Escaping to the North
Z.A.A.P. Hemel (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
H.J. Bultstra – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
A.M.F. van Dam – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
Since 1959, the province of Groningen has been colored by its gas field. The extraction of gas was initially a welcomed source of income for the Dutch government. However, the extraction was not an stand-alone procedure: earthquakes appeared as a consequence. They left both physical damage to the built environment, and mental damage to its citizens. In 2024 the gas extraction stopped and the Dutch Government initiated the Nij Begun Project to revitalize the province.
The Public Building Studio builds on this by investigating what the role of architecture could be in socially and economically regenerating the province. The studio will depart from the perspective of sustainable tourism as a way to favor cultural identification, social cohesion and opportunities for employment. Not only will the studio explore different forms of hospitality, but also how tourism can lead to new public facilities that fit the needs of the local community. The main research question of the studio will be: ‘How can public buildings, through typological innovation and programmatic experimentation, affect the everyday life of the local communities by promoting social cohesion and participation?’ The Studio provided the assignment to design an activity hub of 2000-2500 m2 in the village of Winsum to investigate the question.
This graduation project proposes that the feature of Groningen as being isolated and far away can be used as its main re-branding, and can become a magnet for a new type of tourists: escape tourists. Attracting tourists will not only have economical advantages for Groningen’s local community, as both locals and escape tourists also share a common theme: a need to focus on well-being. By integrating space and program through the concepts of hybridity and multiplicity, this graduation project will make a design that benefits both groups and adds to the Nij Begun goals. It will do so by investigating the role of architecture in designing for well-being through neuro-architectural design strategies. The final design will fit the context and serve its goal as attractive activity hub that promotes social cohesion and participation.