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In 1959 ‘’NAM’’ (an Energy Giant Company of Dutch origin) discovered a gas field, initially seeming like a gift from the heavens to the struggling economy of the post-war Netherlands.
However as soon as 1963 the first recorded earthquake in the Groningen area took place.
Any connection to the gas extraction has been categorically denied by NAM officials.
Nearly 60 years later, the inhabitants of Groningen are still facing the consequences of land exploitation. Experts assume that human-induced earthquakes will continue for years, due to the fluctuations in pressure beneath the ground caused by decades of fracking.
No one knows precisely when the tremors will stop.
The project speculates an experimental settlement inhabited by the community seeking redemption in the spectrum of environmental consequences. Inhabitants of New Zeerijp, refuse to accept monetary reimbursement and instead, take on the goal of becoming the nurturing keepers of the land broken by exploitation. Technical ambition focuses on a flexible structure and challenges the notion of seismic architecture. It proposes a way forward built upon the acceptance of damage and ritualistic maintenance.
Intrigued by the notion of ritual and the revival of pagan movements in the Netherlands, particularly their faith in the mythical creatures of the land, a series of devices living within the rural landscape were designed.
Translation of the ground conditions into movements of the building’s structure formed one of the main areas of interest in the project. This idea was developed through research into post-tensioned timber systems and explored via animated tests.
During the summer months, when grain storage spaces are emptied, the adaptable, mobile walls open up to accommodate seasonal activities – ceremonial dances and the round table town hall meetings.
The search for a language for the project began with imagining a space for Beltane, the Fire Ritual – a celebration of land's fertility. This spatial proposal gathered inspiration from historic grain elevators native to the agricultural landscapes.
The final animated film follows the rituals performed within and around the building. It attempts to depict the duality of the building’s programme and its transformations influenced by seismic conditions and the change of seasons.