Bijlmermeer Redevelopment

The project for the Bijlmermeer consists of a proposal for the renovation of the urban pattern of a grid, a truly modern extension for social housing, in the southeast of Amsterdam. When we started the project it had become fashionable to have an apocalyptic view of the Bijlmermeer and even on the highest levels of decision making, the demolition of important parts of the scheme was considered acceptable. We looked at it in a positive manner, appreciating the repetition of elements and its large scale. At the same time we considered this monotonous beauty the very basis of a problematic; on the scale of a provincial town, urban living had been reduced to such completely innocent activities like fishing, walking and bathing.