Building on my earlier post on the in-between I want to share a project which I learned about over the weekend: Kus-en-sloop. Situated in de Afrikaanderwijk in the South of Rotterdam this temporary hotel is situated in an area which is very at the starting point of a big transition. Many houses will be refurbished or demolished, new green spaces will be developed and an overall enhancement of this troubled area. Together with Vestia, the housing corporation owning a large percentage of all the houses in this area Bureau M.E.S.T. has created the concept of KUS-housing:
An empty house which, right before being demolished or undergoing an intense transition, is made use of in a different manner. Normally these houses are the basis of the loneliness and emptiness which haunts these neighbourhoods, they are now transformed into places which form the basis for the transition of the neighbourhood. (…) The rooms are designed by local artists and built using local materials which come from houses demolished earlier. This makes the project 100% local.
The name kus-en-sloop is well picked because it combines several meanings in one: kussensloop (pillowcase); kiss-and-demolish; but also kiss and ride.
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