intervention strategies for renovation of social housing estates

Florijn Noord. An example of renovation, Bijlmermeer. Chapter 6
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CHAPTER 6
FLORIJN NOORD.
A RENOVATION IN THE BIJLMERMEER
INTRODUCTION TO THIS CHAPTER
This chapter describes renovation of a high-rise block in the Bijlmermeer. Physical solutions
have been designed by a well-known Dutch architecture firm which is experienced in the field
of renovation of social housing. The block is placed in a neighbourhood for which specific
restrictions with respect to the urban restructuring have been set up being it included within
the whole master plan of the Bijlmermeer. Therefore, the renovation itself is a good example
to show the relationship between building and urban redevelopment.
In Chapter 5 a descriptive model was used to introduce the Bijlmermeer on urban level
(Section 5.1). The same model is now used to present the renovation of Florijn Noord. With
this frameworkt the following sections deal with the F area describing it on a neighbourhood
level (Section 6.1) and the Florijn on a building level (Section 6.2). A brief overview on
success and fail factors as mentioned in a study by Thomsen and van der Flier and by the
project manager is also provided (Section 6.3).
6.1 GET TO KNOW THE ‘F’ NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE
FLORIJN NOORD
INTRODUCTION
Each neighbourhood in the Bijlmermeer has a different demolition percentage. The D, E and
F area, for example, are subjected to the less preservation levels 1 . The previous chapter
provides an overview on a number of renovation projects implemented so far. However, the
choice of the ‘F’ is related to thee criteria:
Integration: a case in which the design is integrated with the restructuring plan to
explain the connection between the urban and the building scale;
Variety: a case with a variety of physical measures applied to enrich the range of
possible solutions showed in chapter four;
Representativeness: a good example of renovation (successfulness proven by the
National Renovation Prize).
The renovation project of Florijn Noord satisfied all those criteria. The design was developed
according to the objectives of the restructuring plan for the F neighbourhood. Many physical
solutions were applied and it was nominated by the National Renovation Prize in 2003.
Moreover, according to van der Flier and Thomsen, it can be considered a good example of
best practice for renovation 2 .
1 The Bijlmermeer is divided into sub-neighborhoods identified with letters (A, B, C, D). The Rochdale has associated
different demolition percentages per area. For example, most of the flats in the H neighborhood will remain standing,
about half of the flats in the G and K neighborhoods will be pulled down, and most of the flats in the D, E and F
neighborhoods will be demolished as well. One of the factors in the decisions concerning the demolition of flat buildings
was the outcome of a large-scale survey conducted in 2001 among the occupants of 4,600 homes (3,500 residents
participated in the survey). Of the total 12.500 flats in the Bijlmermeer, the Rochdale housing association decided for
the demolition of 6.500 flats. The first two blocks were demolished in middle of the ‘90s (Geinwijk and Gerenstein).
The last high-rise, the Develstein, will be pulled down in 2009 (Bijlmermeer Renovation Planning Office (2005).
2 van der Flier, K., Thomsen, A. (2005) Sustainable housing transformation; Best practice evaluation of the 10th
national Renovation award, at the ENHR-conference “Housing in Europe: new challenges and innovations in Tomorrow’s
cities”, Reykjavik, 29 June – 2 July 2005.
1. F