Crafting for Knowledge: The Hembrug terrain, a production estate

The location of the project is the Hembrug terrain which is located in Zaandam alongside the North Sea Canal. The Hembrug terrain has been the stage of ammunition and weapon production for over 100 years until all activities seized at the end of the last century. Nowadays the site has been abandoned by the military and a new connection to society has to be created in order to safeguard the heritage. New uses for the vacant buildings have to be developed without losing the essence and values of the buildings and the in between space. An ensemble in the south east of the Hembrug terrain called “Green Head of the Cape South” was the main focus of this graduation project. This ensemble forms the green tip of the Hembrug terrain towards Amsterdam and is enclosed by the North Sea Canal and side canal G. The ensemble includes four buildings: a 1930’s bomb shelter, a 1950’s storage building, a 1950’s factory building and a 1980’s Romney Hut (storage shed).This graduation project shows how the ensemble is revitalised by keeping close to the essence of the Hembrug terrain as a production estate while giving a response to the consumer society. The interventions to the ensemble and the buildings were all developed with the cultural and historical values in mind, creating a balance between hierarchy and contrast of the existing and the new architecture. Revitalising Heritage: Hembrug PeninsulaArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Heritage & Architectur