HUBS OF PRODUCTIVE SOCIALITIES

SOCIALITY: THE TENDENCY OF GROUPS AND PEOPLE TO DEVELOP SOCIAL LINKS AND LIVE IN COMMUNITIES.

This project aims to strengthen social cohesion by creating productive hubs for residents. Its search of the local character of the district and its current and future residents – who are they, what strength do they have and what do they want? – is highly praiseworthy. The process associated with this project is strongly non-hierarchically. The team also examines what is spatially strong and what is not. This way, the designers build on the existing grid structure and propose new connections in addition to this layer.

Jury Report, December 2019

Through the “Hubs of productive socialities”, we can increase the amount and range of productive places and citizens in the city. Post-war planning emphasized relocating economic activities from residential areas and creating inhabitants that facilitated monofunctually places to live or work. The idea to build high density enclaves, whose inhabitants commute from first places (home) to second places (work) led to the need for a third place to encounter, where people socialize, get entertained, sport, shop etc. Hence, the introduction of third places - a place “where people gather primarily to enjoy each other’s company” Oldenburg and Brissett, 1982 - played an essential role in the diffusion of ideas and knowledge. But, in the age of the intense urban growth it is necessery to think outside of the boarders of the project itself. Since the 1990s, knowledge-based economy recognizes the importance of knowledge as the driver of productivity and economic growth and since the late 2000s, new social environments emerged, where a combination of the three different places happens in duos. As technology is liberating entrepreneurs to work right across the city, many of them (young professionals, second-career professionals, founded researchers, young families with small local businesses, start-upers with community-driven businesses, 3D artists or furniture makers, green energy technicians, architects, social entrepreneurs, internet sale-driven designers, event planners etc.) need more productive space, while still having sufficient and affordable living space. These new spaces, can also engage the current inhabitants, employing or “activating” them. 

Groot Ijsselmonde was a ‘social training territory’ in which residents learned to interact and coexist in a relaxed and spontaneous way at meeting points in the district. the ‘flower-petal structure’ Van Drimmelen had in mind for the new southern garden suburb. A centre with central facilities and a surrounding centre park serve as the heart of the flower, the seven residential districts – each with its own, small facilities centre – around it as its petals. Groot IJsselmonde was conceived as a more or less autonomous city district, and this originally included eliminating the old landscape structures, including the ‘dike ribbons’. 

The urban plan for Groot IJsselmonde was designed in the late 1950s by Peter van Drimmelen, and construction began in the early 1960s. Van Drimmelen saw the Garden Suburb as a setting where residents could relax after their hard workdays and where growing children could develop and prepare for life outside the district. He saw the garden suburb philosophy as an anthroposophical conception of man and society.

The garden city of Ebenezer Howard, 1902

TODAY,  ROTTERDAM  HAS  DIFFERENT  GOALS  TO  REACH  AND  TOOLS  TO  USE  FOR  RETHINKING  OF  THE  EXISTING  STRUCTURES. 

Environmental Strategy Rotterdam, 2020

Knowledge economy is changing the traditional typology of place and such a place which combines elements from the other three is emerging. The emergence of the fourth place, coworking, comingling, and coliving spaces highlight the importance of tacit knowledge, social interactions, networks and the spatial dimension of innovations. Hence, the fourth space becomes a place in itself.

Arnault Morrison , 2017

Vital Connetions: Bicycle and pedestrian (green) routes become part of the productive “zone” linking the external paths, while smart solutions have been calculated for cars and parking.

Following the Grid(s): The existing urban structures are extended into our area respectfully, yet addressing new urban principles while creating an own neighbourhood.

7 Hubs: The 7 hubs are clusters where inhabitants can get productive and creative. There it is possible to be inspired, explore, interact and live. Productivity occurs in different forms and environments.

The In-between: The social structures are distinguished in the spatial structures. Introducing new scales as connectors, can alternate the neighbourhood's need to new forms of living.

​Location:   ROTTERDAM (NL)
Starting Date:   MAY 2019
Status:   COMPLETED
​Type:   COMPETITION - EUROPAN 15 (SHORTLISTED)

In neighbourhoods like Groot Ijsselmonde, in Rotterdam,
​hubs of “Fourth Places” can create productive socialities, while inhabitants can still maintain their suburban way of living. Creative and entrepreneurial ecosystems which are connected to place via human networks, can be a driver for sociality while attracting new values and shifting the roles of investment or development in an area. A resilient approach to plan, fund and build, is made in order to achieve multiple financial and placemaking outcomes
​in a suburban landscape.

IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE A PLACE IF IT IS NOT A PLACE UNDER A ROOF, A BUILDING.

THE EDUCATION HUB: The 2 school buildings that already exist in the area are merged into one education hub. The new position is chosen as to be closer to the north side of the plot to connect the 3 different neighborhoods but also to leave more ground for a mixed use development in the center of the plot with priority to housing. PROGRAM: 3.000 m2 - a primary school, pre-school activity space, a community gym/hall, a nursery school, young and old space, rooftop cinema. PRODUCTIVITY ACHIEVED: Maximum, the hub functions almost the whole day. SUSTAINABILITY ACHIEVED: Green roof, water collection, concentrated space, indoor and outdoor environment, new school standards, sustainability funds and teaching, heat and power 100% from the energy hub. DEVELOPMENT/INVESTMENT: In order to achieve the multiple financial and programmatic outcomes, ongoing partnership working is critical with the municipality as the main commissioner.

THE COLLECTIVE HUB: The biggest surface of the project that used to be a mining zone and today is encountered by back facades and leftover spaces, while “covered” on car parking, will become the heart of the residential-led schemes for the development of the area. There are proposed 4 different blocks (50-80 houses per block) who create a new living frame that is supported by additional functions and come to enrich the community through thinking and designing together. This is the place where all the Productive Rotterdam principles meet in one place (live-work city, strengthening ecosystems, room for crossovers etc.) PROGRAM: Proximately 25.000 m2 - housing 20.000 m2, “production” 5.000 m2 PRODUCTIVITY ACHIEVED: Maximum SUSTAINABILITY ACHIEVED: Heat and power 50% from the energy hub, extra systems per block are optional, yet supported. DEVELOPMENT/INVESTMENT: The lead is of Municipality and housing associations. The rest of stakeholders become part on targeted letting by case in order to “mining” new values.

THE FACTORY HUB: In the south part of the area where the tallest building of the whole neighborhood is and the lowest (1 floor) houses are, it is proposed a structure that brings a low rise development in an harmonious way until it creates a pyramidal form. Following the typology of the house with a yard, it is proposed a common yard that goes around the building enriched with hanging grapevines. PROGRAM: 6.000 m2 - housing, grape gardens, winery, shared workspace, event space. PRODUCTIVITY ACHIEVED: Maximum, the hub brings together program that seemingly doesn’t fi t together. SUSTAINABILITY ACHIEVED: Solar panels, water collection, heat and power 80% from the energy hub. DEVELOPMENT/INVESTMENT: Creating a co-investment fund which works with the residents and the commercial sector who is interested in innovation with a touch of “craziness”, to test it on site, while sharing risk and reward with the public sector, creating a new housing typology

THE ENERGY HUB: Between the park and the slaps of social housing, it is proposed a heat and power plant that will deliver low carbon heat and hot water. The plan is to provide 50% energy cost optimization to at least 1000 new houses and 1000 existing ones in the area but also 100% energy cost reduction to public buildings/functions. PROGRAM: 2.500 m2 - energy center, bio-restaurant, urban farm, nursery, underground parking facilities, rooftop sport courts. PRODUCTIVITY ACHIEVED: Maximum, the hub brings together program that seemingly doesn’t fi t together. Also, the main structure of the building is meant to be out of timber, while the facades allow the visual connection of the slaps towards the park. SUSTAINABILITY ACHIEVED: Maximum. DEVELOPMENT/INVESTMENT: Energy entrepreneurs take the lead together with an integrated design office. The municipality acts as a supervisor helping to shape the final proposals securing permission.

THE HUBS

THE EDUCATION

THE VILLAGE

THE COLLECTIVE

THE FACTORY

THE OPPOSITES

THE PAVILLIONS

THE ENERGY

THE FOURTH SPACE IS THE SOCIO-SPATIAL PLACE THE CITIES ARE CLAIMING IN THE 21st CENTURY.