Lost Form
Inter-architecture, a building in-between fases
A successor to the success of Céramique, a new annexation of the fragile porcelain empire. Subtracted from demographic fortunetelling one counts its profit to a density, unconsumable by design efforts. Even a XXL chess strategy and rustic brick flanks can’t camouflage a city shackled by a parking grid. Too long have we witnessed a profession of spacial planning, where free space comes in last. Today this system of development becomes part of a past future.
A rich past. Century old outlines mark a site, which has played a part in Maastricht’s chronicles. At the very start, this already was a garden. Free space for monks to wander and to think, contained and protected by the city wall. Afterwards, Maastricht being a fortified city, the site offered free space for orchards belonging to the military engineering. Only centuries later was the site filled up with the early industrial buildings and infrastructure. With the near completion of the new Céramique neighbourhood, the ‘not-old-enough’ Sphinxhalls made way for the next urban frontier, leaving behind an orphaned and emptied cultural heritage. On site all historical traces were buried under the weight of pipe dreams.
After years of vacancy a collective of cultural institutions temporarily adopt the problem child and donate a new kind of park to the city. A place where spontaneous recreations is rediscovered on ramparts of mud and alcoves of darnel. At last an empty garden of Eden, free space for new prospects.
Together with cropped expectations and seasoned insight we design again. Outlines of a sized up history and adopted blueprints are manifested with ribbons and pickets. Colours, lines and QR-coded images render a spatial display serving as a mock-up for a new foundation. A design for a base which is temporary operational, but permanently constructive.
location: Sphinxpark, Maastricht
type: research and design, in between usage
client: Bureau Europa, Marres, Recentre
team: Tim Prins, Nora Müller, Mark Proosten, Nicole Cloudt
status: completed