Field Trip to Belgium and the Netherlands: Day 1

A group of postgraduate students from across the four MSc programmes in the School of the Built Environment went on a field trip to Belgium and the Netherlands at the end of January 2020. The aim of the field trip was to integrate knowledge gained in the early part of the students' programmes, to develop team skills and to build relationships. Site visits and walking tours are backed up with a series of presentations from local experts focusing on: planning strategy, sustainability and urban design considerations, the mix of dwelling types, retail and community buildings, infrastructure plans, planning for flooding/rising sea levels, and sustainable and innovative building technologies.

This year, the students have written the blog and also taken many of the photos. Thanks to Max Muncaster and the students for organising this and for your contributions! Click on the blue links for more information about the place visited.

The students (and staff) set off on 19 January and returned on 23 January. In between, they visited the following places:

In Antwerp...
The MAS Museum  - for a visit
Antwerp Port House designed by Zaha Hadid - for a photo opportunity
Antwerp Station - for a guided tour

In Amsterdam...
Ijburg - for a series of presentations about Ijburg and the design of the Breeze Hotel and also a tour of Ijburg and the floating homes
Fluor Office for a workshop and lunch
IXAS project for a presentation and visit to the tunnel
Walking tour of the city and a group meal

In Rotterdam...
Van Nelle Factory (a UNESCO world heritage site)
The tram stop at Willemsplein - for a guided walk of the city
The Zalmhaven Toren - to meet the BAM Logistics Manager (and find out more about the project)
Museumpark area to look at building projects: Boijmants Museum Archive Depot, Kunsthal and Nieuwe Institute
Markthal - for a walking tour which included the Cube Houses

In Utrecht...
City Hall for a presentation on Stationsgebied CU2030
A guided walking tour of recently completed projects in the city
JHK Architecten Office for a presentation on BIM in the Netherlands

And in Breda...
Crossmark Breda for a presentation followed by a guided tour by Breda Promotions

And now for the student contributions...

Outside the Museum aan de Stroom

Day 1: Antwerp by Pavan Rajashekar Murthy and Goculnath Vaithyam

The Museum aan de Stroom (MAS; Dutch for: Museum by the River) is a museum located along the river Scheldt in the Eilandje district of Antwerp, Belgium. It opened in May 2011 and is the largest museum in Antwerp. On our first day of our industrial visit we were taken to this museum and got to see this fantastic building which is a state-of-art building in the city of Antwerp. We were guided by Ms. Jorien Cousijn who is a Dutch local & a staff of TU Delft and over the next 5 days she helped us in guiding through the places of Netherlands.

In 1998 the Antwerp city council decided to build the museum at the Hanzestedenplaats. On 14 September 2006 the first brick of the building was laid. In 2010 museum objects arrived from various other museums like the Ethnographic Museum and the Maritime Museum, which both ceased to exist. The museum opened for the public on 17 May 2011. The 60-metre-high (200 ft) MAS was designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects. The façade is made of Indian red sandstone and curved glass panel construction. It is an example of postmodern Art Deco architecture. The MAS houses 470,000 objects, most of which are kept in storage. The first visitor's gallery is the "visible store", which contains 180,000 items. The building is located on the spot where the Hanzehuis used to stand. International merchants worked and resided at the Hanzehuis. In the nineteenth century a fire destroyed the building.

The central focus of the MAS is Antwerp and its connection to the world. The MAS collection ranges from maritime objects which document international trade and shipping, to the history, art and culture of the port city of Antwerp and to art and culture from Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Oceania.

The MAS develops thematic exhibitions which connect local and global culture, art and history. The museum is committed to informing the public using new media and immersive presentations. The museum was internationally awarded for its MAS IN YOUNG HANDS initiative, which involves youngsters from very diverse backgrounds as event organizers and curators. I would like to thank Oxford Brookes University for organising the trip and I would like to thank Mr. Max Muncaster for guiding us on all the 5 days in Netherland and Ms. Jorien Cousijn for guiding us in the MAS.

The Port House in Antwerp

Days 2 and 3 will follow shortly...