HOME

A strategy to improve the homeless network in Amsterdam

A SENSE OF HOME arose from a fascination with how and when someone feels at home. How does this work for homeless people who have no physical house nor home? The lack of shelter and basic needs for the homeless in the Netherlands is high. As long as this issue is not adequately addressed at the state level, bottom-up alternatives must be sought. But what do homeless people actually need?

To explore this, I lived on the streets of Amsterdam for one week. One of the main insights was that homeless people see their neighborhood as home but are lacking "rooms" in their "home." Their living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom are scattered throughout the city like a fragmented network. This forces them to move to areas outside the city, causing stress, discomfort, and physical hardship. Given the abundance of unused spaces and waste flows in the city, we could utilize these resources to better facilitate the daily network of homeless people.

In the neighborhoods with the greatest need, I created two rooms: a kitchen at Dappermarkt, called de Dapperkeuken, and a bedroom in the Jordaan, called de Bedsteeg. Waste formed the primary material for these rooms. In de Dapperkeuken, meals were prepared using leftover products from market stalls. De Bedsteeg was made from re-used cardboard, which was pressed and treated as a new modular building material.

With family and friends, I carried out these experiments. The building process itself made connections at a local level. Although the residents had their initial doubts, they became involved and part of the project as it progresses over time.

The role of architecture on a social level is open for debate. This project demonstrates that architecture is more than just a final product. When you listen, observe, and collaborate with the key users, architecture is no longer a goal and starts to become part of the process itself.

Program: 4 m²

Completion: 2019

Location: Amsterdam - Zwaardvegersgang

Design: A SENSE OF_

Visuals: A SENSE OF_

Collaboration: The Netherlands FIlm Academy