Empathy

9. Semester autumn 2019
Prof. An Fonteyne
with: Leandra Krummenacher

Empathy with the building. Empathy with the resident. Empathy with the city. Empathy with the Architect. Empathy with history. Empathy with the future.

It was an exciting Semester in which we tried to find a solution to safe the Existing with an Extention. With an Extention that in the beginning had the quite cruel Idea of doubling the Volume. How do you deal with a structure that has not been yours, to begin with? How do you extend without crippling the existing? With a modern function and a new way of inhabiting we built an extension that would increase the value of a forgotten Space.

Existing 

I definitely feel some more weight lying on my bones. But I don’t feel like being crushed underneath it. I appreciate the air my sibling gives me to breathe, to have space without losing the close connection we share together. I feel like we’re two sides of the same coin and I’m happy to share parts of myself. I feel like my younger sibling keeps my rhythm and lets me become the one and only prominent, elegant building at the coast in Nieuwpoort again. 

Double 

I respect my older sibling. I use the old bones to ground myself into history and the ground. I am new, fresh and I can say proudly that I have the best location on the coast. I feel strong and powerful up here. I like how the little humans come out underneath me and can enjoy the historical facade not only from the ground but also from the top. I think we are very closely related. Our faces are similar but we are not twins.