Maijubastraat Façade

This project was commissioned by housing corporation Stadgenoot and developed in cooperation with tenants whose building stood on the dark side of the street. Our first meeting began with some tension, but the tenants quickly bonded over rejecting my initial proposal. Feeling empowered by this shared decision, they expressed their dislike of bees and agreed they didn’t want to come home to the sight of a giant bee hovering near their entrance. Inspired by the mailboxes under the windows, I had envisioned a bee delivering pollen to each flower and weed, just as the postman delivers mail. When I offered to create a new design and present it to them for approval, it was a welcome surprise.

This process allowed me to further explore the theme of nature in urban environments by transforming the building’s gray, sunless exterior into something more organic and alive. It also allowed me to talk to local residents about the importance of bees and plants in our neighborhoods. The final design blended medieval beekeeping imagery with photos and drawings I made of nearby flora, introducing a vivid connection to nature that brightened the otherwise shaded façade.

In the end, the project fostered cooperation and a sense of pride among a tenants' group once known for being at odds with both each other and the housing corporation that owned the building.