project14:NDSM
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Location NDMS (Dutch Dock and Shipsbuilding Company)
A short story on the history of NDSM. The site has a relative short history in which it has been a ships building factory which moved to the location in 1919. In 1937 it was the biggest shipyard in the world. In 1984 the NSM was declared bankrupt. After this time the docks have been operated by Shipdock BV who repaired ships in these docks on a smaller scale. A lot of big empty warehouses have been squatted over the years. This squatting area has slowly developed into a 'breeding place' for young artists and other small scale workers. In 2001 a lot of them have joined in a foundation named 'Kinetisch Noord'. In one of the warehouses the foundation has developed the Kunststad but as it has become more commercial. There have already been artists who left the NDSM because they don’t want to be dictated by rules. On top of that there are some big companies like HEMA and MTV that recently moved their headquarters to the NDSM. If it was not for the economic crisis there might have been some large scale housing projects as well.
The ECOSYSTEM through time
Explanation of the ecosystem. It is important to realize that the NDSM ecosystem isn’t static but dynamic. The site already changes a lot year by year and this change will only intensify in the coming years when. Therefore it doesn’t make sense to do a lot of research on the current situation. It is much more important to look at the past and even more important to look at the future. Even in the unlikely case that the development plans as shown in the Investmentplan won’t be realized the change that we ourselves cause by implementing our new ‘ecosystem’ into the NDSM will already radically change the current ecosystem.
Connecting & Collaborating. Any ecosystem consists of multiple components that interact. At the NDSM multiple isolated ecosystems can be found. Those ecosystems can be very useful and have many advantages for its users.
If we look back in the history of the NDSM site to the time the NDSM was still a wharf. In order to build a ship many different components had to be put together. All components were made at separate locations within the NDSM. There was a lot of interaction between all the different docks and hangars to fit the ships together in the right way. It must have been a thriving place full of life and companionship.
Although a lot of docks and hangars still exist the functions have changed. There is not one goal(the building of a ship) to be accomplished by everyone. Every place has its own interests and doesn’t look outside its own borders. This causes the people that inhabit the place to not feel connected/at home at the NDSM. On top of that by keeping the ecosystem as small as their own environment a lot of chances are being missed. Shared interests, services between different environments, bundling of skills and knowledge would lead to a higher standard for all. The NDSM how it is can be seen as the ecosystems inside the ZOO where all inhabitants are fenced off from each other. In some cages there are multiple inhabitants but only if they are from the same family.
There are multiple examples to look at in the NDSM. MTV Networks is one. This company consists of multiple (international) components. Nickolodeon, MTV, ComedyCentral, VH1 and TMF all work together and share facilities but only within the borders of the building itself. Then there is the Kunststad that seems to be a more diverse ecosystem with lots of different kinds of artists that already work together in a quite intensive way. But also here there is no interaction outside the borders of the building. Chances are missed at the possibilities of expositing and providing their skills for the other companies at the NDSM. More examples that work in a similar way include the Afbramerij, the studenthousing and kraanspoor.
Exterior influences on the ecosystem. An ecosystem cannot be seen as an isolated object, there are always influences from the outside. Even if we see the NDSM as a good working ecosystem it can only exist with the help of exterior components. Without these exterior components there wouldn’t even be a NDSM. Back in 1916 when the NSM was looking for a new location for their wharf they had to artificially make the NDSM out of the IJ. In the time the NDSM was a wharf, it was dependent from its workers who had to come from Amsterdam-Noord and the other side of the IJ as well as its employers such as Shell, Stork and the Dutch Navy. In later times the wharf was more and more dependent from the government up to the time of its bankruptcy. After this a time of relative independence existed. This time is very important for its current image. The squatters and artists made the place creative and full of energy.
Lately there is a new interest on the north side of the IJ. Because for a long time Amsterdam-Noord hasn’t been developed and was more or less the territory of big companies like Shell, Akzo and the NDSM it had been neglected. The recent changes are very much supported by the Amsterdam municipality as well as the Amsterdam-Noord citypart. All projects that have been going on for the last 10 years work as catalysts to each other. It seems that Amsterdam wants as much interest and investment in this area as possible. They do this to gain more money which they can use to finance projects that are beneficial for the inhabitants but don’t generate money, like parks, musea, creative breeding places etc. On a larger scale Amsterdam as a city wants to be one of Europes most creative city’s.
Within the NDSM a similar process can be seen. The big investments are welcomed to generate money to renovate the monuments, clean the soil and develop a creative, cultural hotspot. At the same time the creative and cultural hotspot generates interest for the investors. The site developers have also noticed the potential of this ecosystem and are now trying to improve it by stimulating the creative sector. Especially in this time of economic recession it is important to generate extra interest for investors.
What do we do with all this information? Go to problems and opportunities.
More
Some more information of the NDSM
Links
Players at the NDSM
-MediaWharf
-Stichting NDSM oost
-Noordwaarts
-AmsterdamWatr
-de Toekomst
-Kinetisch Noord
-de Afbramerij
