PROJECT OVERVIEW The current site for the de Ceuvel development is in a sparsely developed portion of Amsterdam North that was formerly dedicated to industrial activities. The plot of land is now empty, save for a sparse collection of young trees and grasses. A soil report for the site reveals high levels of copper, heavy metals, and other pollutants leſt behind by past industrial operations. Surrounding the site are mostly low buildings with a mix of commercial activities (e.g., auto repair) and some residences. There is very little traffic at night. Amsterdam North is a rapidly developing area because of its comparatively low real estate prices, empty tracts of land, and relative accessibility to the city center. There are free ferries that cross the river IJ, taking 5 - 15 minutes to bring passengers between the north and the south sides of the city. North has become a hub of activity for the creative sector, with a number of social and artistic initiatives taking root there among the low-income housing and light industrial activities. The de Ceuvel site follows this pattern: it will be developed as a “Broedplaats,” under a 10-year land lease with the express goal of “placemaking.” Placemaking is a form of urban upgrading where cultural activities are used to generate traffic and boost the social profile and real estate value of urban areas. A “Broedplaats” or “breeding ground,” is a special category of urban development in Amsterdam. These types of developments receive subsidy funding from the city government and in exchange provide very low rent offices and studios to registered “creatives.” Much of the funding for the de Ceuvel project is coming directly from the Broedplaats subsidy, which amounts to a total of 250.000 €. Additional subsidy money or low interest bank loans may also be secured, but at the moment only this base amount of funding forms the project budget. REGENERATIVE APPROACH The proposed development for de Ceuvel is uniquely regenerative, leaving behind cleaner soils and water, producing rather than consuming resources, and enhancing existing community structure and economic activity. All buildings on the site will be placed temporarily on the surface without significant foundations. The houseboats which will make up the bulk of the built elements on the site are all existing structures rather than new buildings. Aſter the planned ten years of occupancy, the houseboats can be floated to a new location for another round of regeneration, leaving the de Ceuvel site cleaner and mostly unscarred by construction. To gather useful data about the effects of this plan on local ecosystem quality, we are also recommending that a community biodiversity monitoring program be established to track sitings of various species. The results of this monitoring program will be displayed in a common area on the site. Alongside this information will be live feeds from sensors placed throughout the area documenting the performance of the buildings and systems onsite (energy generation and use, water collection, waste production, etc.). This community tracking system will allow for users to adjust their resource consumption behavior and for visitors to see how the installations are performing in real-time. DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Because the current total budget of the project is relatively small for the magnitude and ambition of the plan, the development process needs to adapt to changing conditions. Most of the approaches suggested in this report focus on do-it-yourself (DIY) installations. Materials will be purchased as inexpensively as possible or sourced from waste streams. They will be acquired in unassembled form, which will also require a high input of labor from the development team. The proposed technological plan unfolds over three phases, which are briefly described in on the next page and in more detail in the “deployment strategy” section that follows. Broadly speaking, the first phase involves basic repairs and upgrades to the boats at an offsite location. The second phase involves placing the boats on-site and continuing with interior boat upgrades. In the second phase, communal infrastructure such as walkways, gardens, and waste processing will also be installed. The third phase will include adding solar electricity generation, floating ecological platforms, and continued technological upgrades. Completing the reconstruction of the boats off-site extends the total lease period of the land (which officially begins as soon as the boats are placed onsite), and avoids the need for acquiring additional permits. The boat reconstruction will be overseen by a foreman experienced in houseboat renovation. Teams from both space&matter and Metabolic Lab will also be involved throughout the construction process to find materials, adjust designs, and help with the physical execution of the project. An overall goal is to document the construction process on video and host DIY workshops during the retrofitting to give outside groups an opportunity to learn more about eco-retrofitting techniques. Pagina 32
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