Mediamatic Biotoop, 2015
Architectural design for a BioArts cultural and public venue
For Stichting Mediamatic
Collaborators: Anna Gracia, Ni Nan, Mediamatic
Stichting Mediamatic inhabited the Dijkspark, a complex of leisure venues and living boats, for a medium temporary stay and is slowly turning the terrain into a green space for cooking, experimenting, growing, and brewing. A true habitat, where are a new cultural bio-art lab in the city of Amsterdam is being always created.
Sketch of outdoor-indoor glasshouse facade that holds a restaurant at the waterfront, Amsterdam, 2015. Sketch by Mariana Martínez
During an internship at Stichting Mediamatic, and until the end of the project the summer of 2015 as a freelancer, I was involved as a designer to develop a spatial renovation plan for the Mediamatic Biotoop. Alongside Mediamatic’s initiators and multitalented interns, the team converted a former council office from the 70’s to a thriving cultural centre for Biodesign and arts. As the Biotoop gives life to the cultural centre of the city with living materials, the presence of Mediamatic brought back life to the abandoned piece of land by staging the rebirth of nature. Integrated by a complex of shared services for a community of designers, artists, scientists and general public to co-create together and think about the future of our societies. The complex is composed - and keeps growing as nature does - of central office spaces, a bio-shop, co-working offices, a restaurant, an aquaponics system, a bio-lab and an event/exhibition shed.
Model of Biotoop complex with attached Serre at the waterfront facade, Amsterdam, 2015. Sketch by Mariana Martínez
Plan of Mediamatic Biotoop with aditional Serres at the waterfront and aquaponics addition, Amsterdam, 2015. Drawn by Mariana Martínez
Sketch of outdoor-indoor glasshouse facade that holds a restaurant at the waterfront, Amsterdam, 2015. Sketch by Mariana Martínez
Elevations of facades with additional glasshouse interventions, Amsterdam, 2015. Drawn by Mariana Martínez
Construction site, Amsterdam, 2015. Photo by Mediamatic
The renovation consisted of attaching to the main building three greenhouses: one main at the waterfront that now operates as an experimental kitchen space, an aquaponics greenhouse, and exhibition greenhouse at the entrance of the main building. Throughout a period of 10 months we worked with a small team to map the whole area and existing buildings, designed architectural programmes, and designed the new interiors/exteriors with re used materials from an office space, greenhouse residues and furniture from the former council office. Due to the nature of the Biotoop being a living organism itself, different material experimentation was made on site and further integrated into the architecture. These materials change, grow or die, through time, giving life itself to the infrastructure of the built environment.
Inside the aquaponics glasshouse, a circular system for urban farming. The glasshouse that holds this farm is second hand, brought from a conventional dutch intensive farm, and attached to the existing structure Amsterdam, 2015. Photo by Mediamatic
Inside the glasshouse at the waterfront facade attached to the existing structure, housing an experimental restaurant and bar, Amsterdam, 2015. Photo by Mediamatic
Mediamatic Eten, Amsterdam, 2015. Photo by Mediamatic
The offices were designed with simple materials and hanging air cleansing plants that stage a different way of working and co-working: flexible and dynamic. The team built circular tables where staff members can rotate depending on schedules. We designed storage spaces for the creatives that allow for a flexible work schedule. Co-working spaces for artists working on the bioarts and biodesign practices, took the chairs from the old office users, where creative work could happen in a desk, in a lab, on a chair, in the garden, in the kitchen or at the big exhibition and event venue.
A flexible working space for bioartists and designers, Amsterdam, 2015. Photo by Mediamatic
The Mediamatic Biotoop complex at the Dijksgracht, Amsterdam, 2015. Photo by Mediamatic
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