Meke Lenis

In the Footsteps of the Past

We currently live in a time where we look ahead. Places are changing, leaving history further and further behind. I find it remarkable that memories and stories can be passed down from generation to generation.

The Echten peat polder is being drained to keep it habitable. The historical layers of the place consist of various events, stories, and memories. The polder used to be drained by wind and steam, but is now drained by electric screw pumps. The pumping station also houses an engineer's house, where various managers have lived. Besides its history, the place also consists of other layers and characteristics, such as the peat landscape with its long parallel ditches that drain the water. But the wind is also palpable because it is an open space surrounded by water and land.

To explore the layered nature of a place, it is important to get to know it. Analysing the space and talking to people about memories are important steps in my design process.

By looking back at the past and the new layer, I add to the site as a designer, and history becomes tangible again. The house in the pumping station will become a space where artists can stay briefly to explore the site. The remaining architectural space will be available for temporary exhibitions.

History can be valuable for the future. It shapes the character of the environment, a collection of its characteristics. It also ensures that people feel connected to the place where they live or grew up.

The landscape and the architectural space become the setting for the narrative of history.