| AMBER KOKHUIS |
| Amber Kokhuis (1979) 1e year part time students. Presentation introduction Hello my name is Amber and my research is about water harvesting in highly urbanized areas and designed water in public spaces. I finished my bachelor Urban Interior Design in 2005 and worked for 1 year in Amsterdam as a designer of public spaces. In my last year of study and in my work water became more and more an interesting item. This all because I worked on a water square. My questions for this research are, how does water influence its environment and how does the environment influence the water landscape? In what way is rainwater harvested, distributed and used in Dutch urban areas and how do I visualise this process? The Dutch climate is changing. Periods of extreme temperatures and drought are followed by extreme rainfall and flooding. The news is full of this item. Shopping centres and living areas were standing under water. On some places there felt more then 60cm of rain and more than there fell in 1 year. It is not normal for this time of year and you can use your imagination that big problems are coming. Because cities cannot collect the heavy rainfall in a short period of time. Take for example the new highly urbanized area the Zuidas in Amsterdam. These picture show new plans for this area. The infrastructure goes underground and buildings come on top of them. Underground structures, streets, squares and lots of bricks mean less space to collect the rainwater. Improved rainwater harvesting techniques and adapted designs could partially or even completely solve these problems. For the public spaces in the Zuidas, an important goal is to control, transport and re-use the collected rainwater. Rainwater harvesting structures in public spaces can be combined and designed perfectly. In my opinion, as a designer, water harvesting should become more artistic. Using a creative approach and cooperation, water harvesting within cities will also benefit other functions, such as recreation. This includes not only public spaces but, also industrial and private areas. I would like to design an artistic and innovative water harvesting structure. Well designed open drains will swiftly transport the rainwater from the streets, across the square, to the nearside water basins. Artistic water basins will also collect the rainwater from the roofs of the buildings. Open art statues, filled with water, can hold this rainwater for a short time. After the rainwater in cannels are on a normal level, the statues can release the water into these cannels. The Mahlerplein is the ideal setting to visualize my ideas on water management structures in the public space, in a highly urbanized and complex area. By studying the Master 'Urban Interior Design' I hope to further develop my skills on many different levels. My ambition as a designer is to make water harvesting more visible and artistic within urban areas. I hope that within the near future more and more people will learn the importance of this 'Blue Gold' so we can all enjoying it. [email protected] |
