Soft space - space for permeability and interaction: Creating great quality public space in the Oude Westen, Rotterdam with conditions for inviting and encouraging use & natural processes

With a pressure on public space due to a predicted increase of users, the changing climate and a non-supporting existing urban structure with a focus on space for vehicles, there is need for improvement of public space in the neighbourhood Oude Westen in Rotterdam. The research question guiding this design research is:</p><p...

Vertical Forests: The Impact of Green Balconies on the Microclimate by Solar Shading, Evapotranspiration and Wind Flow Change

In the future most of us will be living in cities and due to climate change global average temperatures are expected to rise. As a result of the urban heat island effect, the temperature in cities can be up to 7 C higher than in the surrounding rural area. Higher air temperatures are not only uncomfortable, but also unhealthy especially for...