Margyene Booi
2022

In recent years the island of Bonaire has gone through a rapid development in different areas. One of them being construction on the island. The luster of Bonaire being a tranquil island is disappearing to the dismay of many inhabitants and visitors. In the past decades owners have been selling their historical family homes and land to investors and/or tearing them down in order to make room for apartment complexes and modern homes. 

This has put extra pressure on the built heritage and historical infrastructure of the island, especially within the city center of Kralendijk, historically known as De Rheede. It is currently a protected townscape consisting of many historical buildings and infrastructure. However, the lack of knowledge and education on the value and stories about this heritage, their existence is still threatened. The first part of this research is focused on that which existed and how the city functioned 100 years ago. This will be put into perspective with that which still exists today. The second part of the research focuses on creating an interactive 3D-model to bring awareness to a much broader public. This can be used for educational and further research purposes.

Margyene Booi was born on Bonaire and studied in the Netherlands. She studied Architectural Design & Engineering (BSc.) at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and Architectural History & Preservation of Monuments (MA) at the University of Utrecht. Her master thesis was focused on the development and 3D reconstruction of the demolished Rijksmunt in Utrecht’s city center dating back to the 15^th century. She has recently started –BonaireMonuments– in order to tell the stories behind the built heritage of Bonaire of both the demolished buildings as well as existing ones. She also took part in the Talent Ontwikkel Programma Bonaire where she worked in a project team to set up a self-guided historical walking tour –Ecitytourbonaire– through the historical part of Kralendijk.

Reconstructions:
https://skfb.ly/6VSLF
https://skfb.ly/6TOwL
https://skfb.ly/6TOwI