

Abstract

In the future, cities will face many challenges. We need to densify our cities while at the same time preserve qualities and identities on different scales. One of these identities is that of craftsmanship and the rich industrial history of Amsterdam.
The separation between living and working is outdated, especially for the growing part of the population that sees the benefit of working in their own business or as a freelancer. But the existing housing stock and urban planning do not reflect this need yet on a large scale. New types of housing that combine living and working should be developed to answer to this need. This approach is called live-work design, or zero-commute housing, and if done correctly it has many benefits for the people, as well as the city and the economy.

The Zeeburgerpad is a site that is centrally located on the east of the old Amsterdam Stronghold ring, but has been neglected since it’s rich industrial history of small scale crafts business became obsolete after the Second World War.
At the same time, craftsmanship is rapidly disappearing from our city-life and culture. Especially the production crafts that need large spaces and are therefore being pushed out to the perimeter of the city under the influence of rising prices of housing and workspaces. This is not only an issue for the people involved but also for the city as a whole, which needs diversity and small-scale businesses in order to remain healthy. Also, we need prevent the destruction of knowledge and cultural heritage that will irreversible if we don’t start integrating solutions for this in our urban fabric.

In this master thesis I developed a proposal that re-introduces the small crafts business to the Zeeburgerpad in the more traditional way of living where you work. This proposal includes the collective use of a large woodworking workshop and its big machinery, dwellings that can be used in a flexible way according to the needs of the type of business and household composition, and shops and services on the ground floor. This strategy of combining collective use, collaboration, learning and shopping can bring the value of craftsmanship in our cities to attention, be a boost to the re-valuation of craftsmanship in our culture, and give craftsmen the opportunity to stay in the city center of Amsterdam.