Hanneke Stenfert

Hanneke graduated in 2017 cum laude from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, MSc Architecture. During her study time she founded her own design agency Open Kaart together with three partners. She is currently still working at this agency and has a great fascination for co-creation of the living environment.

Co-creation

Hanneke is fascinated by what places mean for people and how a pleasant living and working environment is created in collaboration with designers, other professionals and its users. Hanneke: “Co-creation is more than just listening to residents; it requires professional skills to effectively and meaningfully shape co-creative processes."

Open kaart

Hanneke’s fascination for co-creation started already in 2014 during the opening of the design agency Open Kaart. The agency specialises in design assignments that involve multiple stakeholders. The needs of the residents and users is always the first point of departure for the agency. “In recent years I have worked with Open Kaart on various assignments, in various contexts and with various stakeholders throughout the country. I wish to broaden this experience by learning from co-creative projects outside the Netherlands."

Inspiring international examples

The field of co-creation is young and the knowledge is therefore still limited, but there are already inspiring examples of co-creative projects in the world. Hanneke wants to visit and study some of these projects. For example the concept of the socially engaged Chilean architect Aravena. He and his company Elemental developed a plan for housing hundreds of families in various locations that are too expensive for social housing. He decided to build parts of the houses, leaving an option for expansion in the future. This allowed the residents to invest in their own home over the years and to benefit from the increase in value.

In ten years I would like to be an expert in the field of co-creation, with knowledge that I can use to roll up my sleeves to contribute to a pleasant, sustainable environment where people can feel at home.

A meaningful next step

With the support of the Marina van Damme grant, Hanneke aims to conduct three international case studies. These case studies are embedded in a training programme at the DRIFT research institute. DRIFT is an international and interdisciplinary group of researchers and advisors, an independent institute under the umbrella of Erasmus University Rotterdam. It is Hanneke's ambition to build the co-creative field at the interface of theory and practice. Winning the grant would be an important support for her to be able to take the next step in creating a meaningful living environment.

Everyone is welcome to support Hanneke by attending the Marina van Damme Award Ceremony on 13 May 2019, Aula Conference Centre TU Delft (commissiekamer 3). <link en delft-university-fund talentdevelopment scholarships marina-van-damme-grant registration-marina-van-damme-award-ceremony-13-may-2019>Register here.