Opera houses have traditionally been perceived as elite cultural institutions associated with prestige, exclusivity, and formal social rituals. However, in the Information Age, cultural consumption is increasingly driven by participation, freedom of choice, and empowerment rather than status. Contemporary audiences seek opportunities to engage with culture rather than consume it passively. This project investigates how the opera house can be reimagined to respond to these changing expectations through the case of Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Drawing on architectural theory, historical research, site analysis, client analysis, and case studies of contemporary theatres, the study explores strategies for increasing participation, accessibility and knowledge within classical music culture. By restrucuturing traditional program and increasing building’s permeability within the city, the project transforms the opera house from a singular performance venue into framework for cultural production and participation. Inspired by Cedric Price’s Fun Palace, the proposal takes an expiremental approch and positions classical musical performances as playful, open and accessible cultural practice embedded within everyday urban life. ... Read more

The following research focuses on "The Human Body Shop", an institute for human body augmentation. It is a hospital-oriented project based on the following research question: “How will human body augmentation reflect change in the hospital typology in the future?” Hospitals are some of the most critical buildings in society, but they are only part of it during times of necessity. The highly complex programs and dominant circulation systems of the traditional "healing machine" have created a labyrinth environment that society tends to avoid rather than engage with, discover, or feel connected to.

Innovation in the field of human body augmentation has initiated a shift from buildings functioning as healing machines to the human body itself as the locus of healing. This shift not only alters the human body but also transforms the hospital typology as we know it today. Future hospitals will specialize exclusively; in this case in the customized procedures involved in augmenting human bodies. These institutions will also engage in research and educate the next generation of professionals, as well as the broader society.

The continuous advancement of technology will necessitate a flexible program, which in turn will require a modular structure. This flexibility opens the possibility of reimagining the hospital as a more open and integrated environment, redefining its relationship with public spaces. These spaces will not only provide an escape but will also create opportunities for the public to gather for various activities and engage as a community within the scale of the neighbourhood; within the larger context of Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany.

The future modular hospital typology will be seamlessly interwoven with everyday life, transforming its image from that of an isolated institution to a subtle collection of buildings integrated into the urban fabric. Introducing "the Human Body Shop" - a new hospital typology that is not only part of society in times of need but also an integral part of daily life. ... Read more

Berlin, as a metropolitan city in Europe, is linked with diverse ground transportation within the city. To promote the concept of UAM (Urban Air Mobility)/AAM (Advanced Air Mobility), the introduction of vertiport design as an innovative and sustainable heliport drives the transport efficiency and processing service for the rising number of regional travellers. The research part addresses two main aspects following three primary literature materials. One is from the perspective of human experience with architecture, and the other is from technical considerations such as the functional concerns of airport design. And the design aims to represent the verticality of the movement between eVTOL(Electric Vertical Take off and Landing aircraft) and passengers, at the same time, the project sets an ambition to create a new design strategy and expression of the building typology, vertiport towards future aviation infrastructure. ... Read more

Have you ever imagined a hospital being a pleasant place to be? This project aims to provide a comprehensive and pleasant healing environment for people with decreased mobility based on the care model of the information society. ... Read more

The night train hub Berlin is a station specifically designed for night train travel. This would be for a future scenario where long-distance travel throughout Europe is done by night trains. The design is located in the east of Berlin where Station Berlin Lichtenberg is now. Currently, it is an underutilized station. The main reason for this future of night train travel would be sustainability. To convince people to travel sustainable, comfort is an important theme. The design tries to balance comfort on one hand and sustainability on the other hand. Comfort is integrated in the design of the station, through the program of the building but also materialization and the architectural theme of light. The latter is in important since the design also deals with the time-specificness of night train travel. With trains always departing in the evening and arriving in the morning.

The new station design has three entrances and a square which covers the train tracks to add public space to the city of Berlin. Next to that the design contains a central station hall which houses a lounge and a capsule hotel. This will be the first impression people have of Berlin when they arrive by night train.
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In an era marked by resource scarcity and shifting typologies of public institutions, the traditional library faces significant challenges to its relevance. As digitalization redefines information access, physical libraries risk becoming obsolete, losing their place as community knowledge hubs. The global materials landscape is experiencing scarcity, with critical resources under pressure from unsustainable consumption. These trends underscore an urgent need to reconsider how we use materials, emphasizing sustainable and innovative approaches.

Material Vault addresses these challenges by reimagining the library as a dynamic place, not only where knowledge of materials is stored - but also created. This reimagined library typology bridges the gap between specialized knowledge and community accessibility, positioning itself as a central resource for sustainable innovation in the energy-transition-centered EUREF Campus in Berlin, Germany. The new library of materials becomes a transparent material-testing machine with laboratories, workshops, offices, conference hall and a material showroom - the crown of the building. The vertical mass timber-high rise nested within an existing gasholder contributes to the conversation on material choices for the future building stock. ... Read more

This thesis examines the potential for enhancing and expanding Berlin’s existing train station infrastructure through a case study focused on the U-Bahn station Gleisdreieck. This station, positioned within Berlin’s S-Bahn ring, is poised to require an S-Bahn extension in response to a new north-south transit link. The project presents a design proposal that integrates an S-Bahn station with the current U-Bahn station, and explores opportunities to future-proof these existing structures.

The central challenge addressed is the aging state of Berlin’s train stations, which increasingly fail to meet both present and anticipated needs. Through architectural and infrastructural adaptation, the study seeks to determine how Berlin’s transport hubs can evolve to support future mobility while respecting historical value. This proposal aims to achieve a careful balance between heritage preservation and forward-looking urban functionality, creating a sustainable extension that supports Berlin’s growth and aligns with future demands. ... Read more

This project rethinks Berlin’s cultural infrastructure by proposing a hybrid musical arts center, Tempel der Musik, rather than another opera house. Tracing Berlin’s musical history—from Frederick the Great’s operas to punk’s rebellion and techno’s post-Wall euphoria—it identifies a need to preserve the city’s endangered club culture while reinvigorating classical forms.
Opera houses and nightclubs share surprising social and architectural parallels: both serve as communal spaces for collective experience, blending performance with identity. Yet opera struggles with relevance, while clubs face displacement. The design synthesizes these worlds, merging opera’s grandeur with a club’s raw versatility, plus functions of concert halls, recording studios, and archival spaces.
By analyzing historical precedents and contemporary gaps, the project envisions a venue that celebrates Berlin’s sonic legacy—from operetta to techno—as a living, evolving force. Tempel der Musik aspires to be both monument and laboratory, ensuring music remains central to the city’s future. ... Read more

While migration is a megatrend and Germany is known as the top host country, the process of getting refuge in Germany is still a long, demanding, and overcomplicated process. By approaching the permanent but fluctuating influx of displaced people as a temporary problem, migration doesn’t have a recognizable face in Berlin’s cityscape, but is rather scattered and tucked away in several empty buildings throughout the city. Therefore, the multiple institutions in the process are collaborating inefficiently and the displaced have to move through the city to buildings that don’t answer their specific needs.

The project Architecture for the Displaced: One building representing the resettlement procedure in the arrival city of Berlin is about proposing a better building solution for both the institutions and the displaced. The project is a building bringing the resettlement procedure together, from arriving to going to court. The building is a pioneer in a more humanitarian approach towards getting refuge in Germany, by responding to the user's needs. The research question is: “How can a building treat displaced people in a societal inclusive way while maintaining institutional efficiency?” ... Read more

What relationship can a cemetery have with the city?
Since the first garden cemetery was built in the early nineteenth century, this concept spread rapidly throughout Europe. Until now garden cemetery is still the common form of cemeteries in European cities. With the concept of garden cemetery, cemeteries exist in the urban fabric as a public space represented by nature and landscape attributes. The emergence of this relationship is closely related to the demand for burialbased burial forms. For a long time, this relationship has given the cemetery a natural and green identity, which is also the common perception of the cemetery among citizens.
Has this relationship changed?
In the context of the Complex Project, Building Body Berlin course, this research design will
focus specifically on Berlin, Germany. The existence of the German cemetery law, known as “Der Friedhofszwang“, makes cemetery burial mandatory in Germany. Along with this law of compulsory burials, the demand for cemeteries has a huge quantitative basis in Germany.
However, according to the research of cemetery development plan of Berlin in 2006, since the end of the 20th century, the cemeteries (mainly garden cemetery) in Berlin have roduced a large amount of vacancy. These idle cemeteries consume a lot of operating and maintenance costs. This phenomenon does not mean that the demand for cemeteries has declined. On the contrary, the demand for cemeteries in Berlin is still increasing. Moreover, with the aging of the population in Germany, the death rate and the number of deaths have risen, and Berliners’ demand for cemeteries will continue to increase in the future. The increase in demand for cemeteries does not appear to coincide with the reduction in cemetery size. It is this inconsistency that helps us see the problem for what it is. The reason for this lies in the transformation of the form of burials. As cremation has grown in popularity, people have increasingly turned to other forms of burial, such as burial of ashes and placement in columbariums. According to statistics, the proportion of cremation in Germany has reached more than 75%. Compared with the traditional form of burying coffins, the land area required for the new burial form represented by cremation is greatly reduced. Statistics show that compared with the average area of 12 square meters in traditional burial coffins, the average area of urns placed in columbariums is only 0.5 square meters. This huge change has also led to a continuous reduction in the core space actually used in the cemetery. Therefore, more and more cemeteries can no longer assume the role of urban public green space due to the reduction of the core use area.
Although this phenomenon of quantitative change has not accumulated to produce qualitative change, we can still see the urgent need for the transformation of the cemetery. So how can the cemetery provide a new value as an urban public space? This research design process will ask questions around this question and offer a possible solution.
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Germany has a rich history in classical music. Berlin, in this regard, has been key in the development of concert hall architecture, most notably through the Berlin Philharmonic. With an increasing decline in visitors and structural financial support of concerts, together with developments in music culture, the building type once more is challenged to reinvent itself, leading to the following question: What spatial qualities could invite the broader audience to concert halls? Within the specificity of concert hall architecture, the project explores the potential of the foyer as a space to be utilized beyond classical music concerts. ... Read more

In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive global trade environment, cargo terminals have become crucial hubs for the transportation of goods. However, workers in these environments often face physically demanding tasks, such as heavy lifting, awkward body postures, harmful noise, and extreme temperatures. Besides, they also mentally face the mentally demanding working conditions, resulting from the time pressure, increasing complexity of logistics systems and the integration of advanced technologies. These factors have significant implications for employee health, well-being, and productivity, which in turn affect the overall efficiency of cargo operations.

The architectural design of cargo terminals has the potential to offset these demands and address the consequences by creating environments that actively support employee well-being. By exploring innovative design strategies that consider both functionally and mentally, architecture can play a crucial role in alleviating demanding working conditions,
promoting well-being, and boosting productivity within cargo terminals.
... Read more

In an era when rising threats put increasing pressure on security demands in state office buildings, the public trust in these same governmental institutions is on the decline, owing to a sense of detachment and lack of transparency.
This detachment partially stems from the functional and physical separation of people’s civic and political lives, leaving public officials as uncountable, a separated class unresponsive to the everyday people, who in turn can glance little of the everyday working of their government.
In other words: it is easier to pass unfavourable legislation when you never interact with the common people and sit in your fortress hidden from protests. For these reasons, the future must see the creation of new governmental spaces that are public in nature, but also safeguarded from new dynamic threads. New design approaches in established typologies need to be sought to answer these relationship questions that stem from new state, societal, and technological developments.
The Graduation Project ‘Fortress Without Barriers‘ seek to explore these issues of security and accessibility by using a scenario involving the design of a new Federal Ministry of Defence headquarters in Berlin. At first glance this typology might be perceived as ill suited to the integration of public life, even agitative. But rather the project places it as the ultimate test for whether these values can be effectively expressed in an urban context. Defence Ministry being the most prime domain of security, on the scale of city within a city, and placing the most private and secured programme imaginable alongside the proposed public functions.
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​Europe Central Station is a new kind of station in the global railway network, airming to replace air travel with a more environmentally sustainable option. This thesis conducted research on the essential requirements for designing an intercontinental train station, anticipating a future where train travel becomes the standard mode of transportation. As a result, new programs such as border security measures and well-designed arrival and departure halls were implemented. In addition, it illustrates how such a large train station can be strategically positioned within the city of Berlin, serving as a catalyst for future urban development. It also shows how such a large train station can be designed, providing an efficient, safe, and comfortable travel experience for the passengers. ... Read more

As our society has entered the age of the digital, several problems have risen from the unprecedented amount of information circulation. While indeed the benefits of this instant access to information and data cannot be overstated, one cannot ignore problems such as misinformation. With that in mind, comes the problem of how could architecture deal with a society that is ever more dependent on the immaterial world provided by the digital in the context of politics.
This is where the parliament as a building typology factors in. It represents the intersection between political institutions (and by extension the societies they serve) and architecture. As such, the graduation project aims to explore how a parliament would look like in the context of an information society.
In short, the proposed answer of the project is injecting a higher degree of publicness to the parliament typology as stressing the physicality of such a political institution is ever more important. By trying to be more inviting to the public and more hones and transparent in regards to how its institution operates, the architecture of the New European Parliament emphasizes why actively engaging the public is crucial in an information society. ... Read more

Today, we have a variety of options for listening to music whenever and wherever we choose, from CDs and the radio to downloads and online streaming. But prior to the development of this technology, how did people listen to music? Opera was an artform whereby this was possible. No instrument has the power of the human voice to reach the deepest feelings of the human spirit. It is a way to entertain and move people with vocal sounds, supported by an orchestral. Today the day, opera is a pure artform that’s got a bit in the background because of the wide span of activities that society offers us. Nevertheless, it has a rich history and offers a safe space to take a break from the neverending pressure of expectations we have to deal with every day. It offers us a reflection of who we are, how we relate to others, and what it means, collectively and individually, to be human. This research plan investigates how an opera house in Berlin can be designed in such a way it will produce a boost for the artform and will enhance the future improvement of opera Abstract together with the cultural development of Berlin. The idea of designing a framework for a 21st century opera and polishing the ‘dusty‘ imago of the opera will be the key provider for this research. To get an answer to the research the following research question is set up: ‘’How can architecture help to design an opera house in Berlin to boost the popularity of opera performances in the future?’’ The conceptual framework is based on different theories that support different levels of research. Methods such as fieldwork, literature research, and case studies extend assumptions through a varied Scala of knowledge. The outcome of the research will help with the design choices that need to be taken during the process. Furthermore, it can be used as guidelines for new research around the topic of performing arts, and encourage possible design questions regarding the site, the program, and the client of opera houses. ... Read more

Lebanon has been dealing with a multitude of challenges over its history. An massive port explosion in 2020 caused a rapid decline of the Lebanese valuta. The inflation caused an increase of the food prices with 400% since Lebanon is very depended on its food imports. This left people from lower income classes unable to afford proper nutrition. Ironically, the Lebanon is one of the most arable countries in the region, but the people lack the proper tools and knowledge to preform agriculture in a efficient and sustainable manner. In order to reduce the peoples dependence on the food prices, argriculture education is needed in the areas where the people suffer the most. Therefore, the project encompasses an agriculture campus which combines formal and vocational education. The school aims to teach it’s student about sustainable ways of doing agriculture in an urban setting, focusing on the enhancement of biodiversity. The campus hosts both primary and secondary education and teaches agriculture as the main addition to the general classes. ... Read more

As one of the important ports in the Mediterranean region, Port of Beirut is a
cargo transit hub in Lebanon and even the Arab region. Every year, 6.2m tons of cargo is circulated through the port of Beirut and transported to Lebanon and surrounding areas.
But the port’s logistics system faces many challenges. The previous civil war brought many problems to the port’s logistics system. With the 2020 explosion, port mobility came across even more serious problems. So, in the context of post-explosion, how to boost the logistics system of Beirut port? In order to solve this problem, this project will start from the role of the port itself, further analyze its operation function and the surrounding environment in the city, and eventually come up with a solution at the architectural level. ... Read more

The Bourj Hammoud Watersports Centre is a leisure project on Beirut’s coast. The project has a critical view towards ongoing waterfront development, which translates into the comeback of a public coast, a place for interaction amongst all. ... Read more