How much can a building or an ensemble of buildings take? That is the key question with regard to transformations aimed at function change, sustainability or expansion, with the ambition – and frequently also the obligation – to do justice to what is already there. We determine the capacity and the cultural history spectrum, taking into account the material value, the underlying spatial structure and the emotional value. We define the elements essential for preservation, and why this is so, and we indicate the scope for change. By way of inspiration we suggest design themes, possible interpretations of what the heritage stands for and references for solutions. The guiding design principles and the stories frequently offer great leads. All this is recorded by us in transformation guidelines, an assessment framework or a set of recommendations. Transformation guidelines contain rules for spatial interventions, so that all parties concerned know where they stand. In collaboration with the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency, we have developed a guideline for transformation frameworks.

CASE 1

GUIDELINES FOR TRANSFORMATION FRAMEWORKS

In collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE)

Working with cultural heritage means conservation and restauration, but also change and transformation, in order to support its users of today and in the future. SteenhuisMeurs together with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) initiated and drew up a set of guidelines for transformation frameworks. A transformation framework presents the heritage values in combination with the spectrum of interventions that protect or enhance these values. Other government and heritage consultancy organisations were also involved in the process. The guidelines include a list of contents of a transformation framework, as well as examples of existing transformation frameworks. The document can be found here (only in Dutch): cultureelerfgoed.nl

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CASE 2

KEIZER KARELPLEIN, NIJMEGEN

Cultural heritage assessment and guidelines for development

commissioned by the municipality of Nijmegen

After the dismantling of the fortifications in 1874, Nijmegen expanded with new grand and alluring neighbourhoods and boulevards. Contemporary notions of urban planning were uncompromisingly executed in green belts, parks, spacious squares and tree-lined avenues. The new neighbourhoods included villas and townhouses, spacious gardens and lush public spaces. The facades flanking the streets exhibited a strong architectural coherence. The vast Keizer Karel square was once surrounded by villas, which were replaced with offices and public buildings after World War II. The scale of the nineteenth-century city was preserved, with carefully placed higher accents in the background. The area is now a protected urban landscape. However, it faces significant pressure from increasing traffic and urbanisation. Several locations around the square will be redeveloped. The question is how much change and densification should be allowed. Based on a historical and spatial analysis of the entire city expansion, we conducted a cultural heritage assessment of the urban landscape and defined the core values of the area. This was elaborated into a framework for the development of the square and the surrounding sites, with building principles that align with the scale and logic of the protected neighbourhoods.

Nijmegen

CASE 3

EELDE-PATERSWOLDE

Village biography and transformation framework

commissioned by the municipality of Tynaarlo

Eelde-Paterswolde is a village in Drenthe and a border village. For centuries, the local economy and landscape development here have been influenced by the proximity of the city of Groningen. The result is a twin village surrounded by a phenomenal collection of landscapes. In Eelde-Paterswolde, several significant spatial developments are pending, with the Eelde’s town centre being the largest and most debated. The municipality of Tynaarlo has tasked SteenhuisMeurs with writing a cultural-historical biography of the village and drafting a transformation framework for the various development areas. The development of the town centre has been under consideration for thirty years, resulting in an area that is in some places well preserved, but also shows the craters of demolishment and rapid change. In the transformation framework, SteenhuisMeurs provides starting points for future developments. This includes enhancing the outdoor space and connecting different atmospheres through sightlines. The transformation framework provides concrete spatial and architectural guidelines for scale, proportion and architecture, concluding with a fictional walk through the town centre as it could become.

Eelde-Paterswolde