2025
For over a year, I have worked on my Msc Architecture graduation project A Space of Reflection: unravelling colonial histories and allowing space for peaceful dialogue. The starting point of this project was the notion that history is not black & white, but rather more nuanced. History always contains a variety of perspectives and narratives, so goes for Dutch colonial history.
A space of Reflection is a spatial intervention, located on Het Plein in The Hague, that unravels and gives voice to historical narratives about Dutch colonial history that haven’t been properly heard or acknowledged, in order to gain a more honest and complete image of this specific past. The project aims to provoke dialogue and allows space for the public to reflect upon this history, enabling them to position themselves within the bigger context of this complex and controversial past.
This spatial response consists of three major design interventions:
1. House of Free Speech: a wooden pavilion located on the North-West corner of Het Plein, underneath which flexible programme infill is possible;
2. Underground: a connection from the pavilion, to the former Ministry of Colonies building and the Mauritshuis Museum;
3. Open Archive: publicly accessible archive within the former Ministry of Colonies building, that addresses the influence of the former ministry and reveals unheard narratives from a variety of communities that are related to this specific past.
Find the full story of this project and the thesis document here.
This project shows how architecture can play a role in addressing sensitive social-political issues that seemingly have little relation to the built environment. The public domain, the public space being one of those domains, has massive influence on the way society perceives or deals with complex and controversial themes. And as designers we should take responsibility in addressing these topics.
The project will be exhibited on the Dag van de Architectuur in The Hague, on Saturday June 14th. More information will follow soon!
A space of Reflection is a spatial intervention, located on Het Plein in The Hague, that unravels and gives voice to historical narratives about Dutch colonial history that haven’t been properly heard or acknowledged, in order to gain a more honest and complete image of this specific past. The project aims to provoke dialogue and allows space for the public to reflect upon this history, enabling them to position themselves within the bigger context of this complex and controversial past.
This spatial response consists of three major design interventions:
1. House of Free Speech: a wooden pavilion located on the North-West corner of Het Plein, underneath which flexible programme infill is possible;
2. Underground: a connection from the pavilion, to the former Ministry of Colonies building and the Mauritshuis Museum;
3. Open Archive: publicly accessible archive within the former Ministry of Colonies building, that addresses the influence of the former ministry and reveals unheard narratives from a variety of communities that are related to this specific past.
Find the full story of this project and the thesis document here.
This project shows how architecture can play a role in addressing sensitive social-political issues that seemingly have little relation to the built environment. The public domain, the public space being one of those domains, has massive influence on the way society perceives or deals with complex and controversial themes. And as designers we should take responsibility in addressing these topics.
The project will be exhibited on the Dag van de Architectuur in The Hague, on Saturday June 14th. More information will follow soon!
House of Free Speech - arrival
House of Free Speech - normal day
House of Free Speech - Pasar Malam
House of Free Speech - outdoor exhibition
Cross section
House of Free Speech - staircase
Undeground exhibition space
Library working space
Former Minister office
Regentenkamer - Archive reading room
Archive of Unheard Stories
Physical model
