INTERNSHIP REPORT

INTERNSHIP REPORT

MA History of Architecture and Town Planning, University of Groningen

University Supervisor: Dr A. M. Martin Organization: Crimson Historians & Urbanists

Placement supervisor: Michelle Provoost and Ewout Dorman

Table of Contents

Preface

This document is the culmination of my experiences in an internship with ‘Crimson Historians & Urbanists’ based in Rotterdam. This placement ran from February 17th _{to July 3}rd_{, 2020, in order} to fulfil the criteria of the placement component of the Masters programme; ‘History of Architecture and Town Planning’ at the University of Groningen. The responsibilities of this placement were highly pertinent to the content of the programme and the professional practice of conducting research related to architecture and urban planning history.

This group has branched out into two other specialized projects, the ‘International New Town Institute,’ and ‘The Independent School for the City.’ This internship role consisted mainly of tasks related to these projects. The internship was based in Rotterdam, for which I am thankful or else I would not have gotten to explore this diverse and dynamic city through my commutes and stays there. I am also thankful to my supervisor Dr. Marijke Martin for encouraging my decision to pursue this placement, and to Crimson for allowing me to become involved in the highly creative and experimental environment of their organization during my short time there.

Contacts

Student:

Matthew F. Mair

matthewfmair@gmail.com

10 Lyndfield Cres. L6W 2P5 Brampton ON, Canada

University Supervisor:

Dr. A.M. Martin A.M.Martin@rug.nl

Dept. History of Architecture and Urbanism, Faculty of Arts Oude Boteringestraat 34. 9712 GK, Groningen, The Netherlands

Placement Supervisor:

Michelle Provoost and Ewout Dorman crimson@crimsonweb.org

Crimson Historians & Urbanists

Introduction

The decision to pursue a placement at Crimson was influenced in part by my interest in the more informal aspects of urbanism, and for finding the ‘in between’ area where academic research and professional practice can overlap, and I thought Crimson the best place to explore this interstice within the field of architecture and urbanism. In addition, not being able to speak or write in Dutch, I was limited to organizations with an international perspective and whose work and networking was conducted in English. This also greatly contributed to my decision.

Prior to my enrollment in the MA History of Architecture and Town Planning I had a lapse of four years between completing my bachelor’s in History, and therefore I was motivated to hone and renew my academic writing and research skills through the placement, which I have definitely achieved. Finally, being an international student from Canada, I was motivated to pursue this placement, because I wanted to have work experience in the more metropolitan environment of Rotterdam which is an international hub of architecture and urbanism professionals, and to gain important insights from this atmosphere.

The placement was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic; however, it was still an extremely valuable experience for my academic and professional development. The placement organization allowed me to see a wider spectrum of ways in which historical research in architecture and urbanism can be applied, other than in a purely academic way, and how through various non-profit platforms this research can help influence how planners, architects and other professionals approach their projects.

The Organization

The placement organization, Crimson Historians and Urbanists (formerly known as Crimson Architectural Historians), is a group that was founded in 1994, when their members were part of the urban planning team for the ‘Leidsche Rijn’ extension of Utrecht. The group has developed into a multi-disciplinary bureau, whose work has ranged from historical research and critique, to policy making and architectural practice, while also frequently creating and collaborating on art projects, exhibitions, and educational programmes

Based in Rotterdam, the group frequently bases their research on this city. The group’s early works revealed an alternative history to the widely accepted narrative that the post-war reconstruction of Rotterdam was a result of World War II bombing, asserting instead that this process of demolition had already begun in the thirties, and was then continued in the post-war years.1 _{Crimson has also been involved in more hands on projects related to planning, most} prominently taking on a six year long project in the ‘Hoogvliet’ suburb of Rotterdam, and through extensive empirical research and interviews, conceiving and implementing a wide number of small-scale interventions to harness and accentuate already existing cultural strengths in the area. These projects and proposals were published in ‘Wimby: Welcome into our Backyard,’2 _with such specific projects as ‘co-housing’ designed specifically for musicians, in addition to many others that catered to particular needs of the heterogenous population and is very telling of this organization’s planning perspective.

Figure 1. Left: Cover of 'Wimby' publication on work in Hoogvliet, Right: A local community center designed specifically for residents’ activities commissioned by CRIMSON (Architect: FAT Architects).

Through their work they have become an expert authority on ‘New Town’ planning history and policy, which has led to a branching off with the creation of the ‘International New Town Institute’ (INTI) in 2008, which is a ‘think and do tank’3 _{for ‘New Towns’, (master planned towns and cities} constructed on greenfield sites from scratch). Through this platform, they research and publish texts on the history and current development of New Towns, advise and create policy related to future planned communities, and INTI also acts as a network for knowledge exchange and communication among professionals and researchers involved with New Towns. There were many New Towns established in post-war Europe and USA, characterized by top- down planning, homogenous housing stock, and a lack of cultural foundations, which have negatively impacted their socio-economic success. Now, there is a “new wave of New Towns being built at an unprecedented rate in the fast-growing economies of Asia, Africa and Latin America,”4 _{and INTI} works to study past projects and advise on ways to avoid repeating these same mistakes.

Finally, the most recent initiative that has been developed by Crimson is ‘The Independent School for the City,’ which is a post graduate educational platform which was founded in 2018, “on a strong belief in an incremental instead of a tabula rasa approach to city planning.”5 _{The school} was founded in conjunction with Rotterdam based architectural practice ZUS [Zones Urbaines Sensibles], and offers a wide variety of multi-disciplinary learning opportunities, such as week-long workshops with internationally renowned practitioners in architecture and planning, summer graduate programs, networking events, and lectures and seminars. After 25 years of studying the contemporary city this initiative by Crimson seeks to now offer an alternative form of architecture and urbanism education, as opposed to what they perceive as the over specialized curriculum of traditional universities.

Figure 2. The post-war modernist "Boekman" building, designed by Dutch architect Hugh Maaskant, at 33 Delfsestraat in Rotterdam, where the office for Crimson and its different programs are located

Internship Activities

I began the search for a placement early on beginning my search in October 2019 resulting in an interview with Crimson in mid-November and secured a placement shortly after. At this time, I was looking into combining my placement responsibilities with my thesis research, and after consultation with Crimson we agreed this might be an option in working on an upcoming publication for INTI. However, by the time I was ready to commence the placement in February I had developed a very specific research interest for my thesis that did not correlate with the any of the current projects that Crimson was undertaking, therefore it was decided that I would assist on projects that were already underway.

The tasks and responsibilities that I undertook during my placement with Crimson were related to research and communication for the ‘International New Town Institute’ and for the ‘Independent School for the City.’ The first several weeks were characterized by 3 days a week working in office and staying in Rotterdam and learning about the history of the city. This working pattern was disrupted by the coronavirus in March, 2020, at which point I worked remotely from Groningen on a research project as part of an upcoming publication by INTI, and during this time I communicated with the rest of Crimson via email and zoom video meetings.

The first week of activities was characterized by meetings with the various team members and other interns, in addition to becoming acquainted with what projects they were working on and which members I would be assisting. The group’s goals over the coming months were outlined, such as upcoming workshops and courses for the School that I would assist in preparing, and an anthology on post-war ‘New Towns’ titled; New Towns on the Cold War Frontier, which I would assist in researching and writing a section of. I was also given some required reading of past publications to go through and some other tasks, such as going to photograph an area of Rotterdam related to an upcoming workshop.

The second week I was given an assignment to research and write a piece for the website of the Independent School which would provide further explanation to potential students of the urban context within which the school is located. The aim of this piece was to convey the significance of Rotterdam as an object of study for urbanists, due to the unique confluence of various urban design challenges that it posed. Further, the piece specifically described the recent history of the urban fabric immediately surrounding the School, detailing how it has become a cultural hub over the last decade as part of the Netherlands program for ‘creative breeding places’ or broedplaatsen, and how through anti squat laws, the post-war modernist offices buildings have been offered at a low rents to young creatives and small businesses.

In the third week, I was given an assignment to prepare supplementary documents for an upcoming workshop that the School was conducting. It was a lecture and sketching workshop held by guest instructor and renowned architect; Momoyo Kaijima of Tokyo based firm ‘Atelier BowWow.’ The aim of the workshop was for Momoyo to assist the students in an architectural sketch that envisioned possible future adaptations of the surrounding post-war architecture that the School is situated. This block of modernist buildings is known as the ‘Schiekadeblock,’ and many proposals are currently being considered for its redevelopment, therefore my task was to write a short history of the block and to detail the status of these proposals, and to distribute this overview to the instructor and students to help inform the upcoming workshop.

Figure 3. Original 'SUCO' sketches of the 'Schiekadeblock’ that were used for sketching workshop

The fourth week I began research for a chapter within the upcoming publication for INTI, which would cover the history of Stevenage, the first English ‘New Town’ designated in 1946, as part of the UK’s post-war new town planning program. The publication is a compendium of new town planning projects from all over the world in both Western Europe and Eastern Europe, developed under different political regimes and also those in the developing world, in which these projects were used as political tools in the context of the Cold War. I gathered secondary source literature on Stevenage and went through what research and writing had already been done for the chapter by another team member, which was done in Dutch, and therefore needed to be translated for the publication which would be in English.

After this point, the situation with coronavirus necessitated me working from home, and I discontinued going into the office. I continued translating the unfinished work on the article which was an arduous task, and many edits were needed for this section to be readable. I was then required to conduct more of my own research and significantly add to the article and was limited by my ability to gather more sources and was restricted to mostly digital archives. This period of work consisted of adding to the background and impetus behind the planning of Stevenage, detailing the tumultuous political climate of post-war Britain, and the influence of the ideas of British planner Sir Patrick Abercrombie and his Greater London Plan (1944).6 _{The work} research I did for this section of the article gave me a much deeper understanding of the theory that informed the planning of Stevenage, and post-war new town planning in general. As it marked a shift in planning theory which took a much more scientific and standardized approach. Figure 5. Momoyo Kaijima during the sketching workshop for the Independent School for the City, showing one of the

The other sections that I added to the article were meant to convey the significance of the architectural forms and layouts employed at Stevenage in the context of the beginnings of Cold War tensions and influences. A major influence on the design of Stevenage was the post-war enthusiasm for the free market and allowing more access to consumerist goods, which was reflected in the pedestrianized shopping street in the town center, the first of its kind in Britain and influenced by the Lijnbaan in Rotterdam.7

The last weeks of my internship were spent working part time remotely on the article on Stevenage New Town. This period was characterized by limited contact with the rest of Crimson, which definitely was not the most constructive for the direction of my work. I did have email communication and we tried to schedule regular zoom meetings; however, this did not substitute for the ability to make inquiries and go over edits in person, and in general the support structure of an office.

Figure 7. Left: A plan for 'Stevenage New Town' from 1946. Right Above: Aerial of Stevenage Town Centre under construction. Right Below: The ‘Queensway’ shopping street in center of town shortly after completion.

Evaluation

The placement with Crimson Historians and Urbanists was an incredibly beneficial experience, not only for me professionally, but also for my own outlook and views on the field of architecture and urbanism more broadly. The multi-disciplinary atmosphere of this bureau showed me that there is quite a diverse array of options for how to apply architectural history research, and that working in this field does not necessarily mean being restricted solely to research. The knowledge that I had gained through the degree program prior to the placement was directly applicable in this role, especially learning about the origins of Garden City planning, which was the historical precedent to post-war new town planning world-wide. For my involvement with INTI, having some background knowledge in this area was essentially a prerequisite to doing any research and writing on New Towns.

The experiences I gained were also very informative for my course work in my degree program, aside from my responsibilities there as an intern. For instance, Crimson oversaw plans for the redevelopment of the Hofplein Viaduct in Rotterdam and discussing this with them helped inform my research project for the module; ‘Cultural Heritage,’ in which I assessed the now completed redevelopment of this listed structure and its importance to the area’s industrial heritage. The opportunity to work in the stimulating atmosphere of the ‘Schiekadeblock’ in Rotterdam showed me an alternative working environment that I had not experienced before, with a super diverse array of businesses and in itself one large on-going adaptive re-use project, and this has left a lasting impression on how I will prioritize my working environment in the future.

The early weeks of my internship I unsurprisingly found the most fruitful, as I think a major factor in the learning process and insights gained was being physically in the office space and being able to take part in discussions, meeting and the lectures and workshops that were held there. The benefits of these interactions were still carried through to the remote working period, via group video meetings and regular communication, although to a much lesser degree. I think that I could have taken more of an initiative to set up more meetings to clarify the direction of my work and discuss scheduling, however I deferred to my supervisors for setting these meetings up.

I also found that the diversity of work and small tasks that I was assigned in the first few weeks were more beneficial to me, compared to later having a single assignment for which much of the work was done independently. However, this period was still rewarding, as I honed my academic research and writing skills which was a learning outcome priority for me. Further, although much of the work on the article was done on my own remotely, I still had to collaborate with other team members, and the intention of future publication showed me the many differences

between this professional process and those that I was used to with writing an academic paper on my own solely for assessment by a professor.

The last part of my internship done remotely had long lapses of communication between me and my placement supervisor, and the responsibility for this I think can be shared, it has definitely showed me how important communication is when collaborating on professional projects. Although, there is not much I could have done about the lack of in person consultation, I believe I would have benefitted from taking the initiative to reach out every time I was unsure of the direction of my research rather than waiting for the scheduled meeting, and this has been a significant learning takeaway for me.

Conclusion

In summary, the content of the degree program was very useful for my role at Crimson, and conversely, the skills, knowledge, and insights gained through the placement have already helped inform my further work on modules for the program and shape the current work on my thesis research project. Overall, the placement has definitely helped sharpen my focus on what is important for me professionally, and what I will and will not prioritize going forward. It has shown me the importance of regular communication, and that in person collaboration is still very much essential for me. The opportunity to work on an independent project with a professional application in the field has ultimately revealed to me that I prefer working in a team and this is a very useful insight that will help inform my future career choices.

Notes

1 _{Crimson, Too Blessed to be Depressed: Crimson Architectural Historians 1994-2002. (Rotterdam: 010, 2002).} 2 _{Provoost, Michelle, Els Brinkman, and Andrew May. Wimby! Welcome into My Backyard! (Rotterdam: NAi} Uitgevers, 2000).

3 _{As described on INTI webpage, http://www.newtowninstitute.org} 4 _{How INTI defines the impetus for their research}

5 _{The Independent School for the City’s “about” page, https://www.schoolforthecity.nl/whoweare/} 6 _{Abercrombie, Patrick. Greater London Plan. HM Stationery Office, 1944.}