Transforming housing heritage

In 2011 the RMIT-department of the Faculty of Architecture of TU
Delft formulated the ambition to be structurally involved in the
transformation of urban neighbourhoods in both research and education.
This was decided upon because of the complex social, spatial
and physical issues that many districts in large cities are facing
and the urge to react on these issues with research based design
within the awareness of the cultural significance of those threatened
areas.
The mentioned complexity fits perfectly in the mission of RMIT,
i.e. aiming at multidisciplinary research, product development and
knowledge transfer in the fields of modification, intervention and
transformation of the built environment. By linking academia with
professionals in the field RMIT aims at innovation in both education
and research. Therefore RMIT and Veldacademie joined forces and
started a graduation studio on Transforming Housing Heritage of
Feijenoord and Lombardijen.
The ambition of the studio was to gain an insight in origin, history,
past of interventions, the actual situation and the future possibilities
of a variety of typologies in the existing housing stock as a base
for intervention strategies. To connect with the real world, stakeholders
such as housing corporations and local authorities were
involved in the organisation of the studio. The collaboration with
Veldacademie and the input of experts resulted in a multidisciplinary
approach.
In this book, the following projects are discussed:
 ShopHouse Transformation in Feijenoord, by Aman Poon
 Simonsterrein - A social project, by Theodora Chatzi Rodopoulou
 Diversity: ideas and embodiment, Zinkerblock, by Alexandra
Vlasova
 Liveability in residential urban neighbourhoods, Oranjeboomstraat,
by Eirini Gallou
 De wijkgedachte 2012: Collectivity and individuality in Molièrebuurt
West, by Mark Radstake
 Green spaces in post-war areas, Lombardijen-Oost, by Donghwa
Kang
 Self-identification Issues in Post-war Neighbourhoods, Loss of
Identity in Lombardijen district, by Irakli Melkadze