Interwoven realities as catalyst for integration

Abstract

The project takes place in the Anna van Buerenplein, The Hague, Netherlands and focuses on the development of a public campus high rise. The proposal explores the transformation of the dense central station area of The Hague, through developing connections between existing infrastructures and the new campus building. The ground floor of the site will become the “plinth” of the campus, and the campus will be open to the city. This gesture will foster the development of the area as the educational core of the CID of The Hague. The new design will become part of this new urban constellation. Knowledge is meant to be discovered and explored by the visitors of the campus, and the city is meant to be part of the student experience.
The first levels of the campus reach out to the existing layers of the city. The key concept is to create shared spaces with Leiden University building, the National Archive and part of the Library. The second cluster houses the studio spaces, the classrooms and other educational facilities. The design features a meandering track through the learning and research spaces. The journey around the cluster allows learning on display. The top cluster is an autonomous office space. Densification equals stacking. The goal is to investigate whether we can create publicly accessible upper floors.
Overall the building is approached as an urban system of interwoven public and collective spaces. In between the squares on the upper levels, the meandering circulation promenade and the prosthetic connecting elements, the program can be adjusted or changed. That system can be applied to different contexts.
The project strategy was shaped by the findings stemming from the contextual investigation, which brought forward the potential the site area has to offer. Through the method of research-by-design, the project proposes an approach to densification by engaging with porosity, permeability, and connectivity.