Here are my notes on the design. I know sketches would be better, but I’m far too lazy to scan them and all that crap. They are all in chronological order.
” Kaan’s notion of using a park as the center of Naaldwijk is an intriguing one. Not only is Naaldwijk fragmented by “restruimte”, it would fall apart like Micheal Jackson’s face. The B&W have decided to go for an urban-esque approach, all their efforts would be undermined if an architect continued along Kaan’s efforts. Any park-city would be a half-baked effort, leading to nothing coherent. You wouldn’t get the best of both worlds.
Rejecting ‘Kas’
KAS aka GREENhouse is the principal characteristic of Westland and the most important contributor to its economy.It brought Westland world-wide (or at least Holland-wide) fame, yet it is also its undoing, for several reasons. First ecological, second hydro-managerial, third – cliche.
KAS has become not a characteristic, but a cliche of Westland. Surely the inhabitants must be sick of people thinking that “kassen” are the only thing worth seeing in Westland. Therefore any literal use of the kas language… should be out of bounds.
The Landscape of Westland is flat, unimposing, unheroic, unmonumental. Yet it is this free form-follows-function approach that made Westland as it is, and it is this unpretentious stance that should be characteristic of the new town hall.
Unmonumentalness and flatness should be the chief characteristic of this democratic institution. So that no-one is more equal. This also corresponds to the form-typology of the kas.
Another desirable characteristic of the kas is it dismantleability. As well as serving as a reminder for fragility of democracy. The assemblage from standard parts reminds one of the Eames House. The Mondriaan-esque composition on the facade of the Eames House seems strangely appropriate.
Having established the open and democratic character of the town hall, we should enable the public to see as much and walk through as much of the building as possible. The ground floor should contain all the publicly accessible functions, with all of the floors above being visible to the citizen, who monitors the spending of his tax-money. (The building would use an internal street of the Passage type).
This not only leads to the desired effect of “transparency”, but also provides sunlight in an otherwise unimaginative hallway environment.”
That’s all folks
Peter S
