Laurien makes Ameland tangible
How do you experience an island when walking isn't a given? Laurien Booij, a graduating Interior Architecture student at ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design Zwolle, designed a museum on the island of Ameland where the experience of the island takes centre stage. Rather than presenting information, the museum invites visitors to hear, touch and experience Ameland through the senses.
Designing from personal experience
The idea grew from Laurien's own experience. Living with fibromyalgia, she regularly encounters buildings and public spaces that are not designed with people with physical disabilities in mind.
'It really came from frustration. I wanted to do something with that.'
For Laurien, architecture became a way to turn that experience into a design that creates space for others. Rather than starting from limitations, she explores different ways of experiencing a place.
Collecting Ameland
To develop her design, Laurien travelled to Ameland. She recorded sounds, collected sand, shells and other natural materials, and explored how the island feels through her senses. She brought those impressions back to her studio.
From that collection, she created spatial elements that allow visitors to experience the island in different ways. Instead of centring a single viewpoint or route, her design focuses on everything you can hear, touch and feel.
'It's so close to who I am. The fact that I can use it for other people as well feels really special.'
Architecture that makes room for everyone
During her graduation year, Laurien realised how personal the project had become. That made the work even more meaningful.
With her museum, Laurien shows that architecture is about more than creating atmosphere. It can also make space for different bodies, different experiences and different ways of engaging with a place.
