Graduation Plan

Master of Science Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences

 Walking the city & its landscapes

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE AND UNFINISHED

LANDSCAPES OF THE CITIES

A house for freedom, a house for the city

Graduation Explore Lab 25

Esmeralda Bierma
Graduation Plan: All tracks

Submit your Graduation Plan to the Board of Examiners (Examencommissie-

BK@tudelft.nl), Mentors and Delegate of the Board of Examiners one week before
P2 at the latest.

The graduation plan consists of at least the following data/segments:

Personal information
Name Esmeralda Bierma
Student number 4141288
Telephone number 0613104554
Private e-mail address esmeraldabierma@gmail.com

Studio
Name / Theme Explore Lab
Teachers / tutors Leeke Reinders (M3, Research)
Leontine de Wit & Mark Pimlott (M1, Design)
Gilbert Koskamp (M2, BT)
Argumentation of choice I wanted to formulate my own graduation which allows an
of the studio alternative way of exploring the built environment,
incorporate personal fascinations and a (highly) subjective
approach towards an understanding of the city, its
territories and urban landscapes.


Graduation project
Title of the graduation A dialogue between architecture and unfinished
project
landscapes of the city
– A house for freedom, a house for the city

Goal
Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
The posed problem, Our everyday life is mainly dominated by productivity and
efficiency. Within our daily accelerated routines, we all
create our own image of the city and filter out the things
which we consider important. Besides that, cities are
growing intemperately and we are becoming more and
more detached from the world and from the other.
As an architect in becoming I question myself what the
 role as an architect is & should be nowadays and I am
interested in how we can approach research and design in
a more experiential, subjective and narrative way which is
different than the more linear, rational character of
conventional planning of architects.

The area of exploration will be the city of Rotterdam.

This ‘subjective’ research approach of reading the city
should incorporate slowing down, breaking routines and
the first-hand perspective of walker moving through the
city.
research questions and Research part I / Walking the city & unfinished landscapes
sub questions of the city

Questions:
- How to read, learn and represent a city and its
unfinished landscapes from the perspective of the
walker?
- How can this reading/narration be used as a
method for architects that can lead to an
architecture that is sensitive to the unfinished
landscapes?
- What is the role of the use of narration to address
today’s questions of urban landscapes in
contemporary practice and research?

Research part II / A house for freedom, a house for the

city

Questions:
- How can architecture operate in unfinished
landscapes of the city? What is the minimal and
maximum that can be add to these places without
destroying the beauty of the unfinished landscape,
keep its character but add something.
- How to create an architecture that is sensitive
towards the unfinished landscapes of the city?
- How to experience the unfinished landscapes
through architecture?
- How to design an architecture that is free from
program but still allows the possibility of plural
activities? What are the architectural elements?
design assignment in A house for freedom, a house for the city which is sensitive
which these result. towards its surrounds and the unfinished landscapes where
it is placed. This house does not hold one particular
program but

Process
Method description
Research part I

1. Walking as a method to describe the city

- From walking to observing/describing

- From walking to making (using the skills of an architect like the line drawing,
collage and models)

The first act (and method) of my research is the act of walking the city. Breaking
through daily routines of the everyday life by slowing down and only being at one
place at time. As you walk you take the visible world with you. This method is highly
subjective as it is me, with my personal views, walking the city.
The city & urban landscapes I am researching & analyzing are of Rotterdam. A city
highly dominated and fragmented by the car and infrastructures. From this point of
view, it is seen as a first act contrary to the modern city. Walking as a personal and
direct experience, as act to reclaim the public realm.

2. Reading/archive Rotterdam/history/literature about

By choosing walking as one of my methods I place myself in the tradio

It is iterative cycle between walking, observing & making (writing & drawing)
Research part II

- Reading unfinished landscapes: using same methods as in research part I

- Typology research of buildings without (or with minimal program) sensitive
towards natural surrounds (pavilions).

The architectural drawing & model is used in combination with visiting some of
these places and walking, being there, describing and making.
Understanding the tools and way of thinking of the architects who created these
pavilions.

Literature and general practical preference

Walkscapes – Francesco Careri

Psychogeography – Merlin coverley
OASE 98: narrating urban landscapes
OASE 96: Building atmosphere
Patrick Keiler – London (film)
George Perec – Describing space
Guy Debord - The situationist city
Gaston Bachelard - The Poetics of Space
Alison and Peter Smithson - The space inbetween
Matta-Clark - Retrospective
Dimitris Pikionis – a sentimental topography
Tom Emerson – Garden Diary (lecture)
Leonard Koren – Wabi Sabi
Sola-Morales – terrain vague
Foucault – Espaces autres
Aldo van Eyck – Sonsbeek Pavilion, between
Herman Hertzberger – Ruimte
Aldo Rossi – Irrationality

Reflection
Relevance

The times in which we now live, where cities are growing intemperately and
everything around us is changing rapidly, we should look critically at our environment
& what we are doing and find ways that are less hostile to our cities and landscapes.
With my research & design I want to show a new/different perspective for architects
and designers to read their environment and come to a project which is sensitive
towards this surrounding.
Furthermore, I want to create an awareness (as designers and human beings)
towards the unfinished landscapes of the city as an important part of our city life and
do not see them just as tabula rasa but knowing how to preserve these spaces.
This consist of an architecture that is dialogue with these landscapes, does not claim
it but strengthen the already existing character of these unfinished landscapes, is
flexible and has have sensitivity towards materiality.

Time planning

See next pages for the time planning

Time planning January 2018 - July 2018

Deadline Description Products

06/01 Visit Kroller Muller Photo's & Text
- Analyzing & Exploring:
Aldo van Eyck & Rietveld
Pavilions, the sculpture
garden
07/01 Visit Insel Hombrich Photo's & Text
09/01 Walking the city Research - Line Drawing A1 in progress
One A1 line drawing where - Photomontage
everything I - Text
collect/found/describe comes
together
10/01 Investigation on site Photo's & text
Rotterdam
12/01 Hand in P2 Graduation Plan P2 Graduation plan
16/01 First results design research Analyzed pavilions:
& Model In drawings, photographs and
in exploring some of them by
Define main elements for walking
Aldo van Eyck, Rietveld ,Insel
Hombrich, Kirkeby

22/01 P2: Presentation Presentation of research &
Research and start of start of design.

Design
- Summary of my research in
form of a digital presentation
and physical products
(drawing, photo-montage,
word-collage)

- Start of Design:
• Site/ situation
/context
• Research 'free'
architecture/pavilions
• First design principles
• Program - Loose
versus fixed
• Materialization
• Model, collage



Week 4/5 Develop design & research

Site, context model
Develop design research
Week 6/7 Develop design & research
Models - experimenting
scales, research & design by
making
Week 8/9 Develop design & research
Drawings
Craft of the material &
detailing
Week 10/11 Develop design & research Delivery final research
document

Week 12/week 13 P3: MIDTERM REVIEW Refined design drawings:

- Floor plans
23/03 - 30/03
1:500, 1:100, 1:50
- Sections & Elevations
1:500, 1:100, 1:20
- Materiality
- Climate & Sustainability
- Model context 1:500
- Model Interior
- Collage /impressions
Week 14 - week 21 Develop design

Week 22 P4: Digital presentation of final

31/05 FINAL Research & Design graduation project: Research
& Design
Presentation
Posters printed
go/no go Final design drawings:
- Site
- Floor plans (1:100, 1:50)
- Sections (1:100, 1:20)
- Elevations
- Details (1:5)
- Materialization (drawings &
 details)
-Climate & Sustainability

Models: volume, interior,
detail, construction
Photo's of model (interior)
Inside/outside
Collages (impressions)

At least 2 working days Digitally store the graduation Graduation project:

before the P5 project at TU Delft repository - Graduation plan (P2)
- Reflection report (P4)
- Presentation P5
- Set of final drawings, images

Week 27 P5: PUBLIC Digital presentation
02/07-06/07 PRESENTATION Posters
Research products/expo
FINAL GRADUATION

Reworked final design
drawings:
- Site
- Floor plans (1:100, 1:50)
- Sections (1:100, 1:20)
- Elevations
- Details (1:5)
- Materialization (drawings &
details)
-Climate & Sustainability

Models: volume, interior,
detail, construction
Photo's of model (interior)
Inside/outside
Collages (impressions)