2015 Elies EversElies Evers - Reside in the Intermediate Space
'Reside in the Intermediate Space'

Living in Roermond my entire life, I often spent time in the historic city centre. Striking in the facade of shops and restaurants was always the cinema, the Royal Theatre. A monument hidden in urban space. During later stages in my life, I experienced the cinema as a ‘abandoned’ façade within urban space. But always with the question in my mind, why is it abandoned and functionless?

The monument is for me a metaphor for generations, layers of time, which are undergoing a transformation. A layering of additions, modifications, as well as space, intermediate space. The intermediate space marks the passage from public to private, the merger of the collective domain of the modern residents. The everyday user of the city, both resident and active participant in the working community.

Research of the city network shows that urban population growth requires smart solutions to the limited space within the city. This manifests the commuting of the modern resident. What is apparent, however is a lack of appropriate housing within the social and cultural city network.

The goal is to design a new way of living for the modern citizen: S [mall], a residence, where flexibility and temporality are main focus. It offers space for Euroregion visitors: expats. Families that require a temporary solution. M [edium]: a compact form of housing that offers all possibilities. Visitors to developments on the edge of the city centre, have the possibility of an overnight stay FAST: hotel in the heart of downtown. The intermediate space is the fundamental carrier of the plan. It consists of five outdoor courtyards, hospitality and concept stores. The development from city to stone indicates that forgotten places offer opportunities to deal with the constraints within the existing real estate.

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