Murk Wijmenga

As an inhabitant of Amsterdam, I miss the engagement with nature in my immediate environment like I had when I grew up in Friesland. The swallows that return under the eaves each year, the smell of the seasons from the open window or the sounds of the house resisting a violent storm.

One is more inclined to see the natural wilderness as a problem in the city rather than something valuable. However, this ‘nature’ provides us with the basic necessities of life and could provide an answer for typical urban problems like peak rainfall, air pollution or mental stress.

The diversity of natural species that settle in an area says a lot about the quality of life that is prevalent there. This biodiversity should also, therefore, be a crucial component of a better life in the increasingly busy city.

This graduation project is a search for a way in which the architecture of the urban landscape could be much more welcoming for the natural wilderness in order to be able to profit from each other’s presence as much as possible. The design of a guest accommodation for people, urban plant species and animal species together illustrates the opportunities and a strategy with which a building in the city could develop into a communal environment.

Commission members: Jan-Richard Kikkert (mentor), Machiel Spaan, Dingeman Deijs. Additional members for the exam: Marcel van der Lubbe, Ira Koers.