Under the influence of negative experiences, childbirth can be harmful and have negative effects on women’s (mental) health. One of the factors affecting women’s experience of childbirth is the physical environment. Unfortunately, contemporary maternal healthcare facilities are often designed from a highly-regulated and medicalized maternity care perspective, instead of a woman-centered design approach. In order to comply with women’s (environmental) needs and to create a more women-centered design approach, design guidelines have been formed based on literature study, fieldwork including semistructured interviews, and case studies. Using these guidelines, the architectural environment could contribute to a positive experience, improving health & well-being, for women during the stage of LDRP* in a maternal healthcare facility.

*an acronym for labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum ... Read more

A person with a physical disability often has no choice but to rely on their families. Between the physically disabled and the family caregiver, there is a co-dependence which affects both sides and how they live their individual daily lives. It is reported that this co-dependence creates feelings of burden and stress, social isolation and emotional loneliness for both the people with disabilities and their family caregivers.

There has been a good number of policies issued in the Netherlands with the aim of allowing as many people as possible to participate fully in society. The main aim is to help people with disabilities to live as they wish through changes in the social domain that will lead to noticeably fewer barriers. However, when it comes to participation and “barriers”, the first thing that comes to mind is the physical barriers that make access challenging. But accessibility and participation are also about the experiences people have once they access a particular environment. In other words, accessible and inclusive spaces are spaces that not only people can get into, but that they also feel welcome to be into. In the end, when we talk about an accessible society, we are talking about more than just the physical or practical barriers - the social barriers that are part of the social structure and the way the society and living environments are organized.

In this research, the question "What kind of architectural and urban living environments can be integrated in the daily lives of the physically disabled adults (PDA) and their family caregivers (FC) to reduce their social isolation?" is explored through interviews, observations and literature study. The findings are then organized into a set of design guidelines and design applications in an effort to create an inclusive living environment.

The main design concept as a result of the research suggests the design of an “Incluive Living Environment“ which offers public functions, social amenities and housing which are all available for everyone - regardless of their age, ability or family configuration - where a healthy environment of interaction and understanding can be created. A living environment where a strong community and social network can be formed where disabilities and care is not a burden or something to be ashamed of, but it is accepted, understood, and shared. A living environment where the care is shared by forming healthy communities where social bonds are formed between individuals that live in proximity to one another, light care can easily become a “shared value“. This helps to release the pressure, burden and shame that is primarily experienced by physically disabled adults and their families, and reduce their social isolation. ... Read more

About 90% of our lives are spend indoors. For many of the buildings we stay in, standards and design guidelines have been set up, but educational buildings are often left out. Around 2009 the project the “Frisse Scholen” was set up in the Netherlands. This project aims to create better indoor climates at primary, secondary, and vocational schools. Universities have not been considered, while university students also need healthy environments. These students also suffer from stress. This can severely impact the academic performance. Healing elements in the design of university buildings could decrease the stress. This research aims to create design guidelines for a new general university education building that improves the physical and mental well-being of students. The research will be anthropological for the most part with interviews, questionnaires, and observation. This will be supported by literature research. ... Read more

By 2040 a quarter of the Dutch population consists of elderly people. This increasing number of elderly will lead to a higher demand for healthcare, but the healthcare sector is already overburdened by the high demand and shortages of professionals. Therefore, elderly have to live independently for as long as possible and enough suitable ageing-friendly housing is necessary. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many seniors find themselves residing in homes designed for families. Especially when living alone, these houses are often excessively spacious and unsuitable for ageing in place. However, alternatives to move to are not available or do not suit their needs, because they are for example not in their current neighbourhood or not affordable. At the moment the housing construction is stalled and housing plans can take many years, so it is necessary to focus on opportunities. This study focuses on addressing this issue by exploring the potential of transforming postwar neighbourhoods into ageing-friendly living environments, because research shows that solutions can be found in the existing urban context of the postwar neighbourhood.

The research investigates the architectural and spatial elements necessary for creating ageing-friendly environments through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, case study and by going on a fieldwork week to an real-life example of a residential facility where elderly people live together as a community. The results about housing preferences and needs of elderly people are translated into design guidelines for an elderly-friendly living environment divided into three scales: neighbourhood, building block and dwelling. The characteristics of and problems in the Dutch postwar neighbourhood and the possibilities for transformation are described through analysed literature. The research identifies strategies for renovating and repurposing existing housing stock, as well as incorporating new construction to meet the housing needs of the elderly population.

Overall, this research contributes to the construction of ageing-friendly living environments, improves housing conditions for the elderly in the Netherlands and offers insights into the transformation of the postwar neighbourhoods. To create an ageing-friendly living environment in postwar neighbourhoods, the most important topics need to be addressed on the basis of implementing the guidelines and therefore transformation in the postwar neighbourhood is necessary. Many homes, especially those designed for families, lack wheelchair accessibility and elevators. The green surroundings of postwar neighbourhoods can encourage elderly to spend time outdoors. So, making better use of this rich green and water structure is recommended. For the transformation of postwar neighbourhoods four categories of interventions are possible: splitting and expanding of existing dwellings, surgical interventions to make use of unused space, restructuring by demolishing and building new and building at the edges of the neighbourhoods where infrastructure becomes available due to the expecting reducing use of cars. Family houses and apartments can be split into multiple houses and residential buildings could be renovated, to expand, improve the look, improve sustainability, upgrade the plinth by adding other functions and make houses ageing-friendly by adding for example elevator access and renovating bathrooms. Hereby, the guidelines for an ageing-friendly living environment have to be implemented. Considering the shrinking households and the prevalence of elderly individuals living alone, transformation strategies should focus on densification with diversity in housing types, diverse residents, mixed-use and the creation of a sense of community.
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This master thesis rigorously explores the integration of a genetic algorithm-based workflow in the design and optimization of a passive fixed shading system utilizing ETFE cushion panels, with the objective of enhancing the thermal resilience of an existing building envelope. The case study focuses on a mid-rise office building located in the port of Athens, Greece. The central research question addressed is: "How can a genetic algorithm-based workflow be effectively employed in the multi-objective optimization of a shading system to improve the energy efficiency of an existing building envelope?"

To answer this question, the research investigates four interconnected domains: ETFE double skin structures, resilience quantification, multi-criteria decision-making approaches with genetic algorithms, and the analysis of the case study building facade system. The study centers on the preliminary design phase of the shading system, highlighting its potential as a retrofit solution for existing infrastructures challenged by rising temperatures.

The outcomes of this research include the development of a versatile workflow for evaluating the energy performance of existing buildings, facilitating interdisciplinary feedback within a design team, and applying multi-objective optimization to design problems. This work provides a comprehensive framework for integrating advanced computational methods in architectural design, thereby contributing to the improvement of building energy efficiency and thermal resilience. ... Read more

Mental health patients often get taken out of their social network when going into intensive care or temporary Supportive Housing (SH). However, social network has a positive effect on the recovery and quality of life of patients with mental health illness (Rössler, 2006). Although mental health care policies are changing in the Netherlands, supportive housing remains needed - albeit in smaller amounts - for a specific group. This group often is not integrated into society. Using the neighbourhood as the community inhabitants integrate into (Perry, 1929) and a systemic review by Jovanović et al. (2019) on how architecture can positively influence social interaction in psychiatric hospitals, this research tries to find design guidelines for SH which increases social integration into neighbourhoods.
Through a literature study and case studies, several themes are established. These are tested with field research at a Dutch SH facility, where six staff members are formally interviewed and around eight inhabitants were informally interviewed. Additionally, observations were done on social interactions. Finally, experts are interviewed on the topic.
The results show that the inhabitants of SH are divers, but can be classified in two groups: 1. Heavy cases who need intensive, long-term care and 2. Short-term cases who do not have housing (Planije et al., 2017). Through the different scales, four main themes which can enhance social interaction could be established: Interaction with the neighbourhood, activating inhabitants, fitting different needs of inhabitants and finally, contact with nature.
In conclusion, architecture & the built environment and location conditions can have influence the social network of inhabitants of SH by providing opportunities for social interaction, while also enabling inhabitants to retreat. ... Read more