Minervahaven water resilient: A liveable and affordable place for starters

A process of research and design has taken place to understand the problems we face in the present and future to transfer that into a design proposal. The first problem as starting point for the design is the extreme rain periods that causes floods due to climate change. The second problem as starting point for the design is a social problem where starters can't afford a house due to the expensive housing market. This occurs especially in popular cities such as Amsterdam. Eventually, a design proposal in Minervahaven (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is made that is liveable in a way how it deals with the extreme rain periods by having different strategies integrated in the design such as using, absorbing and storing rainwater. At the same time, the design proposal will create an affordable place for starters by having focused on creating a balance between 315 qualitative compact dwellings and collective areas in the building. This is realised in the form of collective kitchens, working areas, laundry rooms and shared electric cars. Also, repetition was key in the design to reduce the building costs that helps increasing the affordability of the dwellings for starters. The challenge was to have a good collaboration between architecture and building technology to give something back to the community not only in the present but also for the future.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Dwellin