Anchor Points of Dakpark

Dakpark has various social spaces and facilities: playground, benches, fountain square, restaurant and urban gardens. It is visible how most access points are facing Bospolder or at the two ends of the park. If you are already in the park, there is only one point to go down to the shopping street: the stairs in the middle part.

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Active point 1: placid / passive encounters: chatting & viewing

According to the manager, the playground on the north side of Dakpark is a popular place, a lot of parents send their children here intently because they think it is unique. However, the open time is limited since the children are only allowed when they have parents or volunteer watched. If there was an installation on the top of the park facing the playground, the parents can chat with each other in a relaxing way while watching their kids, and foster other passive encounters. And the installation could also be a fun place for the children

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Active point 2: dynamic / active encounters: sports & reaction

As there is only one stair which is in the middle on the Dakpark that connects the park and the shopping street, the space around the stair is an essential anchor point with multiple functions facilities. It could be the community centre with multiple functions and has a large ranged target group. It should be the most dynamic space in the park, with sports and reaction facilities that attract people to come and willing to spend more time

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connection route

As the large space of Dakpark, it is necessary to connect the active points together, and also add sub-points with the same elements to orient people go along the park, move from one point to the other. The sub-points can be patter on the ground that identified the ground’s characteristic or oriented-viewing stand facing to the urban gardens.

Let’s make it unique

Dakpark exists on the roof of a shop which makes it a unique park where all unique activities can take a place. The location of Dakpark is utterly important because of its existence on a net of axial thoroughfares. These roads lead either to the center of the neighborhood (such as Schippersstraat) or outside it (such as Hudsonstraat), and that makes this park one of the favorite destinations of its visitors, whether from inside the neighborhood of TuBo or from outside it.

The research that has been conducted by BoTu resilience 2028 shows that the visitors of Dakpark are from different groups such as adults, children, etc. And the major purpose of their visit to the park is either to sport or to hang out, and enjoy the weather. However, the park does not accommodate enough urban furniture that complies with the needs of the visitors.

Identifying the missing elements:

– Lack of enough sitting furniture;

– Absence of any protection regarding the weather (either in summer or in winter);

– Loss of any urban furniture for sport (especially for adults);

– Lack of interaction between the visitors.

Requirements:

– Providing soft urban sitting area;

– Add sport furniture (for adults) in a manner that complies their needs;

– Provide a compact space for children to play;

– Come up with a climbing wall.

The design of Let’s make it unique is to provide a space to the visitors to interact through variety of options (sporting, relaxing, sitting, etc) and to represent the identity of the park.

The Grote Vissertijplein is a square in the heart of BoTu which holds the open market twice a week. The open market is an important activity for the neighborhood. The spatial program idea for this site is to create a function while compatible with the open market.

Right now the main users of the open markets are elder people, due to the opening time of the market we presume the users are mostly retirees, jobless, or stay at home parents. During the usual day, the site is occupied with stall equipment, and most are kids here use it as a playground.

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The concept of the arrangement for the flexible units is related to the existing sculptures in the site. As the sculptures already separate the space instinctively, adding the units to combine with them can easily turn the square into few sections. In this way, the use of space can have more possibilities: besides the function of the unit itself the outer space turns into functional space as well.

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Have you ever looked over the borders of dakpark?

To create a stronger bond between the Bospolder Neighbourhood and the M4H area. A direct link by creating a stair is impossible to make, but other connections can be established. The requirements of the design of this ‘pavilion’ is that it is a place where people meet and enjoy the view on the M4H area. The place must lift a person higher up.

In short:

• Create a visual connection
• Aspects for different groups
• Easy to climb up
• Multi-usable

This pavilion can be build up out of several parts. These parts can contain, swings, stairs, sports equipment or all at the same time. An example for a multi-use pavilion is the Xarranca Pavilion in Barcelona, designed by Urban Think Tank.

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The Visserijplein is centrally location in Bospolder-Tussendijken. People meet each other at the market twice a week, both active and passive encounters. At these days the square is very lively. On other days the square is almost empty. The organizations wmo radar and the library are located on the square. Wmo radar has active encounters, mostly of men with a migration background. The library attracts mostly children and women and they don’t go to the canteen of wmo radar, even though the library is connected to wmo radar. People sitting and standing around the edges, due to limited seating spots on the square.

The Resilient BoTu 2028 report shows that a square can be a central meeting space for both young and old people. The Visserijplein now is completely made out of stone, so it is too hot in summer: ‘vergroening’ needed.

Starting points

• Connecting the diverse residents of BoTu
• Creating a stage for the residents of BoTu
• Providing a central meeting spot in the neighborhood
• Creating a stronger neighborhood identity
• Connecting people with different talents
• Creating a hangout meeting spot at the market
• Creating a dialogue through activities
• ‘Vergroening’

Design requirements

• Stage
• Seating elements
• Playful aspects (like moving art or a game)
• 1.5 meter society
• Addressing the different cultures
• Greenery
• Instagram worthy

The ‘BoTu stage’ on the Visserij plein connects the residents of BoTu through enterainment. It brings live to the square, on the days that there is no market. When there is a market taking place, the pavilion will be a recognizable meeting spot to hang out and interact with others.

Selected Location | Bospolderplein

Starting points for the pavilion:

• should either way be accessible from all sides and not close off one part of the square (connecting different parts of the square)
• should function during different times of the day (also when ’the stage’ is not in use, as furniture for example)
• People should not feel too exposed
• Houses different cultural activities
• Should be flexible in use (and program)
• Easy to move

Bospolderplein

‘When sport meets art‘

Visserijplein

‘A multifunctional square’

There is no doubt that the square of Visserijplein has a centric role in Bospolder/Tussendijken. The existence of the community center Pier 80 which accommodates many active facilities an active point for interactions. However, the (two days a week) food market makes this square one of the most active locations of the neighborhood “I always meet someone here when I shop, my main goal is grousers, but I really love meeting people here”, but the main question here How will this square be during the absence of the food market? And not to mention the absence of adequate places to sit, which mitigates the interaction chances.

Dakpark

Let’s make it unique.

Its existence on the roof of a shop makes it a unique place. This park makes every experience unparalleled sporting, shopping and even “chatting with friends”. However, its biggest problem is lacking furniture either for sitting or for sporting. Good furniture that represents the identity of Dakpark would have a great influence especially if it’s equipped with adequate furniture that targets all the groups in the neighborhood, that will not only increase the interaction but also will make every experience a – unique experience – just like Dakpark.

What do the residents need in the open space?

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Bospolderplein

How to maintain the social activities in bad weather?

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Dakpark

• Function: The facilities fields are independent and clearly distinguished ( greenway, footpath, children reaction park, forest space, urban landscape, fountain square)
• Target group: residents from the whole Rotterdam
• Social activities: related sports(stretching on the railing, running around the footpath), walking, viewing, children playing, parents chatting
• Advantage: multiple activities, multiple target group, the function of each open space is clear and not affecting each other, the influenced range is the whole Rotterdam
• Disadvantage: social activities only exist on sunny days

How to foster the social activities in bad weather?

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Grote Visserijplein

• Function: field for regular open market
• Target group: served for the customers who are mostly residents in Rotterdam
• Social activities: shopping, eating, meet with friends
• Advantage: a large number of participants, fixed participants
• Disadvantage: the market only being held twice per week, most time the field is idle

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How to keep activities happening in no-events time