Opportunity in Chaos: Triggering revival of the damaged historic town centres of Italy

April, 2009. A medium-powered earthquake occurs in L’Aquila, Italy, causing disproportionally heavy damage: 308 people are killed, more than 1 500 people are injured and over 65 000 people are rendered homeless. The historic town centre of L’Aquila is among the most heavily affected areas. <br/>Nine years later, the once beautiful and lively...

Natural passive housing in the Lange Bretten of Amsterdam

This graduation project focuses on the architectural design of a passive and nature inclusive housing complex in the Lange Bretten, a natural area in Amsterdam-West. The complex offers a temporary home for the growing group of economic homeless of Amsterdam. The design goals for this type of housing include the symbiosis between these residents...

Towards Living with Water: In search of new perspectives towards living with the increasing risk of flooding in the densifying outer dike area of the urban center of Rotterdam

As a result of global warming sea levels have recently started to rise and pose threatening scenarios to increasingly densifying urban areas worldwide. As the low-lying Netherlands will be one of the first to witness the consequenses of rising sea levelsa and increasing river water discharge, alternatives for its built environment will have to...

The role of collectiveness in the living environment of dementia sufferers: To what extent can collectiveness support a neighbourhood in which people with dementia, with a demand for care can live?

Background More and more people have to deal with dementia themselves, in their direct or indirect environment. However, this problem is often not part of everyday life in our society. Our living environment is not designed for the increasing dependence of these people and the problems that they daily face remains often behind closed doors. The...