The Hembrugterrein is a former military complex located on the southern edge of Zaandam, part of the ‘Stelling van Amsterdam’. It is an area with valuable cultural and historical buildings, various national monuments and landscape and ecological values that is waiting for a special redevelopment. In the early 2000s, various parties that had an interest in the area kept each other in a deadlock for years, preventing any development from happening. This resulted in large parts of the area falling into disrepair. In 2004, Remco Reijke and Ellen Holleman developed a strategy for the area in the context of the Creative Workshop North Wing. This strategy showed how the area could be gradually put into use.
This strategy led to the establishment of the Foundation Nieuw Hembrugterrein. The foundation worked to get the development of the area moving, and brought the Hembrugterrein to the attention of a wide audience. The foundation initiated activities such as an exhibition about the area in the Zaans Museum, debates about the future of the area, and a dream diary on the internet. In 2008, the foundation commissioned the making of a concept for cultural events on, in and about the Hembrugterrein.
Thanks to the efforts of the foundation, the parties responsible for the area were prompted to make use of the exceptional character of the Hembrugterrein and preserve its qualities. Nowadays, the development of the Hembrugterrein is in full swing and it is one of the hotspots in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Since the foundation's goals have been achieved, it was dissolved in 2010.