The Theatre, an urban figure with a long-standing history in the context of European cities. From Dionysian festivals in the large amphitheatres of ancient Greece. To the street performances in the loud, dirty, chaotic streets of medieval Northern Europe. To the gilded theatres of the bourgeoisie, where theatre became a tool of social status and class division. After WWI and WWII theatres arose that attempted to break with tradition by becoming places for political expression and experimentation. Which brings us to our current moment in time. In the Netherlands theatres are largely subsidized by the government or hyper commercialized to stay afloat. The relevance and function of theatre in our society is being questioned. What is the future of theatre?

It is within this uncertainty about the role of theatre that Theatre de Veste positions its ambition for the future. They imagine the theatre as a public space where all parts of society are welcome and can engage in a meaningful way. Currently, Theatre de Veste is located on the south-west side of the historic city centre of Delft in a building dating from 1995. The organisation feels that its ambitions have outgrown its current situation and are looking to relocate.

The site chosen for this project is located at the South-West side of the historic city centre of Delft. Currently it functions as an urban back land. It contains a temporary parking structure, the back gardens of houses with their small sheds, a garage and a car rental, and a charity shop. The challenge of the project lies in manoeuvring a large building such as a contemporary theatre into the small-grain urban fabric of Delft.

The ambitions of Theatre de Veste pose interesting questions: what is the future of theatre, and in turn, the theatre of the future? To find answers to these questions, this project positions itself as an exploration of public space, with theatre as its core function. It asks how such a space can be balanced with the technical, organisational, and commercial realities of a fully operative contemporary theatre. How can a space be created that the people of Delft can use and inhabit in a meaningful way, and what if theatre alone is no longer sufficient as a reason to gather?
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This thesis explores how the doorzonwoning, a Dutch post-war housing type, was transformed by its residents over time. In the years following World War II, the Netherlands faced a severe housing crisis. In response, the government launched a large-scale effort to provide efficient, affordable homes using new techniques such as system building and prefabrication. Using Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, this research challenges the traditional divide between planned and lived space, and reframes the inhabitant as an active cocreator of architecture. Through a case study in Amerongen, the thesis investigates how residents adapted and transformed their homes over time. Drawing from archival records and personal testimonies, it reveals how negotiated modifications, from dormers to kitchen extensions, blurred the line between government planning and personal appropriation. Ultimately, the thesis argues that the doorzonwoning is not only a product of its time but also a dynamic, living architectural form that has remained relevant precisely because of its capacity to change. ... Read more