ARthouse Sloterdijk

Abstract

In light of the huge growth in population and tourism that Amsterdam will encounter in the future, the city might have to work towards a polycentral urban setup in which multiple city centers can contribute to the (social-, cultural-, economic-) wellbeing of the overall city. In this project we find that the likelihood of Sloterdijk, a place known for its transit node Sloterdijk Station and the nearby A10 ringroad-highway, becoming one of these poli-centers is high. But the A10 ringroad as a connecting factor between multiple new poli-centers will get a new meaning as well. The Western part of the ringroad will likely expand towards the A5, A9, A1 highway to reduce heavy transit within the city of Amsterdam. Could we in this case create a more approachable A10 highway, and what would that need? Looking at presidents of great European ringroads, like the Ringstrasse in Vienna, Boulevard de Marechaux in Paris, Boulevard Ring in Moscow but also the Binnenring of Amsterdam, we find that these places are full of green, approachable for pedestrians and cyclists, and with a great variety of cultural destination. In Amsterdam most of the cultural amenities are clustered within the old inner city. This results in a great pressure on the inner-city with overcrowding as a result. Sloterdijk has a few Cultural amenities on its own near the Sloterdijk station but these will have to relocate due to the envisioned future densification. Because of the need for cultural destinations at a renewed A10 ringroad, the solution became the clustering of these cultural amenities and the formalization of a multifunctional theater; a place for music, drama, pop-podia, movies and other means of performing art. Due to the fact that the project is based in the context of Amsterdam 2050, another question arose; what will the future of theater look like? Currently we can see the birth of new digital technologies that combine digital art with reality; Augmented Reality. Eventually these technologies could mean the addition of another production unit within the theater production team that we know. Digital attributes will become part of the story and the spectacle on the podium. This puts the AR in the ARthouse.