The Parkrand building, designed by MVRDV and interior designer Richard Hutten, is one of the key projects in what is being branded a “metamorphosis” of Amsterdam West. With 223 dwellings, 193 of which are at the higher end of the rental market, the Parkrand building introduces a type of tenant to the area who had been virtually absent in the social housing units it replaces. Building Design
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Christoph Grafe put islamic terrorists out avant garde architecture in one little article. westward ho. damn the indians...
in holland you put Theo van Gogh's name in anything and you get a free range to bash entire islamic culture. no questions asked. kick moroccons and turks out from gentrified housing; Theo van Gogh.
not permit moque building; Theo van Gogh.
threat immigirants as second class citizens; Theo van Gogh.
i hope kicked out people from this area takes up and fights against this unjust gentrification. i'd love to see their fuckin' pristine white buildings turn into a mess in no time. yes i am that bad...
i'm glad you read it Orhan, and i agree with your sentiment...but it doesn't seem like the author is ignoring this and blindly praising the building. the article seems almost objective in describing the history of the area, and admits that local government is trying to alter what they perceive as an image problem...which is more likely a social policy problem.
Paris is burning?
here are the final words of the article, which sound like a critique of the social implications of the project Amsterdam West project, albeit a soft critique:
What are tenants buying into? The plans of most of the apartments are generous, and this compensates for moving to an area with an image problem. The price they pay is that of being housed in what is essentially a vertical, gated community with strict rules, and with isolation from the immediate surroundings enforced by both the controlled access arrangements and the aestheticisation of the communal spaces.
Perhaps this will lure in the type of tenant the client wishes to attract, but a contribution to establishing meaningful relationships with the environment it is not. And for the inhabitants of the social housing next door — if they are allowed to remain — the intended connection with their park is reduced to catching the odd, admittedly beautifully framed, distant view of trees and sky behind an exclusive still life. Architectural photographers, however, will surely like this building.
thanks AP. i did read it too fast. true. i have read it more carefully. i will let Christoph Grafe off the hook but i stand with the rest of gentrification and discrimination points in general.
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