15.8.2008
The Cloud
The Pijp area of Amsterdam represents the superimposition of a series of ideal plans over the structure of what was formerly an agricultural landscape. The existing pattern of drainage ditches was adopted at the end of the nineteenth century as the basis upon which small, incidental developments were built.
The margins of the various sites which were initially studied for the commission were investigated in order to identify types of transformation they were undergoing. This led to a strategy which built upon these to speculate as to future transformations.A typical street in its original state is characterised by a strict organisation of three layers: the street storey, often used for commercial purposes, is of a light construction, the middle storeys are of a continuous brick construction and the roof, which sits upon a decorative parapet.