As urban areas face increasing densification and a rise in individual living amid the Dutch housing crisis, traditional housing models often fail to support the adaptability needed across changing mobility, care, and changing family strucutres over a lifetime. This research positions timber construction as a strategy for incremental and continuous change in intergenerational living, leveraging its high strength to weight ratio, user approachability, its associations with craftsmanship and self-build culture to empower residents with greater agency over their living spaces. Focusing on systems that allow modification, disassembly, and reuse, the study categorizes adaptation strategies across short-, medium-, and long-term timeframes, each with distinct requirements for materials, components, and construction methods. An assessment matrix then relates timber connection types and biogenic material assemblies to these temporal layers and scales. This research results in a playbook: a practical guide for architects and self-building residents to design for future adaptation opportunities. Based on these findings, this playbook aims to guide architects and self building residents through the strategies used to design the building for future adaptation opportunities, identifying the possibilities for adaptation, and the criteria and methods to achieve them. This playbook will include performance-based criteria and strategies for permissible development, promoting wider use of biogenic materials, with the goal of creating living environments that can evolve over time, and respond accordingly to the needs of residents and the changing urban environment.

This research examines the complexities of assessing environmental performance in the context of building design, focusing on the balance between CO₂ sequestration and embodied energy. Central to this study is the development of a model designed to maximize carbon uptake and minimize the embodied energy of buildings. Key results include the identification of critical parameters, such as the extension of a building's lifespan and its relationship with environmental impact, as well as the crucial balance between CO₂ and embodied energy. The model emphasizes the importance of these parameters, with particular attention to the lack of data on life cycle energy and its impact on carbon accounting. The methodology involves the identification and critical evaluation of these parameters, and Dutch databases, such as the Nationale Milieu Database (NMD) and calculation methods like the MPG, transforming them into a model for practical application within the design process. This study concludes that extending a building’s lifespan plays a significant role in reducing its carbon footprint over time, and that transparent, standardized methodologies and comprehensive data collection are essential to optimize the environmental impact of building designs.

This research investigates the potential of biobased and vapour-open construction principles with the objective to increase health and well-being in residential architecture. Conventional building materials and airtight construction methods often contribute to poor indoor air quality, leading to issues such as the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). By contrast, biobased materials, and vapour-open façade designs allow for natural moisture regulation, improved air circulation, and reduced indoor pollutants. Through literature review, a case study, most notably the Hemphouse project, and performance simulations, this study examines the technical feasibility and environmental benefits of these sustainable building practices. Findings suggest that vapour-open structures can passively manage indoor humidity levels, reduce mould risks, and enhance overall occupant comfort. Additionally, the integration of locally sourced, renewable materials aligns with climate-conscious design strategies, supporting both ecological sustainability and healthier living environments here in The Netherlands. The results advocate for a shift in residential architecture, promoting breathable and nature-inspired design solutions as viable alternatives to conventional building methods.

Amsterdam’s population is expected to grow 20% by 2035. To accommodate this increase in population, Amsterdam is planning the Haven-stad transformation, turning an area west of the city centre into a city inside the city. The Haven-stad plan also includes a bridge linking the NDSM-werf to the Minervahaven, two areas that are to be transformed into high density mixed-use neighbourhoods. Most of the land available has already been built on, or is under construction, so underused spaces must be used to the fullest. This research investigates how this new bridge crossing the IJ river, can contribute to the densification of Amsterdam, by reintroducing the typology of a multifunctional bridge. By analyzing historical bridge proposals, case studies of multifunctional bridges, and conducting a SWOT-analysis, the study explores how a bridge crossing the IJ river can support diverse functions, such as housing, commerce, and culture. A research-by-design approach combines the found typologies of the case studies with the SWOT-analysis, resulting in a multifunctional bridge that connects Amsterdam to a regional bike network, connects the north and south of the city and contributes to the urban development of the Minervahaven and NDSM-area. This research opens opportunities for further research into other urban structures that are underused or how this typology would work in other cities or regions.