One of the most controversial topics surrounding museums in the twenty-first century is the questionable origin and accessioning of their collections. Museumsinsel Berlin, as one of the most significant museum clusters, has become home to many foreign collections because of its imperial and colonial history. This graduation thesis suggests a new cultural space on Museumsinsel dedicated to artefacts with disputed ownership, where past stories are told and artefacts are returned, fostering greater engagement in open discussion and cultural production between the artefacts and the public. The project also aims to address the large energy demands Museumsinsel will face. With the expected frequent movement of objects, museums will need to give provisional spaces for storage, research, and art distribution programs within a well-controlled climate. This is as necessary in New York and Paris as it is in Berlin.

The transition of coal power plants has showed the struggles in overcoming coal energy in Europe, where its largest power plant, Bełchatów Power Station, in 2021 announced its fourteen-year closure plan. In the instances of Poland and Bulgaria, coal regions are hesitant to act for transitioning and their energy distribution systems still predominantly rely on coal. Therefore, alternatives for the transformation of coal-related infrastructure is critical for future urban planning strategies to enable a new adaptable way of living without carbon energy. In the first part, this paper will investigate how coal energy framed current architecture and infrastructure, which indicate why Poland and Bulgaria are reluctant to act due to their deep-rooted energy grids. The analysis of urban economic changes through satellite maps and archived photos in Poland and Bulgaria will demonstrate how their regional urban redevelopment gives urban planners directions for future transition. The last part explores new standards of living comfort for inhabitants to follow to propose new design schemes that architects and engineers should implement. This is supported by evaluations of building design strategies from existing projects. These strategies can suggest future redevelopment of coal-related industrial clusters and prepare a way of living without coal.