- Systemic changes
The highways are the connections between cities and villages.Highways and 'verzorgingsplaatsen' (restplaces, service - and gas stations)are all cobbled together with asphalt, road signs and lines.They are usually not a final destination, but stops in the journey one is making.Those places are democratic /inclusive, personal and anonymous at the same time.My proposal ranges from small additions and alterations to interventions along the highway A12 that crosses the Netherlands from East to West, to prompt or force a long-term strategic change.My strategic design and research project is a proposal to show how we should designing with in the time and not over the time. 'Learning from the highway' is my way to speculate on a possible future for the highway in the Netherlands by understanding the system of the highway and the spaces that it produces. It is an invention to follow and to participate in my personal journey. 'On the Move' doesn’t show a final result, it is just the beginning!
1. Looking forward
My strategic is a way for reading and learning from the highway system and its ‘verzorgingsplaatsen’, How have they been used in the past and how are they used today; the way they function, the visual language they have developed, the general protocol of gas stations, i.e. how to use them? Are there layers of use that have been erased and if so, which?How will future developments effect the verzorgingsplaatsen in visual terms, the use of space and routing?
2. Changes
The highway is always up to date with present day needs and modern technology.What will happens with the highways and therefore also to the connected spaces(verzorgingsplaatsen),when gasoline disappears as the main fuel? And how does our experience of these places change?In combination with in the varied actions that are taking place like mobility, fuel, retail and governmental regulations and restrictions, I feel a deep need to speculate on the future of the highway.
3. Anonymous
The highway strip people’s identities, creating mass groups: passengers, consumers, drivers; a user can no longer be read in terms of what he/she does, or experiences, only in the role of passenger or driver. Because of the individual usage as a transition space there is no need to interact with other users.In most cases, we feel subconsciously attracted to these isolated places where we can feel release from our individual hectic life.
4. Architecture in the future
My proposal ranges from small additions and alterations to interventions of 'verzorgingsplaatsen' along the highway A12 that crosses in the Netherlands from East to West, to prompt or force a long-term strategic change. My strategic design and research project is a proposal to show how we should designing with in the time and not over the time.
5.Inventation
'Learning from the highway' is my way to speculate on a possible future for the highway in the Netherlands by understanding the system of the highway and the spaces that it produces. It is an invention to follow and to participate in my personal journey. 'On the Move' doesn’t show a final result, it is just the beginning!
