There are places you have never been, yet you learn about them once you are there. There are also places you have never even dreamed possible, yet even after visiting them, your imagination never limits. One of these is Tbilisi.
Persians, Byzantines, Ottomans, Russians, and Soviets all contributed to the construction of the image of Tbilisi and had an impact on its birth, death, and continual resurrection. As a result, the city is what Boris Pasternak referred to as a chimera—a fantastical creature with an Eastern body and a Western head. Pasternak describes Tbilisi as the place that transformed his life and made him feel as though everything was in motion. I had the same impression; everything was taking place as a result of everyone's efforts.
The purpose of this study is to highlight the significance of Tbilisian intangible heritage as well as social dynamics and their direct impact on how the courtyard house's space is configured.
In its most complete form, Tbilisi's urban layout could be referred to as a palimpsest. Every empire's ideology has left its mark on the city's layout, allowing the urban grid to be read as a timeline, from the old town's winding streets with Persian influences to the Haussmannian grid of the 19th century with Russian influences to the wide alleyways with large housing complexes from the Soviet Period. Nevertheless, the newest urban layer is being built upon the old town, by altering and destroying centuries of memories and formal alterations made by the inhabitants.

Current approaches of abstraction and conceptuality in the discourse of memorialisation can be useful to commemorate contemporary events, but the inherent flaws and
shortcomings in the misuse of abstraction are insufficient in the quest of establishing a connection with the distant past. This thesis acts as a call for a different direction for the
crystallisation of memory. By looking beyond contemporary history, we can understand more about our spiritual connection with our ancestors from bygone eras. To aid the
strengthening of our spiritual ties to history I have diagnosed a new spatial typology of memory; the encounter-monument. The encounter-monument is the accidental monument; the fossilised memory; the physical and spiritual encounter with history. The encounter-monument is the scar tissue etched into stone that has survived, morphed and re-moulded over the centuries. The encounter-monument is the relic that we may come across in our day-to-day lives that jolts us back through history. They are the encounter with a stranger’s signature and date in the cover of a book that has been lying in the attic for decades. They are the slowly dissolving names on forgotten gravestones. Encounter-monuments are the sense of histories both recent and distant, passing before our very eyes. They plug us into the timeline of existence. This thesis explores the Domplein in Utrecht as a case study for the ineffective use of abstraction to commemorate its profound history, and through the use of various artistic media, propose a new direction for its focus. Through photographs, plaster casts and frottage drawings, I present a spiritual argument for tactility as a method of commemoration.

We are living in an age of deconstructing history, realizing our past is not as black and white as we once thought it was. By slowly peeling off the different layers of the past, our historical awareness grows and we gain a broader perspective on what has actually happened. Movements such as Black Lives Matter have sharpened our lenses massively, which inevitably had impact on our perception on monuments and memorial architecture. In this history thesis we dive into the current scenery of monuments and memorials in Dutch public spaces, that refer to our colonial and slavery past. The present palette of statues, monumental buildings and memorial sites represent a distorted balance of these historical colonial narratives, since they are massively underrepresenting the dark side of the story from the slavery perspective. Monument Indië-Nederland is a great example of such a one-sided colonial reference, causing society to interfere and give voice to the shifting societal perspective on historical representation. However, the hidden design intentions of sculpturer Frits Van Hall reveal something surprising: the monument was actually intended to be adjusted overtime by removing and adding elements to the memorial site. He intended to give society the opportunity of slowly shifting the original meaning of ‘honoring former commander Van Heutsz’ into ‘celebrating the freedom of the East Indie colony’. There are also other memorial examples that emphasize additional perspectives and spatial flexibility. This inspires us to think of monuments as being more than just a ‘static’ object, but rather dynamic and flexible elements in our built environment that give space to add other perspectives to the narrative, and to be subject of societal change overtime. And so, we should be expanding the currently represented one-sided narratives with adding new perspectives to the monuments together with society. In this way, a variety of perspectives is being represented, without ignoring or denying our history. For that matter, these additions overtime will actually even enrichen the current memorial scenery, by also representing our changing societal perception on history over the years.

The flaneur is a figure of perception and an embodiment of liberation in the metropolis - an uninhibited spectator of the city, seeking the pleasures of its indulgent atmospheres and basking in the vibrancy of its unfolding urban life. However, this simple, cognitive engagement with the urban realm is reserved for male authorship, where the basic human requirements of time, space and leisure are gendered. The male flaneur defies the scrutiny of the public gaze, unperturbed by the fears of assault and societal convention while enjoying the luxuries of idleness in the midst of a bustling street. On the contrary, the female flaneur is obscured, her space and time in the city compromised at the behest of patriarchal constructs. Where is her space in the city? How does she reclaim her ownership of the urban scape?
Moved by the question of female flanerie in the metropolis, this essay delves into the idiosyncratic realm of the kotha - a spatial typology that emerged in the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal rule around the 16th Century. The kotha was similar to a salon, where women (known as tawaifs or salon ladies) adept in the arts of dance and music, would perform for elite and royal male patrons. Being a dedicated space of performance embedded in the city’s fabric, the kotha oscillated between the public and private realms, never fully belonging to either. Through the changing socio-political condition of India across its colonial, post colonial and contemporary eras, the kotha, just like the metropolis, has undergone a shift in identity and spatial expression - thereby mirroring the condition of the female flaneur, now embodied by the tawaif. Interestingly, the kotha has time and again been a subject of interest in South Asian visual media culture, particularly represented through its cinematic space.
Therefore, tapping into my own fascination for South Asian cinema and drawing on the spatio-corporeal realm of the kotha as a specific case, this paper seeks to unearth the greater question of women’s space in the city - their modalities of expression, their reclamation of citizenship and above all, their personification of the flaneur - a figure of perception and an embodiment of liberation in the metropolis.

This graduate thesis examines the implications of participation in urban development of Rotterdam today and how this is different from the early ‘90s. Literature research about the nuances in participation in urban planning forms the framework for this thesis. Using this base, I compare the cases of Rijnhaven redevelopment, going on right now, and development of Kop van Zuid 30 years ago. I research these cases through publicly available citizen participation reports, direct contact with the municipality and my own experience living in Rotterdam Zuid. This research shows that participation in Rotterdam has become a buzz word. Terminology and documentation surrounding the participation process has become a more public and outspoken part of the design process, but this has not led to a significant change in the base principles and power of citizen participation in urban planning.

The increase in neo-traditional style construction in the Dutch housing market has resulted in a preference for this style, with research showing a 15% price premium on average for this type of housing. However, this preference is not shared by most designers and critics, who see neo-traditionalism as a form of regression. Neo-traditional architecture is an attempt to bring back diversity in architecture, which has been lost with the standardization and industrialization of the building process. This paper explores the history of Dutch residential architecture through imitation, repetition, and diversity, and discusses two case studies: Molenvliet, a social housing project with diversity as the core principle, and Brandevoort, a project developed for the market that utilizes the illusion of past greatness to differentiate its products. The paper concludes by arguing that the commodification of the house and focus on housing value over quality is a direct result of the current housing market situation and that political changes are necessary to address this issue.

This Master's thesis project is conceived in two parts.

The first part is the research project and is titled <<The Art of Acquiring Flow>> where the study assesses an architect’s ability to experience ‘design flow’, during the ideation phase, based on the type of design tool utilized. In order to test the hypothesis, I conducted a workshop with a group of MSc architecture students. The students were asked to engage in two design conditions: where they sketch with analogous tools and where they sketch with digital tools. The comparison of these two conditions was based on an EEG and protocol analysis. The results indicate that the use of analogous sketching tools led to a ‘richer’ and prolonged ‘design flow’ experience that was non-tool focussed. The study provides insights into why analogous sketching is an essential activity during conceptual ideation and why it should be emphasized as a tool in design education going forward.

The second part is the design project and is titled <<A Living Lab for Flow>> where the design thematically focuses on the notion of flow in the emerging context where creativity and working deep have become the most valuable skill sets in our society. We spend, on average, more than 90% of our time indoors and with that being the case, the psychological and physiological impact of spaces on our well-being are critical aspects that can be explored. Thus, the design project is conceived as a neuroarchitecture research center where research is conducted on how spatial settings can feed and nurture the brain.

The migration of different ethnic groups into an urban ecosystem over generations can lend to diversity and religious plurality. As people migrate from their homeland, they bring with them their culture and mould their surroundings into something that emulates ‘home’. These migrant populations try to fit into their new environment, and the host country has to take measures to help them adapt to their new home. Their place of dwelling is the zone within the larger urban context that should make them feel secure, and the various housing projects implemented for migrants may reveal strategies for their integration into their current environment.

This architectural history thesis focuses on the story of migration and migrant housing in the Netherlands, beginning with the influx of guest-workers between 1964 and 1973, family reunification programs in the late1970s and the recent migration after the European Refugee crisis. There are three phases of assimilation in terms of scale, the larger urban context studies through the case study of the housing crisis for guest-workers in Utrecht in the 1970s, the neighbourhood level study conducted in the Post World War II Neighbourhoods of Enschede, and the residential level study conducted in the INTERACT projects in Startblok Riekerhaven, Amsterdam and Place2BU, Utrecht and the ‘Utrecht Refugee Launchpad Project’.The historical time frame of migration and the different integration methods implemented along this timeline may facilitate newer modes of integration while overcoming the shortcomings of the existing bundle of techniques. Moreover, the study of migration architecture may help understand the urban ethnographic polyvalence. Through literature and spatial mapping studies conducted from the larger urban context (in terms of frequency in social housing schemes) to the changes in the spatial layout of homes (understanding prevalent Dutch rituals compared to Turkish cultural traditions), we may understand these pre-existing transitions methods.

Life is a linear progression of the past, present, and future. Death is an inevitable part of this sequence, signifying the end. As an emotional response to a loved one’s death, grief comprises several emotions and stages. Since antiquity, the commemoration of the deceased has been an integral part of emotion management for the bereaved. Northern European artists and writers perceived nature as a symbol of grief and death. Cemeteries such as the Woodland cemetery in Stockholm, Sweden, confirm this tendency. Funerary spaces interweave the physical and the spiritual world by containing grief in nature and experimenting with shadow and light and the presence or absence of materiality.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic and the massive deaths resulted in an emergency in funeral services worldwide. Restrictions such as social distancing, the use of face masks, isolation, a limit on the number of guests allowed, and not being allowed to touch the deceased’s body severely affected the way grief is experienced among the bereaved. The outburst of COVID-19 also affected the way funerary rituals were performed. Several funeral rituals were broadcasted digitally, making the body no longer the physical means of mourning. These practices have given birth to new grieving rituals on the Internet, an immaterial tool designed to instantly share moments of the users’ lives. However, are these emerging means of digital mourning as effective as material mourning? How should designers treat funerary architecture in the rapidly digitalizing age we live in? What can architecture learn from digital mourning rituals?

The scope of this thesis is set to examine the immediate relation of a city’s public spaces to the daily life of its citizens and portray how this relationship evolves. The location under examination is the city center of Athens, Greece. Specifically, focus will be given on two major public squares, namely Syntagma square and Omonia square. Syntagma square functions as a front stage for the Athenian citizen. Its location being right in front of the Hellenic Parliament strongly influences the uses and activities that take place. In contrast, Omonia square stands as a backstage of public life in the city center. Importantly, these two squares are closely located and are linked together via the axis of Panepistimiou and Stadiou streets. Both comprise some of the busiest streets in the center of the capital and play an integral role in the function of the city. Therefore, the squares, being linked through such important arteries in the circulation network of the city, gain significant importance in the context of the public life.

The analysis will focus on the observations and recordings of human activities (movement/flow, behavior, and occupation) that are taking place in these public squares. Open observation will help to understand how the structured outdoor public sphere is being used and whether it controls its user. The question of ownership, a fundamental issue in regard to public spaces, directly affects and influences how the public space is used. Hence, I aim to understand who owns these public squares and how this influences their design and structure. Are private interests and goals favored over the interests of the public? If that’s the case and local actors are not consulted prior to and during development, this may result in the construction of public spaces that only serve upper- and middle-class individuals and add to socioeconomic and ethnic exclusion and segregation.

To this purpose, I will analyze case-studies chronologicaly in relation to the changing context (pre- and mid- pandemic conditions) and will aim to identify all relevant changes occurring on these squares. I will focus on public activities in the years 2011 and 2022. For the observation of 2011, as a comparative period, I will rely on Dr. Fani Kostourou’s research that analyzes human activities in the center of Athens at that time under non pandemic conditions. This work will serve as a basis for my analysis which focuses on the pandemic conditions of the year 2022.

Between 2011 and 2020 numerous events took place which resulted in profound changes in the public space. Furthermore, the pandemic drastically affected the public sphere and the overall human activity in it. The essay is going to identify how user’s’ behavior changed in relation to the squares’ new layout and analyze the impact that an unprecedented pandemic environment has had on the public sphere of the city.

Architecture can be justified by a multitude of requirements, whether that means functional, aesthetic or other design attributes. Nonetheless, whether it is by consequence or a conscious decision, architecture influences us in ways we are often not aware of. We feel it, but cannot always point out ex-actly the intangible elements that impact our perception of architecture. My interest lies in the technique and thought behind creating and identifying profoundly experiential architecture, such as the works of James Turrell, Steven Holl and Tadao Ando.

This research focuses on the development of Chinese modern monumental architecture from 1920 to the early 20th century by examining first-hand and second-hand information on the development of Chinese architectural theory after 1920, as well as cases of Chinese modern monumental architecture. It is hoped that this study will show in a small way the influences from the West on Chinese architecture during the many periods of great socio-economic and political changes after 1920, the difficulties faced by Chinese architects in the face of two very different architectural theories, Western and traditional, and the attitudes and creative responses of Chinese architects to them.

This article takes the perspective of the materiality of mourning to research and discuss the development of mourning and the restrictions on the methods of mourning during the COVID-19 period as well as some possible approaches to address them. Through a definitional and historical approach, this article argues that the materiality of mourning can be an essential factor in determining the efficacy of mourning. Following this, the article compares and discusses several models of mourning with case studies. The paper proposes several ways in which digital mourning complements or replaces physical mourning as an alternative to restricted physical mourning during pandemics. Ultimately we find that digital mourning with a dedicated memorial page is a more effective way of mourning, but it has to be acknowledged that each mode of mourning has certain advantages and disadvantages and needs to be selected on a case-bycase basis. What is foreseeable, however, is that digital mourning can work well as an alternative to physical mourning under current technological conditions. In the future, it will be necessary to complement the strengths and weaknesses of the different mourning methods, so that people can receive immediate and efficient mourning assistance as soon as possible after the loss has occurred.

Our world is shaped by digital technologies. Since the first commercially available computer was released in 1951, a digital revolution was started across contexts - exposing new ways to connect disparate fields. Digital geographers Sarah Elwood and Katharyne Mitchell concluded that digital approaches inevitably change ways of knowing, remembering, and communicating across space, time, and collective memory. When it comes to trauma-related museums, the rise of digital initiatives allowed the public to access traumatic collective memory beyond space and time limits. Moreover, by the beginning of 2020, with worldwide lockdown measures under the Covid-19 pandemic, digital developments have become a new impulse. To deal with new challenges, some museums started providing online virtual tours via web conferencing software to the public who cannot visit museums physically. The study of the impact of digital media on memorial museums helps to grasp trends in museums’ digitization and explore the possibilities of memorial museums’ development in an interdisciplinary way. Against these backgrounds, this article aims to investigate the role of digital media technologies in contemporary trauma-related museums - especially memorial museums. The objective is to critically reflect on the digitization of traumatic memory and explore the boundary between physical articles and digital artefact. Moreover, this study hopes to raise key issues for media scholars more broadly in terms of developing critical practice concerning new technologies, as well as for historians, museum and memorial curators.

After World War II, memorial architecture has changed from focusing on heroes and patriotism to mourning those who died in wars and disasters. Instead of only serving as reminders of pain or symbols of commemoration, in recent years some European memorials actually contribute to the liveliness of urban public space and find their new roles to assimilate into city life. In this case, it is necessary to redefine the role of memorials in contemporary times and explore new ways to integrate them into urban daily public life. This research aims to investigate how contemporary memorials can be actively integrated into the daily life of the public as inviting public spaces and support various activities to enhance spatial vitality and commemorative effects through the case studies of the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz, the Memorial Bridge in Rijeka, and Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. The paper concludes with recommendations for design strategies to enhance the spatial vitality of contemporary memorials, which can potentially be helpful to the architectural memorial practice.

This study aims to reflect on the origin of Dr. H.P Berlage’s architectonic principles and systems of measurement to uncover how he designed and why he voiced certain thoughts on mass production. This is done by analyzing his architectural background and writings, namely Normalisatie in Woningbouw and Thoughts on Style. One chapter is devoted to analyzing Berlage’s proportional and modular brick systems in the Gemeentemuseum and Beurs van Berlage. Two modern case-studies by Guerst & Schultz Architecten which were inspired by the study of Berlage’s brick systems are also analyzed followed by a short personal exploration. These case-studies help reveal how the smallest module in a building can be used as a system of measurement to create sophisticated “unity in variety” – the main design principle Berlage strived for. By examining the origins of Berlage’s tectonic theories in practice one sees the impact they had on his designs and the merit they still provide to the next generations of architects. Based on this work, it can be concluded that Berlage’s design process results in an overly complex methodology that may provide limitations or be too difficult for practical use; however, if chosen, it could result in an enriched and fulfilling architectural vision.

The Industrial Pedagogical Technicum, completed in 1978, has developed a curious status among the large-scale construction projects of the Late-Soviet period in Georgia. The dimensions of curiosity result from the fact that, until 2017, the architect was unknown to most local architects and historians, and that there are few and inconsistent drawings of the building available in the public archives. Additionally, the location of the Technicum is also disconnected from the greater city, and a sculpture which was affixed to the auditorium facade, of unknown inspiration, was the only element that could be seen through the thick vegetation. The architectural process of designing and constructing the staircase leading to the Technicum auditorium terrace was based on the urban morphologies, historic vernaculars, and the contemporary vernaculars which are the texture of the city. The design was an attempt to represent the regional heritage of the IDP residents, while adopting the local informal methods of material sourcing and construction. Traces of activity show that the terrace of the building is still in use, as a result of the access staircase, though there have been several attempts by authorities to stymie this activity. The first chapter of this paper will elaborate the ontology of the Technicum and its sculpture, and examine the contemporary Georgian social and political matrix using past correspondence with governmental entities, active non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and surveys and interviews conducted with Tbilisi residents between 2017 and 2020. The second chapter of this paper will discuss the initiatives taken at the Technicum in response to the site conditions and processes of the sculpture’s removal. Finally, the third chapter of this paper will further elaborate the context of the Technicum and sculpture’s appropriation, while discussing the processes employed in activating the auditorium terrace as a public space. The third chapter will give definition of the architectural position of the ‘vernacular appropriations of Modernist architecture’ which result in idiosyncratic and dynamic public space.

The buildings that used to be 110 storeys high had collapsed to Ground Zero, at the 11th of September 2001. A memorial was built in honour of those who had died. Its design came from architect Michael Arad of Handel Architects and landscape architect Peter Walker. It was a difficult task to design a memorial which was theoretically and visually designed to represent a traumatic historical incident. To understand how the memorial is designed, it was important to understand the very meaning of the memorial’s name, “Reflecting Absence”, which refers to the traumatic past and the psychological experiences of its place, space, and time. Next to the memorial is the museum located. Both the memorial as the museum make use of a lot of contrasts and symbolics. The contrasts are used to create a balanced design. The architecture of the memorial appeared to be successful in setting up the right conditions for deep feelings of grief and memory.

Since its creation in the 1950s, one of the European Union’s greatest aspiration has been the search for a common European identity as its slogan “United in diversity” euphemistically conveys. Officially adopted in May 2000, after it had been chosen by a media jury from more than 2000 proposals, the motto is one of many European symbols dedicated to disseminate this unifying message. Architecturally, this pursuit culminated already six decades ago in the de-facto capital of the EU, when in 1959, the Belgium capital, Brussels, not only became the administrative, but also the architectural focal point of Europe. After the completion of the European Economic Community Commission’s building (Berlaymont) in 1968, it developed into the first architectural manifestation of the then still young ECC laying the groundwork for one of the first symbols of the EU’s united diversity. When comparing the different numbers of Google search results on European government buildings, the term Berlaymont in Brussels delivers an approximate of one million results, while other representational buildings like 10 Downing Street in London or the Élysée Palace in Paris return 13 or even 38 million search results. Even the Federal Chancellery of Germany generates more than double the search results of the Berlaymont. Although this statistical footnote is probably not the most reliable instrument for measuring how the EU quarter is publicly perceived, it hints at the missing presence of the building in the conscience of European citizens. With this in mind, one can ask how the architecture of the European institutions in Brussels is actually perceived through the eyes of those who are the actual subject of the European Union’s ambition to unite: Its citizens. How does the architecture of the Berlaymont and the surrounding EU quarter contribute to the emergence of an European identity?

This thesis examines which materials are most used in memorials and what is the spectator’s expected emotional response to their material properties? First, is researched which materials are frequently used in memorials and what functional reasons lie behind them. The literature will be obtained from websites and internet articles. The observational research will be done online by studying the most famous Western contemporary memorials. After this, online books and scientific articles will be consulted to explain the functioning of the perception of materials. This will be done for the material properties colour, texture, transparency & reflectivity and perceived mass. Following this, the findings will be examined in the case studies. For this purpose, the material sused in the case studies will be analysed and compared by means of self-made drawings, analytic sketches, and photographs. To do this, we will look into three different public historical and trauma-related memorials where different materials have been used. Research shows that granite, marble, sandstone,limestone, iron, weathering steel, bronze, concrete, and glass proved to be the most used materials in current memorials. It also shows that the different material properties influence the emotional response of the viewer in different ways. The analyses show the expected emotional response to the materials and how they could have better matched the ideology of the designed memorial to achieve the desired emotional effect.