OUR ETERNAL FIGHT AGAINST THE WATER: MARINKE IN DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE DELTA WORKS

presentation: Pieter-Jan Haegens
direction, research and production: Ronald Sistermans
camera: Thijs Aardema
sound: Youp de Bruijn
montage: Igor de Keijzer

Op 10 mei 2022 zond de NPO de documentaire ‘Onze eeuwige strijd tegen het water’ uit. Marinke wandelt hierin met interviewer Pieter-Jan Haegens over het Vuurtorenpad in de duinen van Schouwen, terwijl ze vertelt over de werkcultuur van de Deltadienst, de Deltawerken en de opgaven van vandaag en morgen.

Watch the documentary

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF LAND CONSOLIDATION (‘RUILVERKAVELING’) IN ALBLASSERWAARD, THE LARGEST LAND CONSOLIDATION AREA OF EUROPE

Our countryside is facing large challenges. In this, cultural history can give insight and play a reconciliating role. In June 2022 at the village of Noordeloos, Marinke presented our research into the history of land consolidation in Alblasserdam. In the sixties, this was the largest land consolidation project in Europe. Through the reorganisation of the land, many acres of valuable fen-meadows disappeared. Both the new parcellation and the way in which the farmers (mandatorily) consented gave the group of farmers, (provincial) advisors and administrators insight into the radical changes of the landscape and use of soil. In the sixties, there were protesting farmers on tractors as well, but at the time, they were protesting against the scaling up of the agricultural sector. This research project was commissioned by landscape architect Peter de Ruijter en the municipality of Molenlanden.

Read more

LECTURE ‘LANDSCAPE IN LETTERS’ BY MARINKE STEENHUIS: TIME TRAVELING THROUGH 100 YEARS OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Ten books, ten decades of landscape architecture. On Friday 18 november 2022, Marinke gave an unusual view on 100 years of landscape architecture, by discussing ten books that defined this field of study. The lecture took place at the office of Feddes/Olthof landscape architects in Utrecht. The lecture was the starting point for a new publication about the meaningful (international) books and treatises for landschape architects. Marinke invited NVTL-members and other practioners to make their own lists and share them with her – to make available the wonder of one century of reading to everyone. (photo Harma Horlings)

Listen to the lecture

THE DUTCH BRASILIAS

curator: SteenhuisMeurs
design: Beukers Scholma
made possible by: the Dutch ambassy in Brasil and Dutch Culture

In november 2022, the ambassador André Driessen opened the exhibition about The Dutch Brasílias at the National University of Brasília (UNB), dedicated to the Zuiderzeepolders. Over 60 years ago, Brasilia became the capital of Brazil. Brasília is unlike any other city in the world. The Brazilian capital bears a unique quality in its monumental modern architecture, urban layout, Brazilian landscape and the vocation of national capital. For its exceptional trajectory and appearance, Brasília’s Plano Piloto became listed as World Heritage as early as 1986. The ideas behind the urbanism and architecture of Brasília have a universal dimension. The same ideas were the basis for urban extensions and the construction of New Towns and cities around the world.

In the large land reclamations of the Zuiderzee, the Dutch could realize their utopias without compromise just like Brasilia. The so-called Zuiderzeewerken shaped a New World on the old continent. The Dutch reclaimed the land and subsequently had to build up a complete society on the bottom of the (former) sea. There are similarities between the Dutch polders and Brasília (Plano Piloto and Cidades Satelites), but there are also striking differences. The youngest city in the polders, Almere, started as a dormitory town for nearby Amsterdam and now is one of the largest cities in the country. The central location and short distances made the New World of the Zuiderzeepolders complementary to the Old World of the Netherlands, in particular to the region around Amsterdam. And Almere Oosterwold, where inhabitants have total freedom, and responsibility, will remind Brazilians of the favelas, where the municipality is also completely absent when it comes to urban planning.

At the opening of the exhibition, UNB organised a colloquium, discussing how to deal with the inheritance and heritage of the pioneers of the Netherlands and Brazil.

PODCAST ‘DE ARCHITECT: MEREL EN TRACY PRATEN DOOR’
ABOUT BUILDING(S) WITH HISTORY

In this podcast episode, Vita Teunissen talks with Merel Pit and Tracy Metz. How to build upon what is already there? Cultural heritage values are not necessarily obstructions for designers. They can help in developing a meaningful future for our buildings and cities. The podcast episode zooms in on Post65 heritage, on retracing original design ideas, and on the relationship between people and heritage. Herman Hertzberger is also part of the podcast. Together, they spoke about collectivity and liveability in buildings.

Listen here

VITA NOMINATED MONUMENT TALENT AWARD 2022

In 2022, Vita Teunissen was one of the three nominees of the Monument Talent Award. This award was initiated by the Minister of Education, Culture and Science, to ‘stimulate rejuvenation and renewal in the field of cultural heritage’. In this video, Vita introduces herself as one of the finalistst of the award.

Watch the video here

GUIDELINES FOR TRANSFORMATION FRAMEWORKS

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. This framework document 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.

BOOK, EXH EN FILM: REUSE, REDEVELOP AND DESIGN: HOW THE DUTCH DEAL WITH HERITAGE (2016-2021)

Paul Meurs EN Marinke Steenhuis
met bijdragen van: Paul Meurs, Marinke Steenhuis, Jean-Paul Corten, Sander Gelinck en Frank Strolenberg
ontwerp: Beukers Scholma
uitgever: nai010 publishers, Rotterdam
opdrachtgever: Cultural Heritage Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

As regards the exhibition on adaptive reuse in the Netherlands which we made on behalf of RCE, Portuguese, English, Russian and Japanese versions are travelling around the world. A documentary was made to go with the exhibition in Russia. The accompanying book dating from 2017 contains four essays on the Dutch approach to adaptive reuse of cultural heritage, as well as 20 examples of projects. The second edition of the book was published in 2020, with an update of three recent projects. A special feature of Dutch heritage policy is the emphasis on social relevance, use and integral spatial quality. This leads to an approach where developers and heritage parties know what to expect from each other and all kinds of creative ways to find new uses for heritage are being developed – in public-private partnerships, ingenious financing constructions, design solutions and combining functions. Examples of projects from the book include Villa Augustus in Dordrecht, Burgerweeshuis in Amsterdam, LocHal in Tilburg, Strijp R and Strijp S in Eindhoven and Fundaco dei Tedeski in Venice.

Watch the movie

THE HAGUE CID IN URBAN DESIGN AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE YEARBOOK (2021) 

Our cultural heritage analysis of the Central Innovation District in The Hague was included in the Urban Design and Landscape Architecture Yearbook 2021.

Martine Bakker: ‘A solid cultural heritage study reveals the architectural history of the station area in The Hague’, Cultural Heritage Analysis Central Innovation District The Hague by SteenhuisMeurs in the Urban Design and Landscape Architecture in the Netherlands Yearbook (2021), p. 44-47

ARTICLE ON STEENHUISMEURS’ INVOLVEMENT IN THE REAL ESTATE STRATEGY OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF ROTTERDAM (2021)

Teun van den Ende, ‘Why the municipality has frequently been selling its real estate to investors – and alternatives for how this can be done’, Vers Beton 20 December 2021

INTERVIEW IN STIJL LAWYERS NEWSLETTER (2021)

Maaike Staffhorst: ‘Marinke Steenhuis. Vision of the expert. Our landscape is going to change’ Stijl Lawyers newsletter, 5 December 2021

Read the article 

LECTURE ON THE GREEN HEART TOURISM DAY (2021)

Marinke talked about the Green Heart narrative and the opportunities for tourism at De Boerinn in Kamerik, a farm converted into an online studio.

Watch the lecture 

INTERVIEW ON THE NARRATIVE APPROACH IN PUBLICATION BY LYSIAS ADVIES (2021)

Interview with Marinke Steenhuis in : M. Sturm et al, Not another study. Study with an impact in the public domain, publication Lysias Advies (2021).

INTERVIEW ON THE CHARACTER OF THE GRONINGEN LANDSCAPE (2021)

Chris Zwart and Clemens Gielingh, ‘Character in a fix’ episode 3, on the beauty of the Groningen landscape, website GRAS, October 2021

Read the article 

KEYNOTE TALK NATIONAL MONUMENTS CONGRESS (2021)

Commissioned by Nederland Monumentenland

At the National Monuments Congress of 11 November 2021, Marinke held a keynote talk on the red-green heritage: ensembles and landscapes where buildings and green values go hand in hand. Via Oosterpark, Artis and the Amsterdam Hortus, she made the leap to the Green Heart and the range of assignments awaiting a synthesis there. Prior to the congress, she gave an interview: Floor van den Elsen: ‘The question is not whether the Dutch landscape is going to change, but how.’ Interview for the National Monuments Congress 2021

Read the article 

DOCUMENTARY: THE LOST LAND OF HOBOKEN (2021)

Our cultural heritage assessment study in respect of the Land of Hoboken in Rotterdam (2008) was partly the basis for this two-part documentary by BuroB / POI Creatives, which appeared in September 2021. A century ago, the Land of Hoboken was an open space in the city, that has since developed into a dynamic central area with schools, museums, a hospital and a university of applied sciences. In the film, Paul talks about the miraculous development of the area and the question of whether and how this history could be deployed to enhance the future spatial quality and the special character of the Land of Hoboken.

Part 1, The lost Land of Hoboken. The city advances.

Watch the movie

Part 2, The lost Land of Hoboken. The city takes over.

Watch the movie

SPONGELAND. JOURNEY THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE OF THE FUTURE (2021)

Essay by Marinke Steenhuis  

Commissioned by Groninger Architectuur Stichting (GRAS)

In the publication Spongeland – journey through the landscape of the future, eight design offices went in search of climate adaptive solutions for the soil in Groningen. Marinke wrote an introductory essay, in which she describes the four flanks around the city of Groningen on the basis of their occupation patterns, mentality and long economic relationship with ‘the city’. She puts the changed conceptual presence of the surrounding countryside on the agenda, and analyses the toxic mechanisms that prevent the North from reinventing itself as a settlement area. She draws lessons from previous studies, gives direction to a new self-awareness, and advocates a renewed definition of the reciprocity between the city and the countryside.

THE STORY OF THE SCHIE IN NINE EPISODES (2021)

On behalf of Natuurmonumenten (Dutch Society for Nature Conservation) we made a booklet about the storylines along the river Delfshavense Schie for the Administrative Landscape Table, concerning the Provincial Landscape of Midden-Delfland. Marinke presented this story to the administrative table during a boat trip and a visit to the Tempel estate in September 2021.

FIVE FILMS ACCOMPANYING THE GREEN HEART LANDSCAPE BIOGRAPHY (2021)

The landscape biography functions as a foundation for the complicated considerations – in five online films, the area stories are told and the value chart is explained.

Overarching story about the entire Green Heart (Marinke Steenhuis)

Watch the movie

Narrative about the Heart of the Green Heart (Marinke Steenhuis)

Watch the movie

Narrative about the ‘waarden’ (river islands): Alblasserwaard, Lopikerwaard, Krimpenerwaard, Vijfherenlanden (Marinke Steenhuis)

Watch the movie

Narrative about the Vecht region (Marinke Steenhuis)

Watch the movie

An explanation of the value chart of the Green Heart (Paul Meurs)

Watch the movie

PODCAST GREENERY IN THE CITY #1 TUINDORP VREEWIJK ROTTERDAM (2021)

With the National Collection for Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning as a starting point, theatre and radio maker Naomi Steijger visits the neighbourhood to talk to designers, archive experts and residents/users of the greenery in the garden village of Vreewijk. Marinke talks about the design concept behind Tuindorp Vreewijk in Rotterdam South, where no fewer than 5000 single-family homes with their own garden were built according to an ingenious urban and landscape design.

Listen to the podcast

FILMED NARRATIVE ON THE POSITIONING OF THE CITY OF GORINCHEM (2021)

Commissioned by the Municipal Executive of the municipality of Gorinchem 

Now that working from home is offering new opportunities, the Randstad area is expanding mentally and physically. Cities such as Amersfoort and Gorinchem are within the sphere of influence of house seekers. What makes Gorinchem unique? Which values can be built upon, and what are the assignments? How can the gap between image (the image from the outside) and identity (the inner self-image) be reduced? And which past and present Gorinchem residents can serve as a mirror for the city’s assignments? A development history and critical interpretation of the Gorinchem ‘brand’.

Watch the lecture

KEYNOTE TALK NATIONAL BUILDING DIALOGUE ON STATE AS STEWARD (2021)

Commissioned by National Building Dialogue

Following the essay State as steward, written by Marinke for the Board of Government Advisors, she gave an updated lecture on the occasion of the National Building Dialogue 2021. About the key to good collaboration in area developments.

Watch de movie from 10:50

PODCAST BUILDING ON VIRGIN LAND (2021)

Commissioned by Groninger Architectuur Stichting (GRAS)

Discussion about the urbanisation assignment on the east side of Groningen, with Marinke Steenhuis (SteenhuisMeurs), Reimar von Meding (KAW architecten) and Peter Veenstra (LOLA landscape). Following our cultural heritage research Meerdorpen (2020).

Listen to the podcast 

ESSAY: NOTHING IS AS SUSTAINABLE AS A MONUMENT (2021)

Commissioned by the National Renovation Platform (NRP), Paul wrote an essay on heritage and sustainability. The essay was written from the thought-provoking stance that we have a lot to learn from heritage in making existing real estate future-proof. After all, heritage has per definition gone through a great number of transitions. The essay was based on a series of interviews with practitioners and academics. The presentation took place during a talk show in De Balie in Amsterdam in which, in addition to Paul, Susan Lammers (director RCE), Wessel de Jonge (professor Delft TU) and Charlotte Uiterwaal (MeyerBergman Erfgoed Groep) took part.

Download the essay 

HET RIJK ALS RENTMEESTER (2020)

Marinke Steenhuis 

commissioned by: Board of Government Advisors (Floris Alkemade, Bernard Strootman and Daan Zandbelt) 

with the cooperation of: Jelte Boeijenga, Annet Kampinga, SteenhuisMeurs

An essay on the success factors of complex projects in a decentralised model of spatial planning
When it comes to realising large-scale interventions in our landscape, The Netherlands are internationally renowned for our organisational efficiency. An often mentioned example is the Delta Project. But since the realisation of this project, things have changed, both in government policies and in the organisation of the executive agencies. What is the impact of these changes? Commissioned by the Board of Government Advisors, Marinke wrote the essay ‘Het Rijk als Rentmeester’, studying the role of the national government in four successful projects that were executed in the past ten years. The projects she discusses are: train station Rotterdam Centraal, the reinforcement of coastal defences in Katwijk, the A2 tunnel in Maastricht and ‘Ruimte voor de Rivier’. What were the key factors that – apart from the spreadsheets – made these projects succesful and unique. Marinke shows that complex projects can also succeed in a decentralised model of spatial planning, with substantial roles for private sector organisations and in a diffuse political and policy landscape. The Board of Government Advisors incorporated the results in a letter of advice to the cabinet. You can read the essay or watch a short clip in which Marinke explains her findings through the links below (both in Dutch).

Download the essay

Watch the film

CENTRAL INNOVATION DISTRICT THE HAGUE – CULTURAL HERITAGE VALUATION (2020)

development of cartography and visualization: SteenhuisMeurs, Vita Teunissen 
commissioned by: Central Government Real Estate Agency and the municipality of The Hague

Over the past centuries, the surroundings of railway station Den Haag Centraal have changed many times. Once again, the area faces significant intervention in the upcoming years. Commissioned by the municipality of The Hague and by the Central Government Real Estate Agency (Rijksvastgoedbedrijf), SteenhuisMeurs researched the historical development of this part of the city. We captured the many urban and architectural layers in a video, illustrating the increasing velocity of change in this area
Watch the film

Watch the film

750 YEARS OF ROTTE (2020)

Commissioned by the 750 years Dam in De Rotte Foundation (Stichting 750 jaar Dam in de Rotte)

At the official opening of the 750 years Dam in De Rotte theme year, Marinke gave a lecture on the history of man and landscape along the river Rotte.

Watch the movie 

FILM THE AMSTERDAM REGION – CHANGING LANDSCAPES THROUGH THE AGES (2020)

Commissioned by the province of Noord-Holland, Amsterdam Metropolitan Region (2020)

(23 minuten)

Watch the movie

ADMINISTRATIVE ADVICE AND STRATEGIC NARRATIVE FOR THE MRA LANDSCAPE (2019)

Marinke Steenhuis

development cartography and visualisation: ‘The MRA in time and space’: Berte Daan

commissioned by: MRA office, Action Programme Metropolitan Landscape

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is a collaboration of 31 municipalities and two provinces, focusing on the major challenges for the future such as housing, energy, infrastructure, water and food. Working on the landscape is a cultural task, which over the centuries has led to a phenomenal level of stratification in the wet MRA delta, bordered by the higher sandy soils of dunes and the Gooi area. Marinke was asked to advise the administrators on the course to be followed in respect of the MRA landscape, in view of the fact that the landscape is the place where all these tasks come together. The product is a strategic narrative, an analysis and interpretation of the historical development of the landscape as designed over the centuries. A strategic narrative provides recollection, comfort, insight and interpretation, so that future assignments can be viewed jointly instead of separately. The study made it clear that revenue models and accelerations of and in the landscape have shaped the MRA, as the MRA landscape represents a succession of soil cultivations and, consequently, earning capacity – ranging from fish and peat to villa districts and solar panel areas. And the accelerations, the innovations of tow barge and train, but also canals and the Housing Act, keep creating new earning models in the metropolitan region. Around Amsterdam, the landscape ‘specialises’, tailored to the needs of the city. In 2020 the narrative will be made into a film by Museum TV.

THE MRA IN TIME AND SPACE, VISUALISATION (2019)

SteenhuisMeurs and Berte Daan

commissioned by: MRA office

A large number of archival maps through five centuries has been used to produce a visualisation of the development of the landscape of the MRA. Canals are dug, reclaimed lands pop up, entire polders arise in the Zuiderzee, and Schiphol Airport traverses the landscape with its own logic. The visualisation was used as the start of the eight thematic salons led by Marinke in 2019.