Architectural portfolio

super-/subterranean#17

Master’s thesis project. Committee: dr.ir. Jos Bosman, dr.ir. Michiel Dehaene, ir. Sjef van Hoof.

For a first time visitor Zurich comes across as an idyllic city with a rich history. The old city appears to have survived the ages remarkably well, turning into a great tourist attraction. At the same time, Zurich has changed into a modern city which is very much part of the contemporary economy’s global network. Zurich’s position in this network, especially its leading role in the world’s monetary industry, has created an ever-increasing demand for space. With the historic center protected by strict zoning laws, an upwards expansion (i.e. high rise) simply was out of the question. Instead, the city has grown downward: At certain places there are as many floors to be found in subterranean expansions as there are visible to the exterior gaze. Contemporary life takes place in this interior world.

The idea of Zurich - its historic center to be more specific - as a modern city within a classic appearance has been the starting point for this project. Interior and exterior share their genesis but have developed virtually independent over the last decades. The exterior is all about history, focus on a harmonious image of the city and could not be more contextual. Paradoxically, the contextual restrictions the exterior suffers from mean the ultimate liberation for the interior as neither expression, nor perimeter limits it in any way. Its forming principles have to come from within rather than from without.

To explore these perspectives with the design for a museum extension was prompted by a competition for Zurich’s Kunsthaus. Historically, the museum has been characterized by a representative exterior and a neutral interior focused on displaying art. The museum creates a pedestal for the art because art wants to be seen, it craves publicity. At the same time, the museum functions as a shield, protecting art by giving it a scene. The museum therefore has to deal with the ambiguity between inside and outside.

The existing master plan proposes an envelope in line with other large buildings along the Rämistrasse, the former baroque fortification. It fails to comply with other morphologic structures, such as the 40 meter high slope dotted with mansions and gardens, and would effectively block the line of sight from the Heimplatz over the open Turnplatz towards the Kantonsschule.

Typically for Zurich, the envelope would only accommodate half the needed volume and thus require a same-sized underground part. These considerations have led me to disregard the master plan and instead propose a genuinly extending extension to the Kunsthaus rather than two loosely connected entities.

Exploring context and interior autonomy in an extension to Zurich’s Kunsthaus

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #17 super-/subterranean

The punctuation mark “/” in this project’s title refers to the mathematical use of the separatrix describing the mark of division in fractions. Its analogy in architecture proves to be fruitful, as it simultaneously functions as a mark of connection: It joins numerator and denominator into the unity of the fraction. This concept connects outside and inside with a simple diagrammatic model:- Structure / orientation defines the location of walls.- Height of walls defines the shape of the roof / square.

1: A labyrinthine, subterranean extension of concrete walls will grow out of the existing building towards the Kantonschule. Two of these walls define a space; secundary walls of opaque glass create rooms while maintaining the idea of a possibly infinite labyrinth. Spaces will be superterranean only if absolutely necessary. To accommodate this, some of the concrete walls extend until they reach sufficient heigth. According to the form defining rules these walls are impenetrable, so new elements are needed to create continuous spaces in these towering structures: Steel walls slide in, perpendicular to the extended walls transforming them into portals. These open up pochés for spaces that are outside the labyrinth but within its set of rules.

2: A new museum extension and a square surrounding it will be embedded within their urban context. The superterranean structures maintain the alley-like appearance on one side while continuing the line of freestanding objects on the other. The façades consist of several layers: A glass case reflecting adjacent buildings; behind that, a dark steel wall with almost ornamental lines and windows lit by the sky above. The square’s slopes offer paths, places to stay and vedute, but they also represent fault lines of a tension underneath.

Exploring the paradoxical possibilities of an

autonomous interior and a contextual exterior

with a single set of rules, a common language.


The roof covering the subterranean spaces

is a square in its urban context as well.


The urban square also happens to be

the roof of an underground museum.


I N W E N D I G E F O C U S V A N A D Ewaar ligt de focus van architectuur als vakgebied en binnen het onderwijs?

op welke manier dekt ons onderwijs het hedendaagse discours?

is integratie van vakgebieden een antwoord op actuele vraagstukken?

O N D E R L E I D I N G V A NBERNARD COLENBRANDER

C H R I S T I A N R A P P B A S M O L E N A A R

M I C H I E L D E H A E N E

RENZ VAN LUXEMBURGJ A C K E L H E N S T R A

J O S B O S M A NR A L P H B R O D R U C KJ A C O B V O O R T H U I S

D I V E R S I T E I T V A N D E U N I T

M O G E L I J K E S A M E N W E R K I N G E N

AANSLUITEND BORREL17.00-19.00WO.13 MEIP L A Z A

SYM POSI U M:

O N D E R W I J SEN

OVER

ARCHITECTUUR

Vloer eStudent platform for architecture.Over the years I have helped organize several activities, such as lectures, expositions and excursions. A small selection is displayed here.

2009 Symposium on Architecture and EducationChristian RappBas MolenaarJos BosmanRalph BrodrückJacob VoorthuisMichiel DehaeneJackel HenstraRenz van Luxemburg moderated by Bernard Colenbrander

2009 Symposium on Studio CultureJan WestraMichiel DehaeneBernard Colenbrandercritic Roemer van Toorn

Our manifesto “Voluntary Prisoners” was published in “architecture.ehv 08-09”,010 Publishers, ISBN 978 90 6450 716 8.

vloer e#15

2004+2007 BaMarathonInformation exposition for students choosing a master track.

2004+2007 ArchiPRILA competition for best third-year bachelor projects.

2006 Architecture-Space-Dance-MovementExposition: Photos by Roeland Fossen of movement theater group BEWTH.Lecture: Ben Zwaal, initiator of BEWTH.Excursion guided by Sietske Klooster, design movement specialist.

2006 Structuren en PatronenLecture serie.René van ZuukHerman HertzbergerJan PesmanRinus RoelofsLars Spuybroek

ATELIERCULTUUR

ROEMER VAN TOORN (GESPREKSLEIDER) JAN WESTRAMICHIEL DEHAENE BERNARD COLENBRANDERDO. 22 OKTOBER WERKPLAATS 17.00-19.00 UUR

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #15 vloer e

par arch#14

To support our theoretical research in the topic of informal architecture, a number of architectural parasites have been designed for a designated area in Eindhoven.

The watch-towerThe watch-tower is primarily a striking element to raise curiosity for its location. The tower’s view also makes its neighbors very aware of the orientation of their own houses: Private areas, such as the bedrooms, located at the court have suddenly lost their privacy and usefulness.

CattleThere is no ‘hidden’ see-or-be-seen game in this proposal. The courts are green right now, so why is there no cattle? Adding all the locations in the entire city together, they are well capable of supporting several flocks of sheep. An authentic shepherd’s house acknowledges the presence of the sheep.

The Dutch Renaissance façadeThis proposal is parasitical to people’s memories and expectations: Most people associate Dutch Renaissance façades found in many cities with the coziness and small scale of the center’s restaurants, cafés and shops. Developers of housing projects and shopping malls use this to the full. Tourists and other shoppers will get the square they were hoping for and these façades turn backs into fronts at the same time.

Fence at FensAt this site, location Fens in Eindhoven, we can find a meeting of two different scales: The large, commercial center and the smaller, disorderly scale of the Bergen area. A screen mirrors the larger scale; behind it other screens can create spaces (between to screens) connected to the smaller scale. In executing this plan we would like to make a precedent by creating a part of the screens and partially taking over the parking lot. After our example citizens can create and use spaces like stages and stands themselves by adding screens.

(Like) Being a parasiteThe biological parasite is continuously trying to become one with its host; for its survival it is absolutely necessary to understand its host’s processes. To understand the processes of the architectural host – the city – this design proposes a system of subterranean passages under existing houses. This investigation becomes an archaeology of the existing city. The passages give entry to the modern foundations like excavations show us the foundations of ancient times. In a sense, this is a flash forward to a ruined city that could be found in centuries from now. This experience is very direct though, since the inhabitants are still alive and present. Their footsteps can be heard in the passages and so can toilets being flushed be noticed. The life of the parasite can be lived right here.

Master’s case study with Jouri Kanters and Merel Pit.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #14 parasitic architecture

One of the interesting features of parasitic architecture is its ability to disappear in its context. In order to survive it is absolutely necessary for a parasitic organism to remain undetected by its host while living off the overcapacity of its vital systems. At the same time it must remain distinct from its host to guarantee its autonomy and to continue to take advantage of its host’s hospitality.

This proposal is an investigation in the possibilities of camouflage in architecture. It is a strategy to use areas that are currently useless, to give meaning to places that are currently meaningless. As a case study this has been elaborated for one of the intersections of the Hoogstraat in the research area. Regulations rule out parking spaces directly at this intersection which causes the sidewalk system to have a massive overcapacity: At this location the sidewalk is nearly twice as wide as strictly necessary. This becomes the weak spot of the urban structure where the parasite can enter the system and nestle.

Individual case study.

Par arch is about understanding the codes of

the city and using them to your own advantage.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #14 parasitic architecture

strijp-r poort#13

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #13 strijp-r poort

The landmark committee has ordered a fitting reuse of these monumental doors after Philips’s company garage has been demolished. With their 19 meter span, they were the largest electrically operated overhead doors in the world at the time of their production. This proposal will transform them into an impressive entrance for the housing district replacing the garage and other production facilities.

The doors receive their structural integrity from a combination of omega channels and outer steel sheets welded together. One of the three doors has been placed in upright position by inserting vertical I-beams into those channels and subsequently filling the channel with concrete. Necessary cuts in the doors reveal squares of concrete, thus becoming ornaments of a newly added history in the sculptural gate.

Competition entry.

The original omega channels will be cut at strategic locations. Small plates welded inside and a bekisting close off the operating area. Then, the door will be slided over pre-installed supporting I-beams. To ensure structural integrity, the channels and the beams are filled with concrete. These ingrepen will leave a small mark on the new gate.

The once world’s largest overhead doors will

be transformed into a monumental new gate.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #13 strijp-r poort

park creatures#12

Analysis of the park’s history has shown us the changes in use over the years. Originally, this landmark park was intended as a place of ostentation for the city’s well offs. The paths were used for leisurely strolls and carriage rides while enjoying the romantic scenery. By the late 1960s Amsterdam’s “anything goes” mentality had influenced both visitors and functioning of the park: The lawns had now become Joe Average’s favorite spot for his picnic, sunbath, game of football, etc. In recent decades, the paths regained some of their importance with the increasing number of joggers, skaters and cyclists.

The park’s furniture, however, still remains in its original orientation: All street lights and trash bins are located along the paths as well as the benches which look at the landscaped elements of the park. This means that neither the paths nor the green “islands” function to their fullest. The proposed objects combine the required furniture into condensed park creatures. These will populate the park at spots where islands and paths meet; different designs have different sorts of transitions as a result.

One of the possibilities has been designed more elaborately. A rebar structure serves as a base for a wooden sheathing. Like a blanket creating a place for a picnic, this deck opens up all kinds of use without dictating any one of them. The creature’s inside is inhabited by vegetation or hollowed out to house kiosks and bathrooms.

Competition Vondelpark Repetitief Meubilair, with Florian de Visser and Gert Kwekkeboom.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #12 park creatures

These park creatures will colonize

Amsterdam’s Wild Oasis.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #12 park creatures

arrogance#11 Jury report: “A good design...very arrogant.”

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #11 arrogance

The layer of arrogance around someone or something truly has cloud-like qualities: it is undeniably present, but proves to be hard to grasp. It is virtually impossible to pinpoint the exact acts of arrogance. Where do pretences replace accepted self-confidence? There is no objective boundary between the two.

Bathing - the function of the structure - is the core of the design. It is the metaphorical high self-esteem that makes the base of arrogance. This is a place to nurse, nurture and cherish the ego, because one equipped with a high self-esteem is what makes us feel on top of the world when things go well and acts as a cushion to land on when luck lets us down. So, by literally indulging in arrogance, we can sustain our self-esteem.

Scattered fragments of glass form a protective shield against judgmental and condemning eyes, like arrogance shields the vulnerable ego against criticism. These smooth shells cantilevering towards the center, protecting and secluding the bather, are held in place only because they are embedded in their massive base. Their aggressive, shark teeth-like shapes hide a secret though: Microscopically small material imperfections make them a lot more vulnerable than would be expected by their appearance.

Steam caused by taking a bath fills the cavities between the glass shells wrapping up the person inside. Layer upon layer of translucent glass and steam progressively hide the ego from view. This is exactly what arrogance does: It hides its center by wrapping it with a cloud of both subtle and clear-cut pretences. The cloud - the essential quality of arrogance – veils the transition between inside and outside, ego and others, between the tangible and the virtual.

Competition Tectonics - making meaning: second round entry.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #11 arrogance

internship#10

Kempner Residence

Spring Close Residence

During this six-month internship I have worked on several projects.

New York Buddhist Church The current building of the Church is in need of renovation. This can be combined with an expansion of the main entrance and an additional floor for the office and meeting rooms. A distinct element in the entrance will be the statue of Shinran Shonin, which survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. A glass façade with metal shutters encloses this space while guaranteeing the visibility of the statue from the street.

Kempner Residence Several earlier modifications have obscured a clear entrance to the building. A new office space, work out area and a small library combined in a single gesture embraces one side of the house. The glass end side will replace the current entrance.

Spring Close Pool House For years two concrete walls and a steel frame have been standing along the pool of this East Hampton country house. Now, it will be transformed in a pool house with a changing room, space for occasional overnight guests and two fire places doubling as barbecues. As this was to be a DIY project, simple joints have been designed for a timber frame offering ample margins during construction.

Evaluation This internship has taught me a number of things disregarded by our education as architects. First of all is the precious relation with clients. In a presentation at City College New York, Phillip Smith gave an overview of returning clients since the initiation of the office. The relation with people building the projects is equally important. Their influence is much more significant than assumed during our training. Concluding this period, I have learned the importance of a flexibility during the design. Rarely will a designe be executed as originally intended; construction is as much part of design as concept. Many questions will arise after the conception of a building. Their answers create real buildings, more beautiful and interesting than imaginable.

Smith and Thompson ArchitectsNew York City2006-2007

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #10 internship

New York Buddhist Church

Spring Close Pool House

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #10 internship

reclaimingspace#09

Aiming and claiming space to keep

the dry river bed open and public.

This project zooms in on Orangi Nallah, a small seasonal river in Karachi, Pakistan doubling as an open sewer. An NGO is planning to cover it, but what will happen to this newly available space? In this expanding metropolis every unclaimed open space will immediately become encroached upon. This will lead to more low quality housing, but also ends this area’s function as a peaceful space in hectic urbanity.

Developing the river bed into a park-like open space would be most desirable, but no government or private investor is financially capable of doing this. Our strategy is to involve people living near the Nallah in the process. They do not have a lot of money, but are willing to invest whatever they have in this project since it will increase property value.

Depending on the situation they can form alliances to create spaces they are looking for. For instance, residents of one block of houses can team up to create a communal garden. Schools and mosques are able to collect larger amounts of money and can, as a result, construct parks and yards. It will even be possible to rent out plots to individuals for urban agriculture and farming. People responsible for such a space – either by owning or using it – will also take care of it and prevent encroaching. Architecture in this project has to do with creating territories for groups of users or individuals. How will the appearance of urban space influence their view of it?

There is no definitive design, but rather a matrix of possibilities: organizations of space, elements that will create territories and designs for the riverbank (determining who can enter the former river bed and what kind of relations there will be between bed and bank). After careful analyses of specific site and desires and possibilities of the residents, this matrix of generic tools can be applied in the entire seven kilometer stretch of river to generate a specific design.

Master’s project with Jaap Witte.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #09 reclaiming space

bridge

supervision

garden

objects in open space

slope plateau large stair

small stair

public building

quay

renting out plots

reclaimTo bring to or retum to a suitable conditionfor use, as cultivation or habitation.

claimTo demand, ask for, or take as one’sown or one’s due.

aimTo direct toward or intend for a particulargoal or group.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #09 reclaiming space

phocas#07

Student rowing club Phocas is looking for a new facility. An open view towards the water is desired to see the rowing going on from within the building. At the same time, its distant location asks for a robust building.To achieve this reciprocity, four walls are introduced to make a triangular shape with its apex pierced into a levee.

The first, closed appearance of the building hidden behind the levee will gradually change into a view over the water from the bar: The funnel-shaped entrance leads to the dubble-height lobby connecting the lower floors housing activities directly related to the boats and the social spaces. From the outside, these social spaces can be distinguished by the slate roofs. The two hoods open themselves to the magnificient views of the boats, the water and the landscape.

Individual Master’s project.

Sharp and slender this boat house

opens up views towards the water.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #07 phocas

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #07 phocas

Europol has contradictory demands for its new headquarters: An extensive system of security measures and checks, but an open appearance to the public as well. The site itself raises questions about security, compiling the Yugoslavia Tribunal, the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and several embassies around a car-free central area.

The entrance of the building acts as a psychological barrier. It houses the security service and can be considered frightening for those unfamiliar with the building. This also sorts out visitors for different security levels: The public conference center, the restaurant and medical center and the protected work floors and data storages all work independently of each other.

Harmed most by this situation, however, are Europol’s employees. Due to all the checks, it might take them up to 45 minutes to get to their desks. They are unlikely to leave the building during work hours. To make their stay bearable, several gardens are introduced allowing them to ‘escape’ the building for lunch.

Bachelor’s multidisciplinary project with Sanne van den Eijnden, Pedro Hernández Garcia, Matteo Garbagnati, Merian Koekkoek, Bart van Moll, Bas Oerlemans.

a securityspin#06

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #06 a security spin

secured emergency routes

system of security checks

This spin solves Europol’s contradicting demands of security and

an open public appearance.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #06 a security spin

de dijk#05

This design for a sports club with five fields and facilities is an investigation on the effects of a relatively large-scale building in a valuable landscape. The landscape consists of age-old farmhouses, estates and impressive avenues accompanied by oak trees. The project is about subtly adding a new element without destroying the existing. A levee-like body is both a continuation of the open meadows and a statement of the changes that took place: it defines a territory.

The levee contains functions of a more closed nature (i.e. changing rooms, showers and storage areas), whereas rooms connected to the outside world peak out of this body. They make an historical reference to the farmhouses. These elements are connected by a hallway fluently cut from the artificial hill to create a canyon bringing about a sequence of sections experienced by its visitors.

Individual Bachelor’s project.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #05 de dijk

How to insert a large-scale building

into a valuable landscape?

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #05 de dijk

shiftingfrontier

#04

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #04 shifting frontier

The ‘Landschappelijke Driehoek’ is an undeveloped, rural area just outside of Breda. Wedged in between major arteries, this historic landscape is continuously confronted with the advancing urban frontier. Past considerations have left a multitude of uses and structures distinctly anti-urban: a monastery, nursery gardens, farmhouses, etc. Peripheral urban expansion combined with a favorable access for new suburbanites has caused a shift towards a more recreational use.

As a strategy, the opposition urban-rural has been intensified in a celebration of both.The closest encounter at the Loevesteinstraat - currently a terrain vague neither urban nor rural – will become a landscape boulevard as a strict mediator, a clear line between city and park-like landscape. Rather than gradually merging into each other, both areas can perform at their best without compromising.

Putting these two directly side by side will also facilitate connections and enhance the Driehoek’s potential for recreation. Existing avenues and paths reveal the area’s beauty, its “infinite” prospects and pristine estates to its visitors.

Bachelor’s project with Luuk Schreiber and Linda Vlemmings.

The opposition urban-rural has been intensified in a celebration of both.

Portfolio Gerjan Streng #04 shifting frontier

The rural areas of Brabant have a striking landscape feature called coulisse (after its use in theaters). A chain of natural chambers lead to an ever-changing perspective of enclosed spaces alternated with open vistas. This play of concealing and unveiling gives a natural dynamism.

This house is an attempt to create a condensed form of the landscape surrounding it. Glass walls and closed wooden blocks interact and continuously change the view as one moves through the house. Two slabs, floor and roof, connect these elements into the unity of a house.

Individual Bachelor’s project.

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naam|nummerGERJAN STRENG|0533088

titelVARIATIE|BEWEGINGCONTRAST|SAMENHANG

beschrijvingPLATTEGRONDEN, AANZICHTEN, DOORSNEDEN EN SITUATIE

projectWOONLANDSCHAPLANDSCHAPPELIJK WONEN

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rural living#01

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This architectural interpretation of the

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Portfolio Gerjan Streng #01 rural living











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Portfolio Gerjan Streng #01 rural living

Architectural portfolio

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