What happens when you conceive the architect as a set designer? In this project, architecture operates as a sequence of scenes, where each space has its own meaning within a larger narrative. The living set of the research and the design is an existing industrial building, which was transformed from a metal cans and boxes factory into a garage for repairing and selling second-hand cars. Its character has two different faces: an open front façade overlooking the busy Rue Heyvaert, and a closed, blind façade facing a quiet square. Rather than erasing this set, the project acts with what is already visible and invisible on stage and backstage. Its backdrop is the neighbourhood of Heyvaert, Brussels, which has become a home to many migrant workers. Today, it remains an Arrival City: a transitional space where actors enter, settle temporarily and move on. The setting is improvised and constantly changing due to economic pressure and poor maintenance, which pushes its inhabitants into an act of survival, and leaves little room for collective care. Inspired by the Peckham Experiment (south-east London, 1926-1950), the project proposes a space for preventive social medicine through the organisation of a series of spatial scenes, in which different aspects of collective well-being and daily life meet, and become visible and accessible. The interventions preserve the identity of the former factory, while reorganising the existing set and introducing a new performance of preventive care. This includes not only spatial changes, such as cutouts and openings which bring daylight into the building, but also the movement of props, performers and spectators. A 1:33 model with a supporting script bridges the gap between architecture and set design, and explores how the sequence of scenes within the former factory in Heyvaert can be designed as a preventive social medicine. The project offers a script for a community stage, in which the spotlight shifts from metal to humans, and from repair to prevention. ... Read more

This thesis investigates how the real Western built environment influenced cinematic architecture in the science-fiction films Metropolis (1927) and Blade Runner (1982), revealing the real architectural elements that were either copied or adapted into imaginary worlds throughout the 20th century. In doing so, both films are analysed on three different scales: cityscape, building and detail, and are connected to changes, events and movements of the 20th century. Metropolis shows an exaggeration of New York City, and displays in this cityscape complex issues like urbanization and industrialization. Moreover, the influence of modernism is visible through the use of Le Corbusier’s Radiant City as a backbone, and concrete and steel as building materials. In Blade Runner, the cityscape portrays a city of post-industrial decay, chaos, and overpopulation, and can be seen as the opposite of the Radiant City. Furthermore, Asian neon signs, shops and culture shows a shift to a more Eastern dominance. The details of certain spaces, however, show a connection to postmodernism and its characteristic of using ancient styles as a reference for architecture. As notable, both films display cities of the future, however, the films are rather intertwined with the realities of the 20th century. ... Read more