Maro Lange

Theatre of Transformation

The city decor of Almere
 

My project, Theatre of Transformation, is an alternative plan for Almere Castle. It is a transformation in which the poetry of the ruin is taken as a design starting point. A transformation designed with the remaining building materials, so that hardly any new materials are needed. A transformation that is not driven by commerce, but which incorporates a cultural function that the city of Almere so desperately needs.  

A spontaneous place like this is a rarity in the otherwise meticulously planned city of Almere. This in itself already results in a certain quality. Additionally, the mystical appearance of the place has been firmly engraved in the collective memory of the citizens of Almere. This spontaneous and mystical character is an important quality to maintain. However, this quality is currently only experienced by a handful of people: the people and animals who actually use the place. And a bit for people like me, who have a fascination for the place and fly over with drones. The place needs a function so that more people can experience this quality, but this function must not undermine the existing quality of the area. 

The area is a potential location for housing. This would turn the potentially most valuable place in the city into yet another new residential area: there is no shortage of building land in Almere, but there is a shortage of unique places that appeal to the imagination and inspire. 

My task lies somewhere between letting go and intervening: doing too little means that the area will most likely end in a commercially driven redevelopment; a major intervention would detract from the area's mystique. That's why I want a function that merges with the area. A function that can take root, but doesn't dominate. And a function that, fitting with the character of the area, returns spontaneity and surprise to the growing city of Almere. 

Graduation date: 20 December 2023 
Graduation committee: Bart Bulter (mentor), Hannah Schubert, Machiel Spaan 
Additional members for the exam: Ricky Rijkenberg, Stephan Verkuijlen