Place-identity of the Holland Coast

Abstract

The Dutch coast is facing many changes shortly to keep up with the increase in tourism, wind farms, housing, and sea-level rise. To preserve the coastal place-identity under these changes, it is important to research what elements constitute the place-identity of the Holland Coast. Place-Identity, in this paper, is defned as a combination of landscape features, build features and the space these feature result in. The history of the landscape is described. The history of coastal settlements is explored along defning moments that impact how these places look today and the type of buildings that came to be. Through
analysis of historic and present-day photos, the architectural identity is formulated, based on three themes. Firstly, the positioning in the landscape, secondly an elaboration on the transition between inside and outside, and thirdly a focus on materials that come from nature, like wood and brick, materials that show natural forces, like textiles, and bright colours and reflect the abundance of sunlight associated with the coast. This theory is validated by seeing these elements protected by the aesthetics regulations (Welstands normen) of several municipalities.