Wieder Gut

• Location: Oecumenisch Centrum, Rotterdam
• Program: Community centre, secular spaces


• Year: 2022
• Type: Graphic novel
• Subject: Architectural Research and Design
• Mentor: Janina Gosseye

The Ecumenical Centre was gifted to Rotterdam by the German Evangelical Church after the Second World War. The gift was a form of atonement and prospected to bring the people of Rotterdam closer together despite religion, form of employment or ethnicity. A very well-polished story from the outside, that falls apart quickly when looking from the inside-out.

The concept for the graphic novel is based on the duality of the story surrounding the construction of the Ecumenical Centre, designed by Rietveld. The graphic novel is has an outside and an inside story. The outside story is based on a speech that Willem Visser ‘t Hooft, former head of the World Council of Churches, gave at the opening of the building. The inside is based on diary excerpts found from one of the volunteers working at the construction site, unfolding the true story behind making the centre and nuancing the perfect picture of ‘t Hooft.

The process of making this graphic novel consisted of finding one clear concept, through which characters could be introduced to the story while telling the history of a building. And most importantly, giving voice to a perspective that is often left out or overlooked within the story tellings of architecture.