hvbfolio / This page is meant as a container for the slides of my portfolio.
Hendrik van Boetzelaer’s resume
site: _ geneva (CH) date: _ 2009 studio: _ master thesis project _ City planning is currently facing a crisis. Because of the scale of the city, the pace of its changes and of its population needs, the complexity of the actors buiding cities and taking part in the decision making process, city planners are lacking tools to comprehend current situations and develop valid masterplans. Procedural urbansim is a research project brought through for my master thesis in developing a growth strategy for the PAV area in Geneva. Rather than delving in complex typological studies, the project has put together a strategy for urban growth concentrated on the street network. Basing itself on recent space syntax studies, the strategy consists of a decision making tool suggesting the most judicious connections. Rather than proposing a fixed optimum, it proposes several “best options” and readapts at each step of the growth process. A second strategical layer is then superposed on top of the growing street network allowing for the re-evaluation of the city-scape and the built density. This acts on a per axis basis rather than plot in order to obtain a higher flexibility in the constant re-development of the built fabric.
site: _ www date: _ 2008 studio: _ studio for urban datascape _ By supposing that the virtual space that the world global communication system is creating a form of space, Metapolis raises the question about the role of architects, and city planners in its construction and planninfication. Building on very recent researches and web development such as the semantic web, a new type of browser was designed so as to re-integrate multiple and unkown user interactions, as well as the eventual surprises that do happen while experiencing physical space. The current user would always be surrounded by neighbouring topics and users while browsing. The interface then allows for interaction with other users. 
site: _ la havana (CU) date: _ 2006 studio: _ laboratory for architectural production _ As a part of the swiss aid program for Cuba, the LAPA studio proposed a 2 phase study on the poorest neighbourhood of la Havana: Diez di Octubre. The first phase study was organised with 5 teams focusing on specific topics such as education, health, food, housing, transport. During the second phase, each “specialist” would team up with 4 other ones of the different field and propose a development strategy for the quarter of Diez di Octubre. The current situation in la Havana and even moreso in Diez di Octubre presents a scarcity of everything, making grand plans impossible to put through. As a response to this H3N8 proposes an urban acupuncture, as a re-generating process.  Specific nodes resulting of the previous analysis were selected as “intensity” points where a new hub would be erected. The latter rather than relying on the dysfunctional transport system, is connected to the other hubs by mean of cable cars. Each tower then acts as both social condenser and landmark for the neighbourhood, allowing for a re-newed perception of the neighbourhood, as well as new means of experiencing the city.
site: _ la havana (CU) date: _ 2006 studio: _ laboratory for architectural production _ As a part of the swiss aid program for Cuba, the LAPA studio proposed a 2 phase study on the poorest neighbourhood of la Havana: Diez di Octubre. The study was organised with 5 teams focusing on specific topics such as education, health, food, housing, transport. As a part of the food team, we analyzed the very fascinating way the cuban people have had to provide themselves food after the fall of the wall. La Havana is indeed a pionneer in urban farming, and one can find most green spaces being used for crops. The # center is an attempt at re-organising the food distribution network within Diez di Octubre, by providing scaled community centers specifically dedicated to the food system. They aim at providing arable land, seed distribution, food markets, water cleaning, as well as communal fridges. The different scales of the # Centers are related to their depth in the neighbourghood and their relationship to the transport system and their surrounding population density.
site: _ madrid (ES) date: _ 2006 studio: _ urban body _ To counter-balance the gentrification of the Madrid’s city center, a tramway line is devised to re-connect, on the ground, the distant neighbourhood of Sanchinaroo with the Plaça de Sol. The objectives of the latter is to serve as a social amplificator to re-enable flows between the center and the suburbs. Thanks to the latter, each stop is act as social condensers, attracting flows of people and economical potentials. As such, new construction are to be devised to provide to host those new opportunities. In order to accommodate for the design of each tramway stop, a parametric growth strategy has been devised. The construction is meant as a 2 step process:  1. assemble differently sized containers, by categories (Mini, Midi, Maxi), until the desired built volume is obtained 2. distribute the 3 program categories (dwelling, shopping, services) according to specially devised cellular automaton rules, in order to avoid clustering of one type of program and social segregation. Several controls were also designed to accommodate different scenarii that aren’t presented here.
site: _ Madrid (ES) date: _ 2006 studio: _ hybrid buildings _Suffering the same socio-economical pressures as many of todays capitals, the center of Madrid is undergoing a heavy gentrification process, socially disconnecting parts of the city, while spatially enhancing it by means of pedestrian areas and housing renovations. _The project positions itself by looking beyond the mere architectural appartum and delves into the social impacts of gentrification tools. A large part of the project has been spent on site, interviewing its users, mapping their behaviours as well as their perception of the neighbourhood. As a result a re-linking and dialogue strategy has been put together using 3 different objects, lightings, benches and public “space enhancers” to be designed in collaboration with the habitants. Each object has for goal to (re-)establish social and spatial links by confronting the different uses and allowing for a different perception of las Huertas.
site: _ utrecht (NL) date: _ 2005 studio: _ hybrid buildings _Pool housing is the result of an in depth research for the development of a new type of student housing within the old town of Utrecht. Rather than being one more added element to the already very dense built mass of the historical center, it proposes the implementation of 3 very distinct yet complementary programs: student housing, youth mental hospital and a public swimming pool. The agglomeration of those programs and the variety of users it will attract open up the possibility of creating a network of new relationships and connections and by doing so; play on the culture of changing coalitions between a range of social functions and organisations. The confrontation of the 3 program typologies allow for a modified building to emerge, offering not only housing, hospital rooms and a swimming pool, but also re-using the large roof of the swimming pool as a public park.
site: _ hanoi (VN) date: _ 2006 studio: _ group8 architectes _ The ongoing transformation of the city of Hanoi is allowing for more and more higher class buildings, to accommodate the wealthier communities. As such, group8 was contacted for a competition to design a 5 stars hotel combined with a high class commercial surface. During the development of this project, my position of project leader allowed for  The project inspires itself from the abundant rice hills of the vietnamese culture and offers one slice of them. By using an as-found approach, the project literally builds an artificial rice hill, with the first to floors hosting the luxury shops and from there the five star hotel. The inside of the hill is designed as hollow, developping a dramatic atrium and internal terraces on each floor.
site: _ fribourg (CH) date: _ 2007 studio: _ d2 architectes _ Felxcell is a new solar panel company. Ther products aim at revolutionising the solar panel market, as they have invented a method for building flexible solar panels. Those can be used and easily transported in extreme conditions, as well as be used as a waterproof layer on buildings, allowing for a more intelligent use of the roof surface. When designing their first factory, the opportunity was taken so as use the fantastic properties of their product to unite as one building the former Leclanché factory in Fribourg. The design of the new facade serves as a showcase for the company, as well as producing all the domestic energy needed for the manly uses of the factory.
site: _ haute-savoie (FR) date: _ 2007 studio: _ d2 architectes _HIT was triggered by the desire of the client to extend their house to accommodate for the venue of a 3rd child.At the same time, they wanted to use this extension gesture to accommodate a swimming pool and a new office room. The resulting project combined the later by plugging to new elements to the existing house. One serves as the new kitchen, extending the living room and allowing for a refound connection between the latter and the garden; the second is designed as an extension for the parents, while the first floor is re-allocated to the childrens. This configuration allows for 3 worlds to evolve around the communal space that is the living room and tis fire place.
site: _ geneva (CH) date: _ 2007 studio: _ d2 architectes _ Art collectors either store their collection, or live with them. SHN is a project for the second type. As a way to settle on a new start the SHN flat was meant as a renovation of a penthouse in a very chic neighbourhood of Geneva. A fondamental aspect of the brief was to design the flat as a living space and an art gallery. To do so, 3 different life modules were conceived each separated by a gallery wall. The mobile division allows for the exhibition of very varied pieces as well as a space separator for diverse uses, from daily breakfast to family reunions and private exhibition cocktails. As a gimmick the floor is covered in transparent resin, showcasing a blown a pixelated version of the owners favorite piece.
site: _ marseille (FR) date: _ 2005 studio: _ manuelle gautrand architects _ As a part of the re-habilitation of its docks, Marseille hosted a competition for a new office area, comprising 120’000 m2 of office, a leisure center and a new conference hall combined with a 4 stars hotel. The position of the project is to allow the extension of the city towards the sea, by designing the whole plot as a public park, reconnecting the upper part of the city with the to be designed waterfront. A platform was then conceived as a cheese plate where each buildingwould exist independently of the others, while under the plate all the leisure programs could develop. The hotel being a major actor of the life, is designed to act as a light sign, showcasing information about what is happening under the plateau as well as serving as an important meeting point for the new Maseille waterfront.
site: _ paris (FR) date: _ 2005 studio: _ manuelle gautrand architects _ SEI was meant to be part of the Seguin island developmentin Paris before it was jeopardized as the Pinaultfoundation was transferred to Venice. The project was conceived hand in hand with a hotel promoter.As a response to the rigidity of the room design, the hotel was conceived as 2 objects: one, a solid glass mass disappearing in its reflexion and containing all the hotel rooms; the second as flowers emerging from and through the glass bar hosting all the more lively activities, from fitness to 5 stars restaurant. The very “pop” shape of the flowers are meant as a bright contrast to both the hotel building, as well as to the very austere design of Tadao Ando’s Pinault foundation design.