SINT ANNA SQUARE

In 2017, BURO013 approached Rain(a)Way to work together on a new design for the Sint Anna square. Van Gogh lived in one of the houses surrounding the square when he was 11 years old.  The square’s new concept is based on five ingredients of Vincent Van Goghs work and life: Tilburg’s location, the use of colour, Van Gogh’s time at the King Willem ll college, a sketch from his time at Tilburg and the home where he used to live formed the base of the design. The research for every one of these things was done by BURO013. Using this research, Rain(a)Way designed a beautiful new square.

In addition to the layout of the square, Rain(a)Way has also designed seating objects. These objects are made in the same colours as the tiles. What’s special about the seatings are the letters cast into the concrete. These letters tell the story of St. Annaplein and Vincent van Gogh. The letters are facts about Van Gogh and his life. One of the letter says “Het heeft wel iets van Tilburg ofzoo” ( translation: ‘It has something of Tilburg or so’) which Van Gogh wrote in a letter to his brother.

WOW RAINPROOF

This project at WOW Amsterdam is unique, simple and accessible. Fien Dekker was approached by Luca van de Putten for a new design for WOW Amsterdam’s entrance. Luca van der Putten is the founder of the PlantageLAB, who connects entrepreneurs, students, neighborhood residents, artists and scientists. To keep things going smoothly, Fien and Luca contacted Rainproof Amsterdam. Rainproof is a water expert in Amsterdam. They have provided advice in many areas, including the feasibility of the project. Infiltration through the tiles and the connection to the water network of Amsterdam is a very important part of this project. The possibilities for applying the Rain(a)Way tiles were researched. We decided to replace a portion of the current pavement. The Rain(a)Way tiles are an addition to the current system. Existing rain pipes and columns persist, these are included in the design to ensure optimum storage and infiltration without flooding. The design adds a unique experimental garden to PlantageLAB’s projects.

BLAUWE HOEF AT BERGEIJK

The Blauwe Hoef at Bergeijk knew the effects of climate change. During big rainfalls the whole street used to be flooded and drain covers flew into the air because the sewege system could not handle the excessive amount of water. As part of the technical solution, the municipality has set non-return valves, but they also wanted to actively involve the residents in the management of (urban) water. To resolve these questions, Rain(a)Ways help was asked.

The residents were getting involved into the design-process by a workshop. A maquette made by Fien gave a clear visual of the street. This way the citizens could easily visualize the changes that were to be made, and give suggestions.

By not hiding the rainwater in the drainpipes, but moving and storing it in a visible way we created an attractive, dynamic, environment. Rainwater is led to a lowered playground, a central point in the street. The specially designed Rain(a)Way ‘Ebb’ tiles form small urban rivers. Rainwater from residents can thus be connected to the public space via the drain. There is a visually attractive area with a pleasant living environment, while potential flooding is also eliminated.