Heritage and Design is a dynamic and innovative field of architecture that deals with the architectural re-interpretation, adaptive re-use and restoration of historic buildings. In this field, the starting point for design is not just a functional brief and a blank sheet of paper but the challenge of an existing spatial setting and cultural-historical context.

During this semester we focused on the Koepelgevangenis that stands on the East side of the Centre of Haarlem. The building has lost its original function and will be sold by the government. The City of Haarlem has high ambitions for the building and its location and sees this as an opportunity to give the city a boost. As a logical consequence of its function, the complex has a rigid structure and almost no relation with its surroundings. Now the building has to be opened up and new connections need to be made, internally and with the surrounding. The complex will house a wide range of functions, reaching from an educational institution to hotel and restaurants. The question of how this closed complex can be opened up and can adapt to the new features and current standards without losing its architectural and cultural values is the subject of the design assessment.

The concept of the Koepelgevangenis wraps around the idea of opening the establishment to the city. The ambition to do so lays in the existing contours of the impressive prison building. For me, the prison wall was one of the most interesting parts. On one hand the wall has an historical and emotional value and tells the story of the prisoners, but on the other hand, the complex will get a public function with the opportunity to unlock its quality by opening to its surrounding. The guiding theme of my design was ‘the wall’ and how to use a wall to guide people through the complex. By creating five design tools and using them on different spots both the historical value of the wall is guaranteed and the complex opens itself to its surrounding.