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figure 1.

Thesis Plan

‘Central market back to the society’

Subject: AR3AR051 RMIT, Thesis plan


Supervisor: Dr. Ir. H. Zijlstra
Student: Pascal Heleenders 4060512
Date: 08 novembre 2012
Colophon

‘Central market back to the society’

Technology University Delft


Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences
Studio RMIT, Mixed houses Amsterdam 2012/2013
Thesis plan, AR3AR051

Julianalaan 134
2628 BL Delft
Postbus 5043
2600 GA Delft

Telefoon : 015-2789111
email : info@tudelft.nl
website : http://www.bk.tudelft.nl/

Pascal Heleenders

Hagedissingel 54
2623 CD Delft

Stud.nr. :4060512
email : pheleenders@gmail.com
telefoon : +31(0)611956608

Intended Supervisors:
Ar : Ir. W.L.E.C. Meijers
Bt : Ir. F.W.A. Koopman
Thesis plan : Dr. Ir. H. Zijlstra

Version : 3 07 januari 2013

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 1.
Content

1. Introduction 3

2. Studio and Motivation 4



3. Project 5

Background 5

Site 5

Building 6

4. Problem statement 6

5. Research question 7

6. Hypothes/Goal 7

7. Societal, Social and Scientific Relevance 8



8. Planning 9

9. Methodology description 12

10. Research Results

11. Sources 13

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 2.
1. Introduction
The Thesis plan is a part of the graduation studio. The Thesis plan is supporting the gradu-
ation studio as guideline and preconditions. The thesis plan contains a research question,
project definition and the selection of accountability. During the graduation studio will be
linked often to the thesis plan, for checking the process and answering the research ques-
tion.
The RMIT department has chosen the Amsterdam West area, that’s consist houses, green
area and in the northern part a harbour.

In Amsterdam West is the Central Market situated on the site of the Foodcenter. The Food-
center is a distribution company. It owns the Central Market and storehouses on his site.
The function of the Foodcenter is to provide food to all inhabitants of Amsterdam. On that
reason the Foodcenter got his nickname ‘The belly of Amsterdam’.

The Foodcenter has 100 different companies located right now. It all started with the mar-
ket at the Marnixstraat in the early 20th century. This market was orientated on the supply
of fruit and vegatables, later on the potatoes were added. Because this market became
impractical an unhygienic, the market moved out to the current location. Therefore Am-
sterdam decided to build a Market hall, with the name Central Market. It was designed by
N. Lansdorp with the dimensions of 125 x 75 meters and offered place for 35 storehouses,
90 market in the hall and 60 offices spaces.
After a long time of using the Central market became dysfunctional and the Foodcenter
considered to demolish the Central Market. This all leads to many meetings and discussions
with the result to change the Central Market in a monument. The only part of the building
that is missing is the tower. The tower had been demolish before it would be collapse.
Right now the Foodcenter has problems with his location. Based on infrastructure it was
in the beginning a perfect location, now it has a lot of problem with the infrastructure.
The main streets are overcrowded. Therefore the Foodcenter already made plans. Most of
the functions will move to outside of the centre of Amsterdam. The Central Market will be
released and also the site in front of the Central Market. The graduation project is going
to search for a new function for the building and site, which also take care of the urban
problems.

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 3.
2. Studio and Motivation

The Thesis Plan is part of the master studio RMIT, which stands for Renovation, Modifica-
tion, Intervention and Transformation. In this studio the students focus on the preservation
of existing buildings or sites.
The reason why I decided to attending this studio, is because I have always been interested
in the reuse of buildings. This interest has started during the Bachelors, during an intern- Amsterdam
ship for VHGP Architects in Deventer. My function/role was to make architectural draw-
ings in computer programs. Because the office was situated in the old city centre several
projects had to deal with the reuse of existing buildings. For example one of them was a
building from the 17th century, that I have been working on for a year. During the whole
process I started to like the puzzle of how to solve the existing problems on the level of de- Amsterdam
sign or details. That was my first experience with an existing building, and that stimulated
my interest in reuse and modification.
Later in the MSc in Architecture, I decided to follow the RMIT specialization. I found that
the assignments were interesting, but the related courses as well. I had the opportunity to
follow other studios too, but my interest and fascination remained in the RMIT Studio. Position in Netherlands Position in province
Another reason to choose RMIT as the final graduation studio is the topic that we had to
deal with. The RMIT graduation project is located in Amsterdam-West. This part of Am-
sterdam provides a lot of interesting opportunities for reuse, as it is an area with a great
importance for Amsterdam’s history and future. One of the given buildings of the site is
the Central Food Market. The Central Food Market is a building in a good condition, with
many spatial qualities that come from its big dimensions and natural light characteristics.
Unfortunately, this building is not getting the treatment that it should and is currently not
in use. Therefore, the building has the potential to become something useful both in a lo-
cal and in regional level. Finally, my opinion is that the graduation project needs to reflect
the interest of the student and combine it with a challenging assignment, in order to show
the potential of a project like this.

Graduation Area Amsterdam West Location Central Market in Amsterdam


Figure 2: Location of graduation project
Source: Made by P. Heleenders

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 4.
3. Project

background
The central Market was designed in 1934. The purpose of this market was to store the
food for Amsterdam food entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs came to the Central Market to
buy big quantities of food and transport it to their shops. Since the beginning the market
increased in amount of storage spaces during the years. Now the Central Market is a part
of the distribution organisation Food centre. According to them the Central Market doesn’t
fulfil this purpose, so they tried to replace the Central market for a new one. This has
never happened, because the Monumental care intervened. Later, the Central Market was 1934 2012
declared as a monument, because of its architecture, typology and construction. Currently,
the Central Market is no longer in use.
The future plans of the Food centre are to move most of the warehouses outside Amster-
dam and use the site for residential blocks. In figure 2 is visualized the future planning of
the area.

Picture of the Central Market 1934: source BMA (2009) Historische ontwikkeling en uitgangspunten en monumen-
tale waarden

Site
The site of the location has been shaped by the function of the Central Market. Along the
site came canals and docks for the transport of the entrepreneurs. In that time period it
was common to go by boat to the Market. By this the Market became an island and people
had to access the site mostly by boat and on foot from the south. In the meanwhile they Figure 3. Comparison with the location situation in 1934 and the current. In red is indicate the Central
Market. Source: Made by P. Heleenders
drained the docks and storehouses were built. The plans of figure 3 give the difference
between 1934 and 2012. The area changed from an open to an isolated area. Not only the
quality of the site changed, but also the functionality. Before, people came to the Central
Market on foot, now mostly cars and trucks are coming out.

The Central Market is the most prominent building of the location. This has to do with the
proportions and the size of the building, the organisation and the use of materials. Moreo-
ver, it is the only building of the site, which is no longer in use.

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 5.
Building 4. Problem statement
In the introduction it is already mentioned that the Central Market is the chosen building
for the graduation project. In addition, the surrounding area is included as well to be part The problem statement will be organized in two different scales. The first level is Amster-
of the re-design. dam West and the second will be the Central Market including the surroundings.
The Central Market was designed in 1934 by N. Lansdorp. The building has a corporate
expressionism style, which characterizes the organization in the façade. Inside the building Amsterdam West - Urban scale
is the huge open market hall. There are not any additional constructive elements in this
hall. In this ‘empty’ space lie the spatial qualities that are more emphasized by the light On the urban scale, several problems are identified. The first problem in Amsterdam West
that enters from the top. is the division of north and south. This can be solved by creating new connections. The
The main space that organizes the building is the hall. All the secondary functions are Central Market is located in the middle of Amsterdam West. Now this area is a private
located on the sides of the hall. The hall should remain as the main space in the new func- zone, therefore it blocks the west and east part of Amsterdam West.
tion. For the new function there are many possibilities. The building is designed as a public These problems have to be restored, so that the city centre of Amsterdam can be ex-
building and has the capabilities and qualities for that purpose. Therefore the public func- tended. According to the municipality the current city centre is too small and becomes
tion should remain. overcrowded by tourists quickly. Amsterdam has to create new places outside of the ‘tra-
ditional’ centre. Amsterdam West gives these opportunities for new places and especially
the location of the Foodcenter. Furthermore, Amsterdam has the ambition to be the host
of the Olympic Games in 2028 and celebrate a 100 years anniversary of the first Olympic
Games that were held in the Netherlands in 1928.

?
Ready

Division by Haarlemmer- Centre wants to expand


Blockage by Foodcenter
trekvaart and Railway

Figure 5. Diagrams made by P. Heleenders

Site
The Central Market has been designed as a public building. Right now it isn’t at all. The
Figure 4. Bird view picture of the current situation. Many storehouses are visuable. Photo made: by E. Druyff area around it has become a private zone that people are not able to access. This is the
reason why it is necessary to redesign the surrounding context of the Central Market as
well; to give back the public function to the Central Market. When the area becomes public
again as it was in the past, and then the Central Market will become an important part of
the society again. Even in the nickname ‘de buik of Amsterdam’ (belly of Amsterdam) is
related to the society.
Other problems that have to be solved are damages on the building. The damages are signs
of degradation of the building, because of bad maintenance.

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 6.
5. Research question
The research question will supervise the project, during the graduation process. It will also
indicate what should be done. The aim is not to have a broad question. Otherwise, the
research question cannot be answer specifically.
Sub questions are used to support and make the research question clear and complete in
urban and architectural level.

´What public function can take place in the Central Market and at the same time support
the future plans of Amsterdam to be the city of the Olympic Games in 2028?’

Sub questions:

- What does Amsterdam West need?



- Is the scale of the function regional/ national/ international?

- Which function also fits in (there for) Amsterdam West?
Figure 6. Current situation with in Red line the blockage by buildings and

in yellow the movement of trucks
- How will the new function bring back the to the society?

A new masterplan shows how the problems will be solved in an urban scale. The focus of - Is it possible for the Central Food Market to be a part of the Olympic Games?
the graduation project is more on the building scale and his surroundings.
- If it does, in what function will that be?

- Is before or after the Olympic Games also necessary?

- Does it fit in the location of the Olympic Games 2028?

- How is it possible to improve the accessibility?

- How is the current situation?

- What is the effect it has on the environment?

- How would be the connection with the centre?

- Why would people use it?

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 7.
?
Figure 8. Plan of the Westergasfabriek.
Source: Website: http://courses.umass.edu/latour/Netherlands/varro/Images/Plan.jpg

7. Societal, Social and Scientific Relevance


Figure 7. Birdview of the Food Center, with the Central Market indicated. The last decades more and more vacant buildings appear in the Netherlands. These lefto-
Source: Made by P. Heleenders vers could be old churches, factories and businesses. Most of them have been left empty
after the function moved out or wasn’t necessary anymore. Most of these buildings can
still be reused. Therefore it is no longer necessary to build new buildings. There are many
reasons not to demolish these buildings. First of all, they could have an architectural value,
6. Hypotheses/Goal urban value and/or emotional value. Some of these buildings are monuments and have to
be preserved.
The hypothesis is a prediction about the possible outcome of the research question. The
idea and proposals are not being considered as definitive. Vacant buildings have become a social problem. The society sees more and more vacant
buildings every day. Meanwhile the problem has been even highlighted on the television.
The municipality of Amsterdam wants to expand the city centre. For that it is necessary/ For example, the program ‘De slag om Nederland’ had an episode on vacant office building
urgent to create public places outside the traditional centre of Amsterdam. Otherwise from KPMG on 16 January 2012. The vacant building has 50.000 m2 and the new building
there is no reason to leave the centre. Amsterdam West has currently already a public is just slightly larger than the previous one. The question of them was how sustainable is to
area. This is located in the north and is called Westergasfabriek. This area is used for public leave a vacant building behind?
entertainment and events and is even used for recording television production. This is an
example that shows that Amsterdam can make more use of existing buildings and sites. Nowadays, sustainability is an important issue that concerns everyone. The problem with
The Westergasfabriek mostly concentrates on the entertainment. The Food centre could global warming demands the people to decrease their consumption of energy. In redesign-
orient towards sport facilities so that it attracts people to Amsterdam West. Another hand ing we learn how to deal with this issue. In a graduation project ‘ZERO ENERGY’ by Ir. B.
is fits with the ambitions of the city for the Olympic Games in 2028. Finally, it will add to Pieters the possibilities in sustainability for vacant buildings are shown. With extra develop-
the character of the area and will differentiate from the one in Amsterdam centre. ment in technology, it should be possible to achieve/reach the zero energy consumption
for existing buildings. Then vacant buildings have a future.
Consequently, the goal is to transform the Foodcenter to a sport park. The Central Market
will be used the main building of this park and will host the main activities. Later on it can The Central Market has mostly the first problem. It became a vacant building after decades
become a venue for the Olympics of 2028. The duration of the Olympics is for one month. of use. The Central Market is registered as a monument. An important reason for this is
the typology of the Market, which is almost unknown in the Netherlands. Therefore, it is
necessary for a suitable function to be found, that will appreciate its qualities.

The function that is proposed is to make sport facilities in the Central Market and the sur-
roundings. It should not only focus on athletic activities/sports, but also for children that
play outside. There will be a sport atmosphere in Amsterdam West. Additionally, the func-
tion will motivate or stimulate people to do more exercise.
Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 8.
8. Planning
The following page is showing the planning of the graduation studio. During the graduation
studio are several presentations namely P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5. During these presentations,
the design will be tested on the products and qualities from urban, to architectural and
construction scale.
In the P1 presentation mainly the research is presented, the analysis and value assessment
on urban, architectural and technology level. By P2 presentation the first design products
are presented in form of masterplan and conceptual design. At this point has to be decided
if the student wills his graduation or not. From there to P3 and P4, the concept design will
elaborate into a final design. By the P4 presentation the main problems have been solved
and the design should be finished to continue to P5, which is the final graduation presenta-
tion.

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 9.
Periode 1
week 1 week 2 week 3 week 4 week 5 week 6 week 7 week 8 week 9 week 10
3 tm 7 sept 10 tm 14 sept 17 tm 21 sept 23 tm 28 sept 1 tm 5 oct 8 tm 12 oct 15 tm 19 oct 22 tm 26 oct 29 tm 2 nov 5 tm 9 nov
Project Urban: Function Urban: making  Arch: reading  Arch: making  Arch: making  BT: making  Value assesment Making P1  Working on P1 
presentation literature drawings presentation diagrams presentation report
introduction Urban: history Urban analysis  Arch: making  Arch: making  Architectural  BT: making  Value assesment P1 Presentation Working on P1 

Studio Urban: site visite Urban: making 


maps
Presentation
Urban: amplify 
comments
diagrams
Arch: making 
diagrams
drawings
Arch: making 
drawings
Analysis
Arch: amplify 
comments
diagrams
BT: making 
sections
Value assesment
report
Working on Thesis  Thesis plan
plan
Urban: collect info Urban: making  Arch: visite  Arch: visite  Arch: making  BT: construction  BT: making  Working on Thesis  P1 report
maps building building drawings analysis drawings plan
Urban: reading  Urban: making  Arch: visite  Arch: making  Arch: making  BT: making  BT: facades Making P1  Working on Thesis 
books maps archieve drawings presentation diagrams presentation plan

Course
Working on Thesis Working on Thesis Working on Thesis Working on Thesis Working on Thesis Working on Thesis Working on Thesis Working on Thesis Hand in Thesis

external courses

Hand in Urban Analysis


24 sept 2012
Arch Analysis
16 oct 2012
Draft version
Thesis plan
History Thesis
1 nov 2012
Thesis plan
7 nov 2012
additional Brithday Myself 23 oct 2012 P1 report
8 nov 2012

Urban Analyse: Architectural Analyse: Building Technology:


The goal is to get information about the urban scale. After the urban is possible to go to a smaller scale. The intervention should be possible. The intervention
With the information is possible to concluded into a Analyzing the building help to know the qualities and can be test on this information
value assessment and a problem statement. organisation. That can helps making decisions in the
design stage. Actions:
Actions: - search for construction information
- site visite Actions: - making diagrams how the bearing construction is
- reading books about the development of Amsterdam - building visite working
and History of Amsterdam - Making diagrams of different architectural point of - finish the architectural Analyse in conclusion
- Change the information into diagrams and schemes. view (organisation, circulation, elavations, style etc).
- Finish the Urban Analyse with conclusion - Finish the Architectural Analyse with conclusion and Value assessment
connection to the urban analyses All the information will be concluded in a value assess-
ment. Here will be mention the qualities and values of
the urban, building en technology. This is also the start-
ing point of design.

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 10.
Periode 2
week 11 week 12 week 13 week 14 week 15 week 16 week 17 week 18 week 19 week 20
12 tm 16 nov 19 tm 23 nov 26 tm 30 nov 3 tm 7 dec 10 tm 14 dec 17 tm 21 dec 7 tm 11 jan 14 tm 18 jan 21 tm 25 jan 28 tm 1 feb
Research building  Sketch design Sketch design Visite Building Working on  Making  sketch façade Sketch technology P2 Practice
program Masterplan presentation
Research building Working on  Sketch design Making  Working on  Presentation  sketch façade Sketch technology P2 presentation

Studio
program Heritage infrastructure Masterplan Masterplan
Research function Working on  Working on  References  Working on  Making diagrams  Sketch sections Making a model
program Heritage research Masterplan design
Research function Working on  Working on  References  Working on  Making diagrams  Sketch plan Making P2 
program Heritage research Masterplan design presentation
Sketch design Working on  Hand in Heritage  Visite site Working on  Making diagrams  Sketch plan Making P2  P2 Retake
program Development Masterplan design presentation

Hand in Architectural  Architectural 


Heritage
Architectural 
Development Architectural  Architectural  Architectural  Draft version Architectural  Architectural  Finall version
30 nov 2012
Reflection Reflection Reflection Reflection Reflection Reflection Reflection Reflection

  Christmas / new 
year

Research I: Research II: Starting points:


After the collected information a program can be The second stage of Research is concentrating on to de- The starting point contents the research and value
choose. The first research part is about the feasibility fine the function. Here I will visite the reference project assessment. The starting points is visiualize in a first
of the function. The the question are; Is there already and elaborate the the masterplan. design draft.
a program like that in Netherlands or Amsterdam? And
where? Are there examples? Actions:
- Visiting reference project with the same function Actions:
Actions: - Analysing reference projects with the same function - finishing Mastplan
- feasibility of the program/function - Transform the function into a program in m2 - Intervention
- Reading books on the same topic - Masterplan - Plans, elavations, section
- Research to possibility in the building - Model
- site visite

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 11.
Periode 3
week 21 week 22 week 23 week 24 week 25 week 26 week 27 week 28 week 29 week 30
11 tm 15 feb 18 tm 22 feb 25 tm 29 feb 4 tm 8 mar 11 tm 15 mar 18 tm 22 mar 25 tm 29 mar 1 tm 5 apr 8 tm 12 apr 15 tm 19 apr
Amplify P2 Concept  Concept façade Concept detail repairing concept  repairing cocept  P3 practice design plan
construction design section

Studio
Concept design Concept  Concept plan Concept detail repairing concept  repairing concept  Final sections P3 presentation Design section
construction const plan
Concept design Concept  Concept plan Concept model repairing concept  repairing concept  Final façade Final details amplify comments design façade
sustainability matr model
Concept  Concept  Concept section Concept model Repairing concept  repairing concept  Final plan P3 making  amplify comments Design details
materialisation sustainability sust. model presentation
Concept  Concept façade Concept section Concept model Repairing concept  P3 making  amplify comments Design model
materialisation façade presentation

Eastern
Design I:
Here is the design process. The design process is mak-
ing the products. This is a continue process of designing
and reflect the products and doing extra research.

Actions:
- designing; circulation, organisation etc
- making the products (plans, section, model etc)
- extra research, when is necessary.

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 12.
Periode 4
week 41 week 42 week 43 week 44 week 45 week 46 week 47 week 48 week 49 week 50
12 tm 26 apr 29 tm 3 may 6 tm 10 may 13 tm 17 may 20 tm 23 may 27 tm 31 may 3 tm 7 jun 10 tm 14 jun 17 tm 21 jun 24 tm 28 jun
design plan design plan design plan finalize products P4 practice Making a 3D  Finalize project Finalize project Making of finall  Working on P5
model model
design section design section finalize products P4 presentation Making a 3D  Finalize project Finalize project Making of finall  Working on P5
model model

Studio design façade design façade design façade Making 


presentation
Amplify comments Making a 3D 
model
Finalize project Finalize project Making of finall 
model
Working on P5

design details design details design detail Making  Amplify comments Making a 3D  Finalize project Finalize project Making of finall  Working on P5
presentation model model
design model design model design model Making  Amplify comments Making a 3D  Finalize project Finalize project Making of finall  Working on P5
presentation model model

Queensday

Design II: Design III:


Here is the same as in the first design stage. Only is The last stage. The design is finish, now only making the
more focussing on the details of the design. final products.

Actions: Actions:
- designing; materials, details etc. - making the final products (plans, section, model etc)
- making the products (plans, section, model etc) - Final presentation P5
- extra research, when is necessary.
week 51 - making presentatin P4
1  tm 5 jul

P5 presentation

Studio

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 13.
9. Methodology description
Proces Diagram
Additionally in this topic is the organogram in figure 9. It shows my intention of working dur-
ing the graduation project. The most important here is to come from the step of research to a
design. This is why it is necessary to have a complete research in the beginning of the gradu-
ation project. The research contains the urban analysis, architectural analysis and technology
analysis. From there the problem statement can be concluded in a value assessment and
design assignment. Research Analysis
For the urban analysis the current situation should be taken into account, but also the history
of it. For the current situation the stats of Amsterdam can be used. The history in develop-
ment has been published in history books of Amsterdam. In addition to this, there are several
site visits necessary. Reference Literature Urban Arch Building
For the architectural analysis is important to first visit the building. More information and Analysis Analysis Technology
drawings of the building can be found in the archive of Amsterdam West. Then, there is History History building methode

enough of information the analysis is possible. Infrastructure


Morphology
Composition
Function
Construction
Detail
The methodology of the book “the Architecture form, space and order” by F.D.K. Ching can Functions
Social
Masses
organisation
Materials
installation
be used. In this book easily explains how to analyse a building in diagrams. Another book that Economical
Cultural
Orientation
scale
can be useful is “Analysing Buildings from context to detail in Time” by Hielke Zijlstra. This is proportion
Rhythm
more focussing analysing buildings for reuse. This book helped to define the qualities and circulation

values of the building, By making analysis in different time periods. The last book is by Aylin
Orbasli, “Architectural Conservation” to conclude the value assessment.

For the design part is good to look to related projects and use them as references. By looking Problem statement Value Assesment
to other project I can learn from the chosen solutions, but also from the mistakes. Some of
the reference projects are the most recent Olympic projects in London and Beijing. In order to
find further designing information about the Olympic Games for Amsterdam can be found in
“Olympisch Ontwerpen” by Design and Politics and other Olympic related books.
Design Asignment
List of Products:

P1 P2 P5
Design sketch

Literature study Urban sketch Liturature study


Research report Masterplan Reflection plan Design draft
Urban analysis Program Plans, facade, section 1:100
Architectural analysis Sketch design Facade fragment 1:20 Research
Building technology analysis Concept design Detail 1:5
Value assesment Model Finall design

P3 P4
Presentation
Plans, section, façade 1:100 / 1:50 Situation plan 1:1000
Façade fragment 1:20 Plans, façade, section 1:100
Details 1:5 Building 1:50 Figure 9. Process Diagram
Source: Made by P. Heleenders
Façade fragment 1:20
details 1:5

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 14.
10. Research Results
Historical analysis of Amsterdam Historical analysis of Amsterdam
Spacial development Spacial development

Under construction
Historical analysis of Amsterdam
Spacial development
1905

When the railway to Zaandam is constructed


1938

The railways didnot really ch


and the Westergas factory is built, the first part time, the where only extende
of the railway changes position to the northern harbors.
side of the factory terrain. This was also the biggest cha
The Westergas factory has been built in 1885 of the twentieth century; the
1850

Urban Analyse
and was built by the Imperial Continental became too small so an exte
Gas Association, initially to provide the city of those are still known as the ‘C
In 1839 the first railway was constructed in
streetlights. ‘Minervahaven’ and the ‘Vloth
the Netherlands, this was the connection
The biggest change is the reclaimed land of In 1934 the area for the food
between Haarlem and Amsterdam and situated
the Amsterdammer polder which encased replacement for the market a
alongside the Haarlemmertrekvaart. There was
the big island of Den Hoorn and erased the The Marnixkade became too
not a central station yet but a station near the
smaller island completely. In this new land the distribution of food, so they n
Willemspoort.
‘Petroleum’ harbor can be found and also the which also had better access
The IJ is in this period still water and not
‘Houthavens’. In 1935 they started to realiz
reclaimed land yet. Interesting to see is the
In this time the city already expands outside the West’, here you can already s
structure of the Spaarndammerdijk as the old
old defensive structure (vestingwerken). The city alongside the ‘Admiraal de Ru
water defense line. Inside the research area
expands to the barrier of the ‘Kostverlorenvaart’. would like to know more abo
there already has been an expansion with
Also the connection between the village the urban fabric, look at the a
the Overbraker polder. The two islands in the
Sloterdijk and Amsterdam is made with a Here the ‘slatuinen’ (agricultu
northwest are respectively Den Hoorn (the
tramrail on the street known as the Admiraal De still present in the area later k
biggest) and Jan Rebelle waard.
Ruyterweg. Erasmuspark. The rest of the
The area in this time shows still the old peat
Around this time the ‘Slatuinen’ also have been been replaced by buildings. T
structure with narrow pieces of land in between
expanded. Erasmuspark has not been ch
small canals.
The green are mainly agricultural areas of area is because of the disapp
the municipality of Sloten and are called the stratum (sand layer); this mad
‘Slatuinen’, where the biggest area later becomes build houses in this area at th
partly the ‘Erasmuspark’.

Urban Analysis Amsterdam-West E. Odijk 1503197 & B.Maat 4030486 & N.A. Bellinga 1361155 RMIT Graduation Studio 2012-2013
Urban Analysis Amsterdam-West E. Odijk 1503197 & B.Maat 4030486 & N.A. Bellinga 1361155 RMIT Graduat

Urban Analysis Amsterdam-West E. Odijk 1503197 & B.Maat 4030486 & N.A. Bellinga 1361155 RMIT Graduation Studio 2012-2013
CONCLUSION:
Amsterdam West is an area with a lot of opportunities, because it well located from the
Historical analysis of Amsterdam
Spacial development
Historical analysis of Amsterdam
Spacial development city centre. The area must have his qualities from the green and water. Both are much
1967
current
in the area, what is needed in a dense area like Amsterdam West. Furthermore has
In 1938 the first part of the ‘Westhaven’ was
realized as a beginning of a big industrial harbor.
Later on in 1961 the harbors got extended even
the area a diversity of dwellings in sizes of in building shapes, the best example are the
The infrastructure changed after 1967,
we assume it is because of a structural
redevelopment of the area. The connections

pyramid buildings. The harbour is going to change in a residential area, what helping to
have been improved and the distances became
more, this was meant to get a great position in shorter.
the worldwide industrial trade. During time the Westergas factory lost its
Because of this extension of the harbors the function and became vacant. Recently it has
former island ‘Den Hoorn’ disappears from the

solve the first urban problem.


been redeveloped into a cultural area.
fabric. The north area of the site became more and
The plan of Van Eesteren fills in the last gap of more an industrial area and therefore more
the area; the city is extending towards Halfweg offices settled here.
and Sloten. If you want to know more about present and
Notable is the interruption of the future we refer you to the analysis and maps of
‘Spaarndammerdijk’ at two places. The first part the next chapters.
because of the new highway, the second one
because of the extension of the industrial area.
This causes the effect of the isolation of the dyke
with a part of the old village of Sloterdijk.
During the war people used the trees of the
Erasmuspark for fuel. For a long time it was a
In figure 23 are the problem shows and the possible solution for it, by creating a
wasteland, with a small park that was barely
big enough to deserve the name (Jan van
Galenpark) in 1961 the Erasmuspark became
bigger and E. Mos made a design for a public
residential area in the north of Amsterdam West. De division is no longer there. The
park which got the new name: Erasmuspark.
borderline between north and south (brettenzone) could function as connection space
between those areas.

For the second problem is needed to get the Foodcenter out of the area. So it is possible
to make connection between east and west for cycles, cars and other vehicles.

If Amsterdam wants to expand to Amsterdam West, than Amsterdam West must offer
something for the tourism or inhabitants. Now is all the public function orientated on
Urban Analysis
E. OdijkAmsterdam-West
E. Odijk 1503197 & B.Maat 4030486 & N.A. Bellinga 1361155
neighbourhood level. Only with the Westerparkfabric is a function for city, national or
RMIT Graduation Studio 2012-2013

international level, but that’s in the north of Amsterdam West. South also need a public
Urban Analysis Amsterdam-West 1503197 & B.Maat 4030486 & N.A. Bellinga 1361155 RMIT Graduation Studio 2012-2013

Figure 10. Development of Amsterdam-West space.


Source: Made by B. Maat

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 15.
Architectural Analyse

1934 2012 Future ideas (Foodcenter)

People Central Market Centrale Market Stores People Centrale Market


Central Market Public Central Market Private Central Market
Transport Boat Transport Trucks Transport
Train
Foot

Figure 11. Diagram site of 1934, 2012 and future plan


Source: Made by P. Heleenders

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 16.
er 75 meter
met
125
Figure 12. Cross Section Central Market
Source: Made by P. Heleenders

Conclusion:
To create a good modification for the Central Market. It is important to restore the
relation between the building and society. The Central Market is designed to be
used by people and not by companies. The Centrale Market is a monument, be-
cause his special size and function as Market hall. In addition to that it has Expres-
sionism Style and many qualities. The qualities are on different levels, like light and
clearness. For further designing it can be housing and public building. Only has to
consider the problems on urban level.

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 17.
Building
For the value of the building looks at:
- The spatial qualities
- Architectural design elements
- Technical design elements
- Material

The spatial qualities of the market building is the large space of the market itself. Here
it is possible to catch a lot of daylight, so the offices and walkways also received enough
of light, see also figure 69. Furthermore, the offices are of lesser quality. These are, on
the basis of the construction grid is determined and thus have a narrow dimension,
making it unusable.

In architectural design elements N. Lansdorp use of clear horizontal lines. These are
Figure 13. Photo of the Central Market hall Figure 14. Photo corridor Central Market
Source: Made by P. Heleenders Source: Made by J. Nederend strongly present in the wall on the short side. Probably for compromise themselves
in relation to the long side. These also presented inside as walking routes, see Figure
69 The walkways are very clear on each floor. In the corners, the vertical movement,
which is connected to a connection squares along the functions. To break this is, on
the ground floor the staircase in the middle, see figure 72. The main value of the entire
building is the typology itself. Due to its size and function, it is an exceptional building.

The entire building is generally in a good value, except for a number of damages. Also
there was some leaking problem in the offices and market hall. These problems are re-
solved leg recently, by a new robbery and robbery panels. For the technical value is the
steel construction of high value. This creates a large span, without supports of columns.
Of lesser value, the current plant is in poor condition. The installations are completely
Figure 15. Photo Restaurant Figure 16. Photo office Elektra into view, FIG. However, there are opportunities for the old ventilation space
Source: Made by J. Nederend Source: Made by P. Heleenders
can be used. For almost all window openings are windows used to 1100x1800, these
Value Assessment are all still with single glazing. The whole building will have a solution must be to insu-
The value assessment will be focus on the Central Market on the Foodcenter. This will be late.
done in three different scales. The first one is the location, followed by the area and finally the
building itself. The building will be discussed on spatial qualities, architectural design elements, The qualities of the building are in the brightness. Not only in the circulation and the
technical design elements and materials. organization also in the materialization. By making use of four different materials con-
tinue to clutter.
Location
The location has a high value, because it is located nearby the centre of Amsterdam. It there-
fore offers opportunities to benefit from the Amsterdam city centre.
Area
On a smaller scale, has the Central Market a high value. This dates from history where entre-
preneurs arrived by boat at the Central Market. Therefore, the two channels also dug along
the Central Market. The current main entrance was there as well in the past. That explains the
orientation of the front façade to the Van Galenstraat.
Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 18.
High Monumental Value
Positive Monumental Value
Indifferent Monumental Value

Figure 17. Ground floor Central Market, Value assessment Figure 18. First floor Central Market, Value assessment Figure 19. Second/Third floor Central Market, Value assessment
Source: Made by P. Heleenders Source: Made by P. Heleenders Source: Made by P. Heleenders

Ground floor: First floor: Second/Third floor:


The ground floor is from a high value is still remains in Just like the ground floor, the walls has a great value. Also On the upper floors are next to the existing walls, the
its original state. This applies for the exterior and inner here are the offices of a less value. The stairs to the walk- walking routes of value. Also here it has the same reason
walls. The floor of the market hall has been changed, but path is again of an great value. Its contribute to the circu- as by the first floor (circulation and the expression). The
the principle of working is still the same. The offices are lation and the horizontality/humanscal expression to the offices here are from less value. The sate is poor after all the
in a less state, these are change over the years. The stairs market hall. changes and the leaking of the upper roof.
itself has a positive value, because it makes the connection
between the market hall quickly. Futhermore, the construc-
tion has a great value. This contributes to the large span.
Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 19.
Sources

Websites
- http://www.foodcenter.nl/index.php?buttonID=9

Books
- F.D.K. Ching; Architecture form, space and order
- H.Zijlstra (2009) Analysing Buildings from context to detail in Time
- A.Orbasli (1988) Architectural Conservation
- S. Unwin (2009) Analysing Architecture
- Design and Politic (2012) Olympisch Ontwerpen

Documents
- Gemeente Amsterdam (2005) Ontwikkelingsstrategie Foodcenter Amsterdam
- Rappange & Patners (2007) Haalbaarheidsonderzoek Casco Herstel Centrale Hal
- Gemeente Amsterdam (2007) Masterplan Foodcenter een duurzaam ruimtelijk raamwerk
- EDB (2009) Presentatie constructie Markthallen
- BMA (2009) Historische ontwikkeling en uitgangspunten en monumentale waarden

Images
- Figure 1: Photo: Overview of the Centrale Market 1934, Source: Beeldbank Amsterdam
- Figure 2: Sketches: Location of graduation project, Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 3: Sketches: Comparison plan with the location situation and the current, Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 4: Photo: Bird view of the current situation, Source: made by J. Nederend
- Figure 5: Diagram: problem statements, Source: made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 6: Sketch: Current situation, source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 7: Sketch: Birdview of the Food Center: Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 8: Sketch: Plan of the Westergasfabriek, Source: website http://courses.umass.edu/latour/Netherlands/varro/Images/Plan.jpg
- Figure 9: Sketch: Process diagram, Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 10: Sketch: Development of Amsterdam-West: Source: Made by B. Maat
- Figure 11: Sketch: Plan of the Food Center 1934, 2012 and future, Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 12: Sketch: Cross section Central Market, Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 13: Photo of the Central Market hall Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 14: Photo corridor Central Market Source: Made by J. Nederend
- Figure 15: Photo Restaurant Source: Made by J. Nederend
- Figure 16: Photo office Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 17: Ground floor Central Market, Value assessment Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 18: First floor Central Market, Value assessment Source: Made by P. Heleenders
- Figure 19: Second/Third floor Central Market, Value assessment Source: Made by P. Heleenders

Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 20.
Thesis Plan ‘Central market back to the society’ Pascal Heleenders 4060512 6 november 2012 21.

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