---------------------------- UPDATED -14 june 06 ----------------------------------

Public Space Project - Research and Concept

THE LOCATION | Frederiksplein, Amsterdam

History

The Frederiksplein is a square in the centre of Amsterdam, located in the extension of the Utrechtsestraat. This square is named after Prins Frederik Willem Karel, the brother of King Willem II.

In the early 1800's this square was the location of at that time the largest glass building in Amsterdam, the Volksvlijt Palace. The impressive design of architect Cornelis Outshoorn was inspired by the Crystal Palace in London, which was used for the World Expo of 1951.

In it's early years the Palace was the center for amusement and entertainment, housing the best concerts, plays and operas.

In the night of April 19 1929 the Paleis voor Volksvlijt was devastated by fire. The gallery remained partly saved, but the main building was never rebuilt.
In 1960, the gallery was however demolished to make place for the building of the De Nederlandsche Bank.

The bank has been established since 1968 at the Frederiksplein, and is a design of Marius Duintjer.

Future Plans

In 2002 Wim T. Schippers, famous for his books, art and television shows, set up an organization devoted to rebuilding the Paleis voor Volksvlijt on the Frederiksplein. Their plan for making Frederiksplein a center for art, culture and entertainment is still ongoing, but the bureaucracies of the city officials are causing the plans to stagnate.
In 2002 the city of Amsterdam made a financial plan for urban renewal plans. According to the plan € 150 million would be needed to restore squares and streets like the Damrak, Rokin, Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein, Weteringcircuit and Frederiksplein.

In 2005 the municipality Council decided that there wasn’t enough money to restore these valuable parts of Amsterdam. Instead 4 million was reserved for the restoration of the Beurs van Berlage, which according to city officials had priority.

Function

Besides being the location of the Nederlandse Bank, the Frederiksplein has many functions and purposes.

One hundred meters to the north of the building lies a park with a fountain. Normally known as a hangout place for junkies, every now and then some tourists and locals can be found sitting in the park. The fountain is especially popular with kids during the summer.

About 50 meters to the east lies a playground which is used by the children who live nearby.

The square is also a very important intersection leading to almost every part of the city. Three tram stops lead travelers to the center, north, west and south of Amsterdam. Because of the location of the square, nearly the most cental point of the city. Many inhabitants of the city pass the square on their way to work, school or home.

RESEARCH

User survey

On the 6^th of May 2006 we conducted surveys among the users of square. In a series of 8 multiple choice questions we wanted to get an impression of who the users are, how they experience the space and how the square can be improved.

Conclusion

• The square is not often used for recreational purposes
  
  

• The square is widely used for transportation purposes

• The square is widely used to travel through either by bike or as a pedestrian

• In general users like the trees and the fountain most

• On average users stay 15 min. on the square

• In general users find the space clean, relaxing and very accessible. On the other hand users would like more benches, better lighting in the evening and a safer image

• In general users are not excited about an urban screen

• When asked what type of information they would like to see most users said to be interested in city information, concert / theater agendas and art (either interactive or static)

User observation

During survey interviews we took an hour to observe the square and how people use the space. The observation was intended to get an impression of the users and their behavior in the space, with the hope of retrieving extra information which could not be gathered from the interviews.

The users of the space can be split in 2 groups. These groups will be the main target group for the content used for the urban screens.

Park users

Although the square has a reputation of being a hangout place for homeless people, the square is often used for relaxation by locals who live nearby.Kids from nearby play in the playground or seek to cool down in the water of the fountain.

Tourists are often found sitting in the park. Their visit to the park is mostly not planned, but is merely used because it is on their route to a different part of Amsterdam.

Travelers

The large intersection in the middle of the square makes it a travel route for a lot of locals. The intersection has 3 tram stops which connect to almost every part of the city.

Pedestrians and bikers also pass this square on their way to other parts of Amsterdam.

User Scenarios

Jan is a 22 year old student at the University of Amsterdam. He lives in the Pijp and passes the Frederiksplein by bike on his way to school.

Shahida is a 35 year old woman who has a part-time job in the center of Amsterdam. Two days a week she takes the tram to get to her work; she takes tram no. 4 from the west and has to transfer onto the no. 10 on Frederiksplein. This stopover takes about 10 minutes. In the summer she walks to her work and then passes by the square.

Shirley is a 40 year old tourist and is exploring Amsterdam. During her walk through the city she accidentally came across the square. The weather is nice and hot and so she decides to read a book in the park.

THE CONCEPT | URBAN SCREAMS

The idea behind the concept City Screams is to give artists a place to express themselves in order to give a reaction to events that happen in the world and the city of Amsterdam. The city should be a place were artist can express there thoughts to the public in order to create a discussion between the inhabitants of Amsterdam. The urban screen will function as a platform for these artists and as a medium to promote literature and art to the public.

The Frederiksplein is notorious among inhabitants of Amsterdam for being unattractive and unsafe. Therefore, in addition to providing an artistic podium this installation would serve the dual purpose of increasing the attractiveness of this area. By adding color and light it would increase the perception of safety for people passing through.

For a visual representation of the square and the concept view the flash file (flash 8 needed).

The complete document can be downloaded here (pdf).