Part of:

People:

Alvaro Siza (archive creator)
Alvaro Siza (architect)

Title:

106 habitações, Punt en Komma [Punt en Komma social housing], Schilderswijk-West, The Hague, The Netherlands, (1981-1990)

Date:

circa 1981 - 1990

Level of archival description:
Project

Extent and medium:

Approximately 1,049 drawings (including approximately 974 reprographic copies)
185 photographic materials
0.26 l.m. of textual records
2 maps

Scope and content:
The project series documents the Punt en Komma social housing project in The Hague, The Netherlands, with some materials related to the Urban plan for Deelgebied Zone 5, Schilderswijk-West. While the records were held in the office’s archives the urban plan for Deelgebied Zone 5 was assigned the number 30/80 and Punt en Komma was assigned the number 30/80 A/B (Punt (A) and Komma (B)). The office assigned the date 1984 for this project.
In the mid to late1970s The Hague underwent an urban renewal program and in 1980 Adri Duivesteijn became the alderman responsible for this program. Dissatisfied with the results, in the early to mid-1980s Duivesteijn began a campaign to look at urban renewal as a cultural approach, and was interested in the participatory process that Siza incorporated for the Serviço Ambulatório de Apoio Local (SAAL) in Portugal and the Berlin projects submitted to the International Architectural Exhibition Berlin competition (International Bauaustellung, IBA, circa 1979-1987). After taking a trip to Portugal, Duivesteijn invited Siza to speak with residents of Schilderswijk.
The urban plan for Schilderswijk was the first part of a redevelopment plan for the 19th century district and included two four story blocks of 106 apartments, named Punt en Komma. Schilderswijk is in the centre of The Hague and is nearby the Haag Spoor train station. The residents are made up of multi-ethnic communities and included immigrants from Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, and Portugal. Similarly to the Berlin projects, Siza was faced with cultural tensions between the residents of the area. The urban plan was to take into account the preservation of the neighborhood's identity while accounting for the changes brought on by multi-ethnic communities. As with the SAAL and Berlin projects there was an element of participation from the residents and included the collaboration of a residents association. In the “Plan of Zone 5 of Schilderswijk Centrum…”, found in this project series [AP178.S1.1984.PR02.024.1, AP178.S1.1984.PR02.024.2], it is outlined that meetings were periodically held with technicians appointed by the Department of Urban Planning and Housing of The Hague, the Housing Cooperative, and each of the designers.
Siza’s design for Punt en Komma incorporated elements prevalent in Dutch architecture such as the Haagse Portiek. However, he also included components in his design which accounted for the needs of residents living there at the time. One feature which gained much attention was the incorporation of sliding doors in the apartments. Siza included these doors in his design in consideration of the cultural practices of Muslim families.
Documenting this project series are drawings, photographic materials, and textual documentation. Among the drawings are plans, elevations, sections, and details, as well as axonometric drawings, such as the proposed design for Deelgebied zone 5 (including Punt en Komma) and drawings of the Haagse Porteik. Photographic materials document both Duivesteijn’s trip to Portugal and Siza’s first trip to The Hague and include photographs, negatives, and slides of the built project, as well as slides of drawings. Note that the photographic materials include photographs related to the housing and shopping complex in Schilderswijk.
Textual documentation includes brochures regarding rent increases, a copy of “Stadsvernieuwing als Kulturele Aktiviteit” by Duivesteijn, and information booklets for the residents. Also included are minutes of meeting and correspondence from the Woningbouwvereniging’s-Gravenhage. Among the correspondence are letters regarding construction costs, including a letter from Siza to the local architectural firm Architectengemeenschap Van den Broek en Bakema explaining that he does not wish to modify the detail he specified for the lintels of the Punt building. There is also correspondence from project architect Carlos Castenheira and Duivesteijn and a summary of the meeting between Siza and the Committee of the Corporation for Social Housing (17 April, 1985)[AP178.S1.1984.PR02.025.1]
It is important to note that Siza also participated in other projects for this urban renewal program: the housing and shopping complex in Schilderswijk [AP178.S1.1984.PR03], the Van der Vennepark [AP178.S1.1985.PR01], and the residential settlement in Schilderswijk (Plano de Doedijnstraat [AP178.S1.1989.PR03]). All three of these projects are arranged in separate project series.

Reference number:

AP178.S1.1984.PR02

Arrangement:
Material in this series was arranged by Álvaro Siza’s office and has been kept in this order.

Location:

The Hague Netherlands

Credit line:
When citing the collection as a whole, use the citation: Álvaro Siza fonds, Collection Centre Canadien d’Architecture/Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal. When citing specific collection material, please refer to the object’s specific credit line.

Language of material:

English
Dutch
Portuguese

Related units of description:

Sketches for Punt en Komma are also included in Siza's sketchbooks found in Series AP178.S2 of this fonds. Of note are sketchbooks 189, 191, 195, 196, 201, 204, 208-210, 213, 220, 226, 229, 241, 245, and 257.