Challenging a predominant focus in academia on studying societal and spatial challenges primarily in the Global South or non-Western environments, this project investigates the urban fabric and hidden socio-political mechanisms of precarity in the city of Munich, Germany. Houselessness appears as the manifestation of a global housing crisis and is with its implications exclusive to the neoliberal city. Within the context of housing distribution and provision, the neoliberal housing market's association of performance with ownership implies a necessary exclusion based on financial capacity. Accepting that the scope of this reality lies outside of the discipline of architecture, shifted the focus on an analysis of the city through the lens of the guiding motif of urban displacement. The aim was to find out how the city defines spaces for public use, what mechanisms are at work in terms of inclusion and exclusion of certain groups of people, and which spaces are essential - but missing. The visibly precarious conditions of public living imply that public space is not a place meant for all functions. Theories on human motivation suggest that basic human needs are not linked to spaces per se but to an action rendered possible by the protective frame of the built environment. Thus, the project explores the potential outcomes of reimagining domestic patterns outside the confines of conventional residential units. Through ethnographic fieldwork paired with experiments on filmmaking as an architectural method of analysis, a human-centred design evolved that aims at transforming "street dwelling" into a tangible and viable alternative to conventional urban living. The design endeavours to embed a system for both residential and commercial use within the existing urban reality of Munich. Building on current and necessary transformation processes of the urban fabric, the redevelopment of an exemplary streetscape of the Baaderstraße in Munich houses different acts and scales of appropriation in a design frame that works at various temporalities. The first and most permanent intervention docks on the cities' above- and below-ground infrastructure. On top of it, units are placed that in their design adapt in shape, size, and functions to the local ground-floor conditions. Different lifetimes are included in the temporalities of the site by designing the initial unit for a possible future disassembly. The modularity of the prefabricated wooden construction and sanitary units also allow for a possible scalability to other streets. Highlighting a necessary shift of the role of the architect to a mediator between the user and the corporate client, the project presents a compromise at the intersection of realism and utopia, offering new dimensions to concepts of urban, communal, and private notions of comfort and emphasizing the importance of inclusive spaces and innovative approaches to address the housing crisis in Western cities.

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology progressively integrates into daily life and domestic environments, it instigates a pressing inquiry: What new spatial implications can arise from the integration of artificially intelligent technologies within homes, and what role can these AI technologies play in reinforcing social interaction among humans and between humans and machines? This paper does not predict the future but instead imagines a fictitious trajectory of the possible development of selected technologies and their spatial impacts on domestic environments through design. The aim is to incite a discussion that tests and explores core values that can be adopted or avoided in the future. This process allows for the contemplation and discourse around these novel technologies, thereby increasing the chances of their positive societal impact. The paper further expands on the underutilised potential of technology within the architectural field compared to other disciplines more adeptly adjusted to the digital age. Utilising the 'Futurecraft' method, it frames a vision of potential futures, thereby encouraging robust discussion about the role of technology, who should design them, and the ideal ways of implementation. Amid the second wave of AI development, the urgency of examining the human-machine relationship is emphasized, especially given the rise and impact of Large Language Models (LLMs), including models like Chat GPT. The paper posits the need for a 'Living Lab' - a controlled environment where new technologies can be deployed and tested to understand their broader societal impact. It addresses the ethical dilemmas tied to AI's rapid development and the potential adverse effects of these technologies, shedding light on the possible disconnect between humans and their environments brought about by automation. The discussion aims to develop narratives and spaces where individuals can explore their relationship with technology while ensuring safe and ethical implementation. The study ultimately aspires to create a stronger narrative that will bring about democratic architecture and consider the rise of LLMs within the field of architecture, underscoring their potential impact and significance.

The research of the thesis explores to what extent a multi-species design practice in architecture based on affordances informed by the act of human and non-human space-making in abandoned ruins helps to achieve a symbiotic relation between architecture and biodiversity. For this purpose, a theoretical framework triangulating affordances, multi-species design and architecture was developed. This was done throughout different exploratory methods such as reviewing literature, as well as an on-field studies of the abandoned ruin “Palácio Ford” in Porto, Portugal. The architectural project is about the design of a multi-species residency consisting of different kinds of towers that contribute to the growth of an urban forest by interaction with the environment. The interventions were developed as Baubotanik structures which combine living trees and technical construction methods in one object. Thus, the project explores new ways of living in a growing architecture which forms an urban forest within the city of Porto.

100 Years of Summer: A ski area brownfield as a testing ground to explore ways of how humans and nonhumans can thrive in a warming alpine landscape, together. This project started with a romantic fascination for the mountain landscape in my home country, and with wondering what would happen to all the infrastructure in ski areas once there isn’t enough snow anymore to run them profitably. I soon discovered, however, that there are some much more fundamental questions to tackle first - mainly concerning how we position ourselves as humans in this world: Are we as autonomous from other beings as we like to think? How does our experience of a (brownfield) landscape differ from that of a bird, goat, or flower? What is our role - both our responsibility and agency - in alpine ecosystems? What is the role, big or small, of each other thing? What does it take for the landscapes to be resilient and full of life despite the pressure applied by climate change? The final exhibition does not answer all these questions. It creates a spatial framework for experimenting with possible answers and tries to expand the (architectural) narrative: from a solely human experience of the landscape, architecture, and activities, to one that acknowledges the role and experience of nonhuman beings like animals, plants, soil, rain, materials,...

This project is an elderly school in Berlin, which aims to help the elderly enjoy their happy life by enhancing their sense of self-achievement through knowledge sharing with other people. This elderly school floats on top of Fennpfuhl Lake in the park, and the elderly could also enjoy poetic scenery while teaching and learning. It includes age-friendly design, participatory design, and multi-sensory design, aiming to help the elderly gain a sense of self-achievement through cross-age communication. The elderly school allows people to meet and talk, using classrooms, in-between spaces, and gardens to provide formal and random learning and communication opportunities. It also improves the self-satisfaction of the elderly in different aspects. The classroom is a teaching space that provides fixed courses where the elderly can gain a sense of self-achievement when teaching and acquiring knowledge. The in-between space is a space for people to communicate and rest, where random learning opportunities can be triggered. The indoor garden is separated by exhibition shelves, where the elderly carefully maintain the plants, and they will also feel happy in this planting space.

For several decades, architectural theorists have argued that there is a loss of meaning in architecture, caused by an over-emphasis on scientific thinking and the devaluing of poetic practices. Some theorists have presented ways to return meaning to architecture: Juhani Pallasmaa has called for empathic imagination and Alberto Perez-Gomez for attuned architecture. However, neither has offered methods for how to achieve those ends. This research aims to bridge theory and practice by developing methods for attuning to a location and its inhabitants. It focuses on ways to become attuned to a place and people, in order to imagine spaces empathically and tailor architecture to the affective qualities of a place. To best develop methods that identify these qualities, this research looks at familiar places, that is, places we assume to know well and therefore may overlook distinctive features. Accordingly, I have focussed on Brigflatts, my childhood neighbourhood in rural England. I develop methods for attuning in two ways. First, by drawing upon three fields and their related methods: cognitive science and sensory mapping; anthropology and collaborative design ethnography; and architecture and reflections on atmospheres. Second, by creating physical objects that translate qualities and experiences of place into an interactive form. My exploration of Brigflatts culminates in four large-format paintings that express what I became attuned to. I deconstruct and analyse these paintings to indicate how the on-site activities provided insights into the affective qualities of the location. While this research looked at a familiar, rural location, I show how the methods elaborated at Brigflatts can be adapted to less familiar and urban environments. I discuss their broader application through a set of guiding principles for methods of attunement. The research findings feed into a design project set at Brigflatts. “The Quaker Project at Brigflatts” seeks to re-activate a historically and spiritually significant site while balancing the needs of the faith group, the national park planning authority, and the locals living nearby. Through this project, I explore how architecture can be attuned to a place and a people – how social behaviours, material bodies, and affective qualities can inform the design of new spaces and new experiences of the site and the protected landscape. I ground this project in a real-life scenario, responding to the Quaker testimonies and the National Park’s development requirements. In doing so, I envision a future of development in the Yorkshire Dales that protects cultural heritage, progresses building techniques, and offers a contemporary architecture attuned to its locality.

For several decades, architectural theorists have argued that there is a loss of meaning in architecture, caused by an over-emphasis on scientific thinking and the devaluing of poetic practices. Some theorists have presented ways to return meaning to architecture: Juhani Pallasmaa has called for empathic imagination and Alberto Perez-Gomez for attuned architecture. However, neither has offered methods for how to achieve those ends. This research aims to bridge theory and practice by developing methods for attuning to a location and its inhabitants. It focuses on ways to become attuned to a place and people, in order to imagine spaces empathically and tailor architecture to the affective qualities of a place. To best develop methods that identify these qualities, this research looks at familiar places, that is, places we assume to know well and therefore may overlook distinctive features. Accordingly, I have focussed on Brigflatts, my childhood neighbourhood in rural England. I develop methods for attuning in two ways. First, by drawing upon three fields and their related methods: cognitive science and sensory mapping; anthropology and collaborative design ethnography; and architecture and reflections on atmospheres. Second, by creating physical objects that translate qualities and experiences of place into an interactive form. My exploration of Brigflatts culminates in four large-format paintings that express what I became attuned to. I deconstruct and analyse these paintings to indicate how the on-site activities provided insights into the affective qualities of the location. While this research looked at a familiar, rural location, I show how the methods elaborated at Brigflatts can be adapted to less familiar and urban environments. I discuss their broader application through a set of guiding principles for methods of attunement. The research findings feed into a design project set at Brigflatts. “The Quaker Project at Brigflatts” seeks to re-activate a historically and spiritually significant site while balancing the needs of the faith group, the national park planning authority, and the locals living nearby. Through this project, I explore how architecture can be attuned to a place and a people – how social behaviours, material bodies, and affective qualities can inform the design of new spaces and new experiences of the site and the protected landscape. I ground this project in a real-life scenario, responding to the Quaker testimonies and the National Park’s development requirements. In doing so, I envision a future of development in the Yorkshire Dales that protects cultural heritage, progresses building techniques, and offers a contemporary architecture attuned to its locality.

What if we welcome all things, plants and animals to the Parliament of Berlin? What would the Spree river vote for during the plenary sessions? What would be the reasoning of the brown bear? What claims would the Tiergarten and its trees make, and what future would the red fox see for itself? The thesis addresses the dichotomy between nature and society in the legislative process through an architectural design project. The ambition of the project is to provide a personal contribution to the evolution of parliamentary buildings and to engage in a critical reflection on the future of this architectural typology. To do so, the main goal is to design a new Parliament for the city-state of Berlin by drawing inspiration from the theory of the Parliament of Things, articulated by Bruno Latour in his book “We Have Never Been Modern”.  This project is distinct in its nature; it ventures into uncharted territory and architectural innovation without a pre-existing reference or established precedent. This design project seeks to redefine the essence of parliamentary spaces by embracing the voices of all entities, both human and non-human, within the legislative process. In exploring this topic, the central research question emerges as follows: How can a contemporary Parliament be designed to include, besides humans, natural entities in the legislative process?

This project focuses on two problems: the low publicness of architecture of district parliament, and the ongoing growth of distrust between citizens and representatives. With the theme of digitalisation, this project responds to the problems by proposing a new parliamentary workflow with the use of hybrid communication, which involves the basic parliament programs to prepare for debate, a people’s voices gallery that broadcast opinions of the public, and a data hall that collect and coordinate massive digital information from the public.

The project exmines the impacts of Water Culture in the Modern Period in Mexico City and aims to establish an alternate pathway in wake of socio-environmental pressures.

This project focuses on the discrimination against child justice and proposes the solution of creating a seperate specialized juvenile courthouse for youth offendors. Children are after all our future and should be properly taken care of.

The loss of global biodiversity poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human well-being. The growth of cities has played a substantial role in the 70% decline in global biodiversity since 1970. This decline can be attributed to the failure of cities to balance their rapid land take with the preservation or creation of urban vegetation. The loss and absence of green structures within cities has led to extreme temperatures, poor air quality, and inadequate animal habitats, which results in a negative impact on biodiversity, city resilience, and both human and non-human life. Addressing these challenges requires the integration of nature-inclusive design practices into urban planning, aiming to promote the coexistence of humans and non-humans. This work explores the concept of regenerative design in architecture and its potential to increase urban biodiversity in Western European cities.

The natural temperate grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plains [VVP] are one of Australia's most critically endangered ecosystems. Extreme ecological transformations due to agricultural practices and urban development have resulted in less than 1% of the original vegetation remaining in a pre-colonial state. These losses have led to both environmental and cultural destruction among the region's First Nations People, particularly the Wathaurong, whose deep knowledge of the area established complex land management systems sustaining human cultivation with ecological care for thousands of years. This research and design project posit that to improve the region, a retrospective examination and uncovering of colonialist and First Nations histories is necessary. With the aim to adapt or reengage with FN’s Peoples cultural views and landscape management which is hidden beneath the surface. The project aims to delineate the fundamental views, laws, and dynamics of the First Nations People and explore their manifestation in spatial ecologies. The focus is on translating these insights into spatial, practical, and programmatic forms to reassess the urban-rural and natural landscape of the Victorian Volcanic Plains. Seven major design ideas were developed through the research, informing a new social spatial landscape for the area. Furthermore, the design project concentrates on developing a First Nations Agricultural campus within the VVP context, aligning with the design and spatial principles outlined in the research. Situated on a farm owned by the Wathaurung CoOp, this project addresses the complex poly culture systems of Agricultural, Socio-cultural, and ecological production/reproduction. It navigates this complexity through three major design scales: the System Scale, the Compound Scale, and the Building Scale, creating a farm-scape appropriate for the region. The overarching theme of journey, evident in ecosystem movement, land management processes, and seasonal and social-cultural reproduction, serves as the project's ligaments. It connects various design scales and dualistic systems on the site to educate users about 'seeing this landscape with new eyes.' The Building design component focuses on designing spaces for core processes of the polyculture system, particularly the seed cultivating and processing areas, where the strongest interconnections between the three major polyculture systems are found.