Fire to the Fortified Backyard (2022)
Design Project / ⤶ MIARD Archive
Oosterwold, situated in the South of Almere, is a city planning framework known for its liberated urbanism and emphasis on communal living and urban agriculture developed by MVRDV architects.
This project addresses the challenge of creating a sense of community among diverse residents, ranging from those seeking affordable housing to those interested in co-creation, amidst conflicting priorities. By incorporating fire-related elements into the existing fences that separate plots, this project seamlessly blends with the landscape and the desire for land compartmentalization.
Drawing inspiration from the Dutch obsession for barbecuing and fires as social events, the project explores the ritualistic and communal aspects of gathering around warmth and food. It features various fire-centered architectural elements, including a pizza oven accessible from both sides, inviting neighbors to engage in over-the-fence pizza parties and share the residual warmth.
Beyond providing opportunities for interaction, this project serves as a critique of the growing trend of large-scale developments that deviate from the original vision of Oosterwold. By using differently colored bricks to symbolize fair distribution of costs, it highlights the need for transparency and equitable participation. Additionally, the design reflects Dutch culture with its open front windows and fortified backyards, integrating seamlessly into the existing fences while encouraging connections between neighbors.
The Garden Architecture for Fire Making project addresses the need for shared spaces and experiences in Oosterwold, bridging the gap between residents with different motivations. It offers a cost-effective and collaborative opportunity to unite the community before embarking on larger projects, such as street financing. This project, with its symbolic and practical elements, has the potential to transform Oosterwold from just another suburb into a truly innovative and harmonious living environment.
The project was part of a Design Studio led by Studio Ossidiana -->.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Experiments during Design Project
The project's focus lay on the community in Oosterwold, the lack of public space and connection between the neighbours who are asked to collaborate very intensively but often struggle to do so. Fire and fire rituals as a very old method and place for community making and shaping was considered in the contemporary setting of the site in the attempt to create new rituals around fire that represent the inhabitants of Oosterwold.
I explored the materiality of fire in the means of production and consumption of the combustion process as well as material that can host and withstand fire - one being ash concrete which I used much for the final models.
I also looked closely at Dutch fire regulation in the public realm, asking the question why open fires that are traditionally/ritualistically usable are prohibited while barbecues are much more tolerated. I developed models of ritualistic fire architecture around Oosterwold, structures that could hold a fire, react with it and change through the course of the burning.
Drawing inspiration from the Dutch obsession for barbecuing and fires as social events, the project explores the ritualistic and communal aspects of gathering around warmth and food. It features various fire-centered architectural elements, including a pizza oven accessible from both sides, inviting neighbors to engage in over-the-fence pizza parties and share the residual warmth.
Beyond providing opportunities for interaction, this project serves as a critique of the growing trend of large-scale developments that deviate from the original vision of Oosterwold. By using differently colored bricks to symbolize fair distribution of costs, it highlights the need for transparency and equitable participation. Additionally, the design reflects Dutch culture with its open front windows and fortified backyards, integrating seamlessly into the existing fences while encouraging connections between neighbors.
The Garden Architecture for Fire Making project addresses the need for shared spaces and experiences in Oosterwold, bridging the gap between residents with different motivations. It offers a cost-effective and collaborative opportunity to unite the community before embarking on larger projects, such as street financing. This project, with its symbolic and practical elements, has the potential to transform Oosterwold from just another suburb into a truly innovative and harmonious living environment.