The Kolonel Palmkazerne in Bussum is currently being redeveloped into a mixeduse neighbourhood. The developer, BPD, has yet to find a function for the kitchen
building that stands at the head of the appelplaats. In this project this building will
be repurposed as a refugee asylum, with a focus on the quality of life for refugees
and maintaining the building’s character.
The refugee asylum situation in the Netherlands has been getting increasingly
more strained. As a result, the quality of refugee asylum has been getting worse.
Especially in temporary and emergency shelters. This paper explores two methods
of improving the refugee living situation. The first is preventing boredom by incorporating activities for refugees in different stages of naturalisation. The second is
by helping refugees feel at home. Creating the feeling of being at home is done
in a few different ways. The first is interaction with the neighbourhood by sharing
certain facilities like playgrounds, a vegetable garden cafe and a second-hand
store. The second is by personalising space through usage loans with this second-hand store, and the third is through architectural elements using the pattern
language, aiding in creating a comfortable environment. The project has incorporated over 70 of these patterns in its architecture.
The kitchen building’s structure and its architectural elements, like its basement,
chimney, steel catwalks, steel trusses, brickwork and ornaments, help to maintain the building’s heritage. All of which remain visible in the central hall and the
basement. Finally, the building’s composition, when viewed from the appelplaats,
hardly changes, maintaining its original relationship towards the Palmkazerne as
a whole.
Altogether these interventions serve to make refugees feel at home, giving them a
way to spend their days whilst maintaining the kitchen building’s heritage ... Read more

This graduation project focuses on the adaptive reuse of the Officer’s Casino in Soesterberg, a national monument and a rare example of Second World War military architecture. The building is currently vacant and deteriorating; therefore, adaptive reuse is essential to preserve this heritage for future generations.

The aim of this research is to transform the building into a community-care housing complex, a typology that bridges the gap between independent living and organized support. Through an analytical mapping methodology, the heritage values of the Officer’s Casino are identified and used as a framework for its transformation.

The project explores two target groups through case study analysis and comparison: elderly residents (following the Knarrenhof typology) and young vulnerable parents (parent-child housing). These groups were found to share key principles, including social cohesion, mutual support, independence, and noaberschap (looking out for one another). Combining these principles creates an intergenerational living environment that balances independence, stability, and informal support, resulting in a vibrant and supportive community. In contrast, protected and supported living typologies were considered less suitable due to their need for low-stimulus environments, continuous professional care, and highly structured living arrangements.

The final design applies strategic architectural interventions by preserving the original zoning and translating historical functions into the new program. Structural interventions primarily focus on conservation. The site is redesigned to encourage social cohesion and strengthen community support networks. Additional housing is organized around a central courtyard, forming the heart of the community-care complex.

Overall, this project demonstrates how adaptive reuse can successfully transform a military heritage building into a vibrant, intergenerational community-care housing environment. ... Read more

Our pace of life as well as architecture keeps accelerating, creating a sense of alienation in and indifference to our surroundings. The typology of a military complex had to keep up with changing socio-political contexts and influence of technical innovations, making it a tangible example of how life has accelerated. The military complexes are becoming vacant due to these changing contexts and need transformation. Not only the physical structures call for transforming. The heavy intangible elements of war present must be transformed too, though no clear method of defining the spirit of a place exists.


Pallasmaa, in ‘The Eyes of the Skin’, pleads for a phenomenological design that stimulates all the senses to return to our sense of self and slow down. De Wit uses a method of mapping ‘place’, in landscape design, with the senses as measuring tool. A branch of architecture in which phenomenology is present is healing environments. This research will focus on transforming a military environment to a healing environment through a phenomenological design approach to create a tranquil experience.

De Kolonel Palmkazerne is a military complex located in Bussum. It was design by A. G. Boost in 1938 and is one of many ‘Boost Kazernes’. After the occupation of the Nazi’s the complex was expanded because of the rising tensions of the cold war. In 2007 the complex found no new military purpose and became vacant. BPD is redeveloping the site. The specific healing environment chosen is a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts due to the qualities of the site. How to implement the multi-sensory experience of tranquillity, as part of a programme for a rehab centre for drug addicts, in the phenomenological experience of the Kolonel Palmkazerne by transforming architectural elements? The phenomenological experience of the Kolonel Palmkazerne was analysed on based on location visits. A programme of functions and sensory qualities was set up through the spatial analysis of several rehab centres. Design principles were created after an analysis of sensory experiences with architecture. These were implemented in the design. The method throughout this research is hand-drawing to gain an understanding of the location, case studies, and the design itself.

A multi-sensory design is created in which a soft transition between spaces contributes to the balance between the ‘buitenwereld’ and ‘binnenwereld’, while conserving the historical composition. A connection and relationship with nature, a self-regulated climate, a materialisation per function (that contributes to the atmosphere and orientation), and a clear orientation throughout the building transform the Keukengebouw to a rehabilitation centre in which to Re-Centre through a multi-sensory design approach. ... Read more

Housing needs shift, work patterns evolve, and yet architecture continues to design for a single moment in time; producing buildings that cannot always adapt when needs and wishes change.

This research asks: how can industrial heritage buildings be transformed through adaptable design into flexible living-working spaces that can evolve with their users over time?

A solid framework provides both structure and freedom. By separating the permanent support layer (structure, shafts, and floor system) from the adaptable infill that each occupant shapes independently, buildings can absorb change without demolition. This pace layering principle, introduced by Brand (1994), is well established in new construction. This research tests it in industrial heritage, where spatial generosity already exists: generous heights, large spans, and robust structure; qualities that flexible architecture must otherwise deliberately engineer.

Katoenveem, a monumental cotton warehouse in Rotterdam's Merwe-Vierhavens area, is the test case. The design delivers a bare casco with a secondary spatial grid, demountable partition walls, and prefabricated service modules. Users determine the rest: where walls go, how space divides between living and working, and how the unit changes over time. Flexibility is understood here as functional dynamics: the capacity to shift between working and living, to split or merge, and to hand the framework on to the next occupant without loss of spatial freedom.

This user agency is central. When people actively shape their own environment, they develop genuine attachment to it. That attachment strengthens community, encourages long-term occupancy, and ultimately extends the lifespan of the building itself.

This research also raises a question about the architect's role: should architecture determine everything in advance, or deliberately leave space for users to complete? And if the answer is the latter, the architect's responsibility does not end at delivery: it extends to ensuring that each successive generation of users inherits the same freedom as the first.
... Read more

This project explores the reuse of the Cold War aircraft shelters at Soesterberg Airbase by transforming them into a Botanic Archive and Research Centre. Originally, these shelters were constructed for defense purposes due to the likelihood of war. They have strong concrete walls, a sealed system, and strict entry regulations, indicating a sense of protection and endurance. Although their military functions are no longer necessary, the architectural features still exist and are considered valuable heritage.

Instead of establishing a new use without careful consideration, the project reinterprets these shelters. Thus, it takes the heritage as an important basis for making design decisions. By changing the previous concept of military anxiety to that of ecological worries, the project alters the conception of defense to suggest continuity, preservation, and dedication.

Using a design approach based on research and referring to current seed archives, the project examines how the spatial layout, environmental control, and limits can benefit plant maintenance while keeping the original structures of the shelters.
... Read more

This graduation project explores the adaptive reuse of the Kitchen Building at the Kolonel Palmkazerne in Bussum as a Defence Museum and Information Centre. The project responds to the growing need for public engagement, education, and recruitment within the Dutch Ministry of Defence, while preserving the historical value of military heritage.

Using a research-by-design approach, literature studies, case studies, a value assessment, and site analysis were combined to investigate how spatial layout and routing can support both information provision and recruitment. The design introduces a central gathering space that balances orientation and freedom of movement, while preserving key heritage elements of the site.

The project demonstrates how military heritage can be transformed into a contemporary public facility that connects history, education, and societal relevance through architecture. ... Read more

This graduation project investigates how the Officer’s Casino in Soesterberg, a former military heritage building built in 1941, can be adaptively reused as a contemporary primary school while balancing heritage values and everyday educational use. The research addresses the tensions that arise between the existing architectural character of the monument and the spatial and sensory requirements of a modern learning environment.

Using a Research by Design methodology, supported by Spatial Building Typology analysis, literature review, and precedent studies, the project explores how architectural interventions can mediate between preservation and transformation. Based on an analysis of the building and the local educational context, Waldorf education was selected as a suitable educational model due to its emphasis on sensory experience, movement, creativity, and connection to nature.

The research demonstrates that adaptive reuse does not require a complete transformation of the existing structure. Instead, a selective approach is proposed in which the monumental central spaces are largely preserved, while the wings and carefully integrated additions provide the flexibility needed for contemporary educational functions. Through targeted interventions involving daylight, materiality, spatial atmosphere, and newly added volumes, the project creates a balance between historical continuity and present-day educational needs.

The project concludes that architectural tensions between heritage and new use should not necessarily be resolved, but can be negotiated through design. In doing so, heritage buildings can offer spatial qualities that enrich contemporary educational environments and contribute to the diversity of school architecture.
... Read more

After the Cold War, the Netherlands abolished conscription, leaving many kazernes (military barrack complexes) vacant before being sold. One of these vacant kazernes is the Kolonel Palmkazerne located in Bussum. This Boostkazerne, named after its designer Boost, is not unique but part of a larger system of sixteen standardised barrack complexes built between 1938-1939. Boost created an efficient and aesthetic design; as an result, many kazernes have been repurposed or listed as heritage for their recognisable original architecture.

Given the current housing shortage, there exists a knowledge gap on how standardisation and spatial quality can reinforce each other. While many standardised systems are already applied, their architectural quality is often debated.Therefore, it is important to broaden our understanding of how standard models can contribute to contemporary housing design. This report studies the existing Boostkazernes through a comparative case study. The distilled lessons, combined with contemporary housing theory, inform a new adaptive reuse design for the Kolonel Palmkazerne, centering on the keukengebouw (kitchen building) of the kazerne.

The main conclusion from the value assessment is that while the original ensemble and the national system of Boostkazernes has very high heritage value, the kitchen building itself is an incoherent whole. The resulting design conserves the highest-valued parts of the existing keukengebouw, situated between two newly constructed translations of the nearby existing legeringsgebouwen (existing barrack buildings) and connected by an elevated platform. This is based in the palimpsest of the site, while preserving the original ideas and reusing the keukengebouw offers a sustainable method that ensures the continuity of cultural and historical value.

Two main axes define the design. A long private axis through the housing for elderly and starters, using a technical construction of prefabricated CLT-panels. In the other, public, axis of the existing keukengebouw, a box-in-box method is used to accomodate new functions. The basement will be activated by creating skylights, and the elevated platform provides wheather shelter in the form of a pergola. This structural framework, based on standardisation principles, acts as a robust ‘drager’ (carrier) for open interpretation, allowing diverse individuals to form a coherent collective. In this way, the past is connected to the future through the present. ... Read more

This graduation report explores how Building 13 of the Kolonel Palmkazerne in Crailo can be repurposed into a contemporary civic anchor for the Kazernekwartier while extending the legibility of the barrack’s inherited order and discipline. Sitting at the head of an appèlplaats, the building belongs to a military ensemble where hierarchy, routine and controlled access shaped spatial logic. The building’s future, contradictively, lies within a residential, campus-like redevelopment that requires publicness, daily use and long term adaptability. The core dilemma thus becomes not whether the building should change, but how change can be made possible without discarding the order that grants the barracks its identity.

The research develops a design brief for the adaptive-reuse case of Building 13. Existing evidence such as cultural-historic reports, literature, technical inspections, building analyses and demographic readings, et cetera, is processed through a structured research-and-design methodology. Through thematic analysis, source material is translated into operational statements while iterative design testing gauges their architectural consequences. The analysis is guided by four project lenses: Program, Identity, Thresholds and Longevity.

In conclusion, Building 13 can achieve civic relevance through a layered strategy. Permanent public- and service-oriented functions anchor in the most durable parts of the building, while loose-fit uses occupy the more adaptable layers. The building’s ensemble position, chimneys, cellar, silhouette and traces of the demolished wings form primary identity carriers that must remain legible. Instead of uncontrolled openness, it should be staged, allowing public encounter without erasing spatial discipline. Finally, longevity relies on distinguishing permanent carriers from adaptive infill, allowing for fabric persistence and programmatic relevance throughout time. Consequently, the historically established order is not rejected. Instead, it’s rewritten into a civic sequence for everyday life in Crailo.
... Read more

The reciprocal relationship between people (culture) and nature (ecology and environmental processes) grows in disbalance. The trend of urbanisation puts culture in a dominating position over nature. Additionally, people lose the connection to nature and their own biological rhythms through fast and digitalised environments. In the field of heritage architecture, we see that traditional practices prioritise the value of culture. The value of nature is often overlooked. Both have value to exist in a landscape. It is relevant to understand how to regenerate the reciprocal relationship between people and nature in heritage architecture.
This research aims to explore reimagining heritage architecture as a landscape. A space where culture, ecology, and environmental processes balance. It will explore this through an architectural intervention for a nature school at the Air Shelter Area at Airbase Soesterberg. The central question in this research is; How can adaptive reuse of heritage, reimagined as a landscape, transform the Air Shelter Area of Airbase Soesterberg into a nature school that restores a reciprocal relationship between culture, ecology, and environmental value?
To answer this question the research will use literature studies, case studies and a design-driven reflection. Literature and case studies provide relevant available knowledge to explore design scenarios within the contextual framework of the Air Shelter Area of Airbase Soesterberg. The research concludes with a design proposal for a nature school at the Air Shelter Area. The design reimagines the heritage as a landscape where future generations learn to slow down and experience environmental, biological and cultural processes. A landscape where nature is not suppressed by a human-centric philosophy but flourishes equally with culture. ... Read more

During the Cold War, thousands of military buildings and infrastructures were built across Europe, many of which have since been abandoned following the end of the Cold War. An example are the Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS). At Soesterberg Air Base there are 17 HAS within a nature reserve which is managed by Utrechts Landschap. A tension exists between ecological preservation and the safeguarding of Cold War heritage, caused by a lack of architectural precedents and transformation strategies for this typology.

This research investigates to what extent a design-based toolbox can guide the transformation possibilities of HAS at Soesterberg Air Base. The methodology combines a theoretical framework derived from the specific values of the site with research by design. Six criteria are established for the evaluation: level of intervention, public-private use, occupancy, heritage values, alignment with Utrechts Landschap's vision, and sustainability.

The results include six ensemble scenarios and twelve shelter scenarios exploring different functions, intervention strategies, and spatial approaches. One scenario, a natural cemetery, is developed into a detailed architectural design, testing the toolbox in practice.

The research concludes that a design-based toolbox can effectively structure and compare transformation possibilities while functioning as a conversation starter for stakeholders. The scenarios that perform best balance heritage preservation with ecological values. Rather than leading to a single solution, the toolbox shows opportunities, limitations, and conflicts, allowing multiple future scenarios to be explored while keeping the specific values of the site central. ... Read more

A Water Biological Center for migratory fish is created on the floodplain in Sliedrecht, previouslyhousing a water tower and a Shipyard. The structure of the old building serves as a framework fora new program that stimulates the innovative and sustainable sector, guaranteeing employment forscientific institutes in the Netherlands and Sliedrecht. The surrounding plot is transformed into apark and simultaneously functions as an open-air lab. Wherein fish can be studied in their physicalsurroundings ... Read more

This thesis investigates how genius loci, the spirit of place, can serve as a meaningful strategy in the adaptive reuse of twentieth-century industrial heritage. Drawing on Christian Norberg-Schulz’s phenomenological theory, the research explores how a transformative intervention can be executed while preserving a building's identity and atmosphere. Through a literature review and analysis of adaptive reuse strategies, a value matrix is developed that integrates Norberg-Schulz's subjective, place-based values into design principles. The study applies this framework to three case studies, LocHal (Tilburg), RDM Onderzeebootloods (Rotterdam), and Mastenloods (Den Helder), to assess how contemporary architectural interventions respond to and reinterpret the genius loci. The findings show that incorporating the design principles leads to more rooted, context-sensitive reuse that preserves a building's identity. The final outcome is a adaptive reuse strategy for De Biesboschhal that balances historical continuity with contemporary needs, emphasizing repurposing (Winhov, 2024) over contrast-based reuse. This research contributes a perspective to heritage discourse, offering designers practical tools to preserve and articulate genius loci in adaptive reuse projects. ... Read more

This project explores the complex interplay of utopian and dystopian perceptions within the maritime industrial heritage context, focusing on the former Van Eijk shipyard in Sliedrecht, the Netherlands. Once a symbol of industrial progress and prosperity, the site now embodies a sense of abandonment and spatial decay, reflecting a shift in societal and functional values in the post-industrial era. The central research question is: How were the utopian/dystopian dualities manifested over the course of the former Van Eijk shipyard's lifetime and its epistemological sections, and how can these dualities be employed to re-form its appearance into a heritage-based transformation?

The study examines how industrial spaces, traditionally viewed as utopian, often evolve into dystopian environments, depending on their current state and social perception. Drawing upon historical and theoretical frameworks—such as critiques by Manfredo Tafuri, and Constant Nieuwenhuys’s New Babylon—the research reveals how utopia and dystopia are not fixed categories but subjective experiences shaped by context and use.

A new method of heritage evaluation is introduced, emphasizing spatial experience and user perception over traditional value matrices. Unlike established matrix-based assessments, which often require expert interpretation and singular viewpoints, this approach incorporates multiple user perspectives to recognize the coexistence of contradictory spatial meanings. By focusing on spatial dualities—accessible vs. inaccessible, extrovert vs. introvert—the method allows for a more nuanced, participatory understanding of space.

This user-oriented model not only facilitates adaptive reuse strategies grounded in emotional and experiential spatial qualities but also strengthens the continuity and identity of heritage sites. Ultimately, the architect’s role shifts toward mediating between spatial atmosphere and collective memory, enabling a more inclusive and sustainable transformation of post-industrial environments.
The proposal for a complex combining existing heritage with new construction brings the theory to life. The use of materials and proposed functions create a social hub for the local community, reconnecting them with their forgotten past while creating a prominent future. Similar volumes, semi-transparency and framing create a landmark that aims to be given back to the local community, with the land and water at its epicenter.
Sponsors:
-Foundation for Education and European Culture (IPEP)
-Greek Shipowners’ Social Welfare Company ... Read more

This graduation project focuses on the adaptive reuse of the former steel cable factory Nedstaal in Alblasserdam. The industrial complex is transformed into a mixed-use complex with public functions and a central public street as a catalyst for future development. Apartments are added on the upper floors. ... Read more

Throughout history, water has shaped the way we build - from the beginning of settlements to the modern design of climate systems. Today, as we face growing environmental and educational challenges, the role of water in our built environment is shifting once again.

Threading Waters explores how architecture can act as a bridge between these timelines - sewing together the seemingly contrasting ends of our traditional relationships with water and contemporary approaches to sustainability and education. It proposes a space where water is not just a backdrop, but a core element of how we learn, interact, and adapt.

Located in the maritime industrial heritage line in the province of South Holland, the project brings together its local ties with the dredging industry with its economic vision to strengthen its innovation and research in the maritime industrial sector. By repurposing an old shipyard, the site acts as a public gateway to water research, making scientific knowledge more accessible and understandable to a wider audience. Drawing from the (in)tangible values of the existing conditions, it questions how we can use past practices as a springboard for future sustainable development. ... Read more

This project proposes to reconnect the hidden, neglected maritime heritage of Sliedrecht with the public realm through spatial, material, and narrative-based design strategies. It is part of the Heritage & Architecture studio, with a focus on transforming maritime heritage into publicly accessible spaces that reinforce local identity and landscape memory.
Located across the Biesbosch, the Delta Shipyard and adjacent watertower embody the layered history of Sliedrecht’s shipbuilding legacy. Through three key strategies—preservation and adaptive reuse, material reuse and sustainability, and storyline and interpretation—the project aims to revive the site without erasing its traces of labor, erosion, and change. Formerly fragmented and inaccessible, the site is reimagined as a continuous, layered landscape where the historical and contemporary overlap through careful spatial interventions.
Historic fragmentation gives way to a layered, accessible environment where memory and use co-exist. By designing with and through the remnants of the shipyard, the project allows the community to re-engage with their maritime past, transforming a former industrial enclave into a collective space for leisure, culture, and reflection, rooted in both site and story. ... Read more

This project explores the transformation of a former shipyard in Sliedrecht into a resilient, mixed-use neighborhood that reconnects the village with its maritime heritage and the river landscape. Situated outside the primary dike, the site faces flood risk but holds cultural and historical value as part of the “Maritime Industry Heritage Line.”

The design proposes a layered masterplan that integrates housing, public space, and the adaptive reuse of industrial structures. Key heritage elements—such as the crane, slipway, and shipbuilding halls—are preserved and reinterpreted, with the shipyard repurposed into a hotel and conference center. Flood resilience strategies are embedded throughout, using a combination of elevated construction, water-resistant materials, and adaptive landscape design. ... Read more