This design for a new lifeguard station outside Rotterdam connects the modernistic "leisure architecture" of the context with a more informal and local beach culture. By choosing for a strong geometric shape with an intended imperfection in the materialization, both the sculpturality and durability of the building is enhanced. Furthermore, care has been taken into designing a station that can be used optimally in the summer as well as in the winter.

The inspiration for the design of the new district heating booster station in Rotterdam comes from the "follies" of the 18th century English landscape park. These small buildings were primarily meant as picturesque accents in the landscape, but could also have practical functions as for example pumping stations. In this case, the starting points are similar, but the design has a character that unites the romantic-rural atmosphere of the Oudelandsepark with the toughness of the neighboring harbor of Rotterdam.

The proposal combines a sculptural expression with the wish for a building that contributes to a vivid neighborhood. Three studio apartments and a roof terrace are connected with a spiraling combination of shared gallery, staircase and semi-public balcony. The volume refers to the characteristic roof shapes in the neighborhood, as well as the wedge-like footprint of the site. By covering the facade with a reflective silver roof membrane, the appearance of the building changes when viewed from different angles.

In the words of Paul Tillich, church architecture needs to help the visitor to reach "the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern", fulfilling functional and atmospheric expectations. Site-specific problems with access, as well as the sensitive cultural-historical context, has resulted in an unusual rhombic floorplan. The central church space is kept square and intimate, underlining the importance of the institution in the local community.

The project aims to combine two seemingly contradictory qualities; the advantages of typical suburban living (large plots and houses, as well as privacy and easy access), and the demand for a housing area with little visual and ecological impact on its surroundings. Similarly, the technical restrictions of the information centre (possibility to disassemble and move) had to be combined with a flexibility in program and size.

In order to create a strong identity for this fragmented office area on the edge of Amsterdam, water is used for the improvement of the public space. The study was presented as a series of postcards, where different permanent and temporary interventions involving water have been collaged into the existing situations. By using the possibility of local water buffers and filtering on left-over spots which are not suitable for building, financing can be shared between different private and public parties.

A solitary tree often works as a landmark. In the case of the new St. Nicolaaslyceum, a mirror point grid shows a life-size tree indicating the school’s entrance. This transitory art piece on the southern façade also possesses shading properties. On sunny days, a gentle shadow mimicking spring foliage is cast on the floor of the central hall. The art work will be realised in the summer of 2012.

Following the principles of a ‘Ferme Ornée’, these twin park bridges combine function and ornament. Both bridges form a continuation of the path and undulate slightly to allow the passage of small boats. The deck rests on an artificial rock, which is also an allusion to the addition of artifacts such as grottoes in early landscape parks. While the ‘winter bridge’ tends to blend into the landscape through a brittle leaf skeleton pattern, the ‘summer bridge’ imposes itself through a dense pattern of summer foliage.

Under the pretext of improving social coherence, schemes of demolish-and-rebuild are often applied to post-war housing areas. This project investigates an alternative, more socially responsible strategy. By introducing a continuous green strip running around the Nieuw West, the characteristic open courtyards are partly safeguarded, and are given a stronger character through varied tree planting. This is combined with smaller interventions to improve the quality of the public space around the housing blocks.

Model Photo: Jeroen Musch

The project for new park furniture of the Vondelpark takes its inspiration from the original ideas of the Vondelpark, which is designed in a romantic-English style. The park has different characters which together form a whole. This variation is illustrated by the application of different motifs in the frames of the bench, inspired by the flora and fauna of the location. The vegetal motifs are brought further in the design of the lamp post which subtly mimics the bud of a daffodil, and the ivy-covered kiosk.

After the Realiteit and the Fantasie, the third edition of small experimental housing settlements in Almere has been launched under the title Eenvoud. The brief of the competition called for an individual house with a strong relation to its surroundings. Responding to the scarce presence of old hollow trees on the new polder of Almere, the ornithologist’s house acts like an artificial tree in which the bird-lover and the birds co-habit in a small tower with a minimum footprint and integrated birdnests.

After the Realiteit and the Fantasie, the third edition of small experimental housing settlements in Almere has been launched under the title Eenvoud. The brief of the competition called for an individual house with a strong relation to its surroundings. The facade of Cache-Cache consists entirely of reflective glass, acting as a camouflage as well as obstructing the view of its interior. The floorplan has been designed as compact as possible, while still being able to adapt to different lifestyles.

For a new visitor's centre of the Oostvaardersplassen, a competition was organised by Staatsbosbeheer. The site is a relatively young wetland and nature reserve, located in a densely populated area close to Amsterdam. The building incorporates generous outside spaces as well as an access bridge directly from an existing dyke. The layout on three levels keeps the volume compact, and offers different views of the landscape. Willow rods wrap the volume and form a large domed space on the roof.

For the newly re-designed convent garden in the centre of Dordrecht, a competition was held for a small “temple” – a silence room or meditation space – for all religions as well as for non-religious people. The walls of Célestine are made out of the random stacking of large handmade bricks. Inside the daylight shines through a myriad of small openings.

In order to help endangered bat species survive, the Bat House Partnership organised a competition for bat roosts and a visitor centre to be located in the London Wetland Centre in Barnes. The design is based on the many parameters that bats require. A dome-like volume consisting of three shells simulates three different roosting conditions: a cave, an attic and a wall cavity. The distinctive appearance of the building aims at raising people’s interest in bats and their value within urban settings.

For the new artist studio/residencies planned in the Gaobeidian district of Beijing a competition was held for a duplicable unit with a fixed volume of 500m3. The proposal offers different light conditions for various media. Through the flexible floorplan, the three levels can be used independently for a multitude of purposes: exhibitions, performances, living and working. The irregular units can be combined in different typologies, informally laid out on the foundations of the former existing buildings.

Johan Selbing was born in Linköping, Sweden and studied architecture at the Chalmers University in Gothenburg and at Aarhus School of Architecture in Denmark. He further made postgraduate studies and subsequent research at the Royal Arts Academy in Stockholm. After having worked from 2002 as a project leader for a wide range of projects for VMX Architects, he set up his own practice in Amsterdam in 2010. In 2009, Johan Selbing and Anouk Vogel were shortlisted for Prix de Rome, the Dutch state prize for architects and artists under 35.

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