Crossing Bridges is a design proposal located in Luxembourg city. The project deals deals with the city's specific urban territorial condition, as a clear physical and social issue. The distinctive topography of the city divides the city into plateaus and valleys with almost opposite identities. This dichotomy between the urban setting on the plateaus and nature the valley, together with the infrastructural issues caused by the valley, is the starting point for the creation of a new infrastructural hub. Not only will this become a new physical connection between the plateaus and valleys, it will also become a new cultural center that serves as an incubator for the people to explore the valley en escape the hectic city life.

The elevator diagram is a proposal concerned with the question of how to intervene in the contemporary city, with Luxembourg as an example. The proposal takes as a ground point the geography of the city, analyzing the dichotomy of the valley and the plateau as a particular characteristic, and intends to create an architectural interface capable of revealing that specificity that is often clouded by the congestion of the contemporary city. As a tool to develop this awareness, the proposal uses the mechanisms of perception and patient detection where cognitive activity is required to build an architectural experience. Lastly, the project explores the possibilities of intervention in the underground space of the city and the programmatic alternatives to the current model of food production.

The binding factor of the European Union's diverse nations is their practice of democracy. However, recently the EU has been dealing with the rising power of populism, increasing polarization and strong bubble forming; all leading to a weakening practice of local, national and union scale democracies. An important factor in this is the lacking tradition of Public Sphere in our society; a safe and comfortable space that invites and facilitates dialectic engagement between people of different believes. Bringing back this sphere into the spatial realm, accessible to people, will strengthen the local practice of democracy. An institution that has played an import role in the traditional practice of European Democracy is that of the Public Domain; the space that derives its function and value based on the peoples' needs. This locally strong embedded institution already facilitate the Expression Sphere and Protests Spheres hence it needs to evolve, adding to it the Public Sphere. Public Domains through the whole of Europe need to spatially evolve in a bottom-up and gentle manner. Above all; the manifestation of Public Sphere needs to become deeply rooted in the local society and context to connect to the local society and its people. This relation between local people and the Public Sphere is coloured by the qualitative application of architectural atmosphere as it has the capacity to colour and define the emotional relationship between institution and space. One of the evolved manifestations of the public domain is that of the Demo Domain of Nowa Huta; a former utopian socialist town, close to Krakow, Poland.

The Hospital of Thinkable Boundaries: Methods for Noetic Design; addresses how the modern city and knowledge-context deals with mental illness and healing. Rather than studying medical spaces this research stems from personal evidence of embetterment through the noetic experience, where productive and vital experience is materialized by the ingestion of psychedelic/synaesthetic compounds. By studying and experiencing non-western/shamanic healing practices where these mind altering plant medicines are culturally integrated, the research on the noetic concerns topics of perception, cognition, body, collectivity and ecology. The design methods derived is what is called situated design, where the personal, material and the situated becomes the main directionality for design; a layered architectural method that concerns the following: (i) the dialogue between the material and the immaterial context, (ii) the notion of liminality, and how to respond to binary opposition through approaching the threshold as process, this also inquires approaching architecture as process, as an event ontology, materializing this sense of continuity, ritual, agency and intentionality (iii) the body as mediator, where the main method is about getting insight into the immediate context and relation through bodily experience. The design proposal The Hospital of Thinkable Boundaries is a system of healing interventions on the site in Skanstull, Stockholm, a liminal place in the city and an abandoned train track where modern vernacular interventions of awareness and healing relates to the material symbol of the industrial locomotive. The proposal includes seven interventions relating to the shamanic ritual of healing where the ceremony is the main spatial and perceptual experience, but it also includes the production of the psychedelic compounds, as well as functions that relates to the cleansing and preparation of the body before entering the ceremony. These additional spaces becomes a means of extending and rethinking the shamanic ritual in an urban modern context, intending to bridge between knowledge-contexts and cultures.

The Netherlands is facing a housing shortage and adequate housing provision is lacking. Citizens are eager to act on their own through bottom-up initiatives. However, bottom-up initiatives (such as cooperative housing) do not thrive within the current housing market and therefore significant development of cooperative housing in the Netherlands stays off. This research aims to support the development of cooperative housing in the Netherlands. This is being achieved through constructing an alternative reality of the housing market through composing a play script. The script is being informed by interviews, literature review and analysing case study projects. The interviews were conducted among the present stakeholders (the academic, the advocate, the architect, the bank, the cooperative, the developer, the dweller, the municipality). All together, the research hopes to transfer these thoughts and findings on cooperative housing to continue this collective process.

This master thesis rigorously explores the integration of a genetic algorithm-based workflow in the design and optimization of a passive fixed shading system utilizing ETFE cushion panels, with the objective of enhancing the thermal resilience of an existing building envelope. The case study focuses on a mid-rise office building located in the port of Athens, Greece. The central research question addressed is: "How can a genetic algorithm-based workflow be effectively employed in the multi-objective optimization of a shading system to improve the energy efficiency of an existing building envelope?" To answer this question, the research investigates four interconnected domains: ETFE double skin structures, resilience quantification, multi-criteria decision-making approaches with genetic algorithms, and the analysis of the case study building facade system. The study centers on the preliminary design phase of the shading system, highlighting its potential as a retrofit solution for existing infrastructures challenged by rising temperatures. The outcomes of this research include the development of a versatile workflow for evaluating the energy performance of existing buildings, facilitating interdisciplinary feedback within a design team, and applying multi-objective optimization to design problems. This work provides a comprehensive framework for integrating advanced computational methods in architectural design, thereby contributing to the improvement of building energy efficiency and thermal resilience.

This master thesis rigorously explores the integration of a genetic algorithm-based workflow in the design and optimization of a passive fixed shading system utilizing ETFE cushion panels, with the objective of enhancing the thermal resilience of an existing building envelope. The case study focuses on a mid-rise office building located in the port of Athens, Greece. The central research question addressed is: "How can a genetic algorithm-based workflow be effectively employed in the multi-objective optimization of a shading system to improve the energy efficiency of an existing building envelope?" To answer this question, the research investigates four interconnected domains: ETFE double skin structures, resilience quantification, multi-criteria decision-making approaches with genetic algorithms, and the analysis of the case study building facade system. The study centers on the preliminary design phase of the shading system, highlighting its potential as a retrofit solution for existing infrastructures challenged by rising temperatures. The outcomes of this research include the development of a versatile workflow for evaluating the energy performance of existing buildings, facilitating interdisciplinary feedback within a design team, and applying multi-objective optimization to design problems. This work provides a comprehensive framework for integrating advanced computational methods in architectural design, thereby contributing to the improvement of building energy efficiency and thermal resilience.

Environmental noise is a pervasive and significant issue in urban areas, negatively affecting the health and well-being of both residents and wildlife. Despite efforts under the European Noise Directive to reduce noise from sources such as road, rail, air traffic, and industrial activities, around 20% of the EU population still lives in areas where noise levels exceed health-based guidelines. The dense infrastructure and reflective surfaces in urban environments amplify noise levels, highlighting the urgent need for effective noise reduction strategies. Vertical Greenery Systems (VGSs) can effectively reduce urban noise pollution when implemented thoughtfully. State-of-the-art VGS designs commonly incorporate multi-layer structures comprising a bearing wall, substrate layer, and foliage layer. This research aimed to optimize such VGSs in the early design stages to enhance their noise mitigation capabilities. Among the available generic models, the Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) offers the most comprehensive approach for modelling the acoustic characteristics of these structures. TMM allows for the modelling of acoustic properties on both sides of a one-dimensional fluid-like layer using effective, frequency-dependent parameters encapsulated within a 2 × 2 matrix. The total transfer matrix of the VGS results from the product of its individual layer transfer matrices. It was established that to accurately evaluate the acoustic effectiveness of multi-layered VGSs, it is imperative to concentrate on the performance resulting from the superposition of layers under specific boundary conditions, rather than analysing individual layer parameters in isolation. This approach recognizes that there is no definitive answer regarding which specific components demonstrate superior performance. Instead, the intricate nature of superposition underscores the necessity for systematic experimentation with various component combinations and the manipulation of extrinsic variables, such as layer thicknesses, to optimize VGS performance. In this research, the TMM was utilized to develop a tool for evaluating the acoustic performance of VGS designs, suitable for deployment during the early phase of the design process. The tool includes a comprehensive material library that allows stakeholders to explore various design options, making the approach more adaptable. It enables the evaluation of VGS design feasibility by examining the normal incidence weighted sound absorption coefficient and its corresponding absorption class. Additionally, the tool serves as a framework for conducting further analysis on the long-term environmental impact and economic viability of VGSs.

Environmental noise is a pervasive and significant issue in urban areas, negatively affecting the health and well-being of both residents and wildlife. Despite efforts under the European Noise Directive to reduce noise from sources such as road, rail, air traffic, and industrial activities, around 20% of the EU population still lives in areas where noise levels exceed health-based guidelines. The dense infrastructure and reflective surfaces in urban environments amplify noise levels, highlighting the urgent need for effective noise reduction strategies. Vertical Greenery Systems (VGSs) can effectively reduce urban noise pollution when implemented thoughtfully. State-of-the-art VGS designs commonly incorporate multi-layer structures comprising a bearing wall, substrate layer, and foliage layer. This research aimed to optimize such VGSs in the early design stages to enhance their noise mitigation capabilities. Among the available generic models, the Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) offers the most comprehensive approach for modelling the acoustic characteristics of these structures. TMM allows for the modelling of acoustic properties on both sides of a one-dimensional fluid-like layer using effective, frequency-dependent parameters encapsulated within a 2 × 2 matrix. The total transfer matrix of the VGS results from the product of its individual layer transfer matrices. It was established that to accurately evaluate the acoustic effectiveness of multi-layered VGSs, it is imperative to concentrate on the performance resulting from the superposition of layers under specific boundary conditions, rather than analysing individual layer parameters in isolation. This approach recognizes that there is no definitive answer regarding which specific components demonstrate superior performance. Instead, the intricate nature of superposition underscores the necessity for systematic experimentation with various component combinations and the manipulation of extrinsic variables, such as layer thicknesses, to optimize VGS performance. In this research, the TMM was utilized to develop a tool for evaluating the acoustic performance of VGS designs, suitable for deployment during the early phase of the design process. The tool includes a comprehensive material library that allows stakeholders to explore various design options, making the approach more adaptable. It enables the evaluation of VGS design feasibility by examining the normal incidence weighted sound absorption coefficient and its corresponding absorption class. Additionally, the tool serves as a framework for conducting further analysis on the long-term environmental impact and economic viability of VGSs.

The construction industry accounts for a significant part (39%) of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, additionally it is accountable for 40% of all extracted materials, 40% of primary energy usage and 40% of the total waste generated. Adding up to CO2-emissions in the form of embodied or operational carbon. Meanwhile the temperature limit set in 2015 signed Paris Agreement with the purpose of reducing the global temperature increase, is being exceeded If the global GHG-emissions are not reduced the global temperature rise will increase even more, and with that the severity of the climate change consequences. GHG emissions in the building sector can be decreased by reducing operational and/or embodied carbon. Since embodied carbon is getting increasingly higher but lacks in research and innovative solutions, this research explores the possibility of reducing embodied carbon by designing a reversible discrete timber system as alternative to a conventional structural timber element or system. For this a joint that is reversible and applicable to discrete timber elements must be found and tested. Five joints from a larger list were selected based on simplicity. In order to determine the loads on the discrete timber system, a case study was set to be a post war apartment block in Rotterdam South. The selected joints were analysed to determine what would happen if a load is applied to this element. The load showed highly localized peak stresses in the joints, indicating that the joints might be the weakness of the discrete timber elements, the rest of the element showed expected behaviour. In the end a simple square cog joint is the most suitable. Besides testing the discrete timber elements, the discrete timber systems also needed to be tested to see how they would react under the applied loads, and what the resulting maximum displacement and utilization values would be. Here various ways of aggregating discrete timber elements was tested. These aggregations were influenced by parameter such as the scaling factor (where a normal straight column, was scaled variedly into a mushroom-like column), dimensions of the base of the discrete system, the dimensions of the cross sections and the material of the discrete elements. The results from these tests showed the effects from the various parameters on the maximum displacement and utilization of the discrete timber system. However, there are also some gaps with regards to which joints are suitable, moreover, can the joints be made in timber or should there be resorted to a reinforced joint in a different material than timber? One of the main strengths of a discrete timber system lays in its reversibility, and for the system to be reversible there must be a demountable joint. Discrete timber systems can be a feasible alternative to conventional structural timber by ensuring that the discrete systems have strong, reversible joints that are simple in production and construction.

The construction industry accounts for a significant part (39%) of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, additionally it is accountable for 40% of all extracted materials, 40% of primary energy usage and 40% of the total waste generated. Adding up to CO2-emissions in the form of embodied or operational carbon. Meanwhile the temperature limit set in 2015 signed Paris Agreement with the purpose of reducing the global temperature increase, is being exceeded If the global GHG-emissions are not reduced the global temperature rise will increase even more, and with that the severity of the climate change consequences. GHG emissions in the building sector can be decreased by reducing operational and/or embodied carbon. Since embodied carbon is getting increasingly higher but lacks in research and innovative solutions, this research explores the possibility of reducing embodied carbon by designing a reversible discrete timber system as alternative to a conventional structural timber element or system. For this a joint that is reversible and applicable to discrete timber elements must be found and tested. Five joints from a larger list were selected based on simplicity. In order to determine the loads on the discrete timber system, a case study was set to be a post war apartment block in Rotterdam South. The selected joints were analysed to determine what would happen if a load is applied to this element. The load showed highly localized peak stresses in the joints, indicating that the joints might be the weakness of the discrete timber elements, the rest of the element showed expected behaviour. In the end a simple square cog joint is the most suitable. Besides testing the discrete timber elements, the discrete timber systems also needed to be tested to see how they would react under the applied loads, and what the resulting maximum displacement and utilization values would be. Here various ways of aggregating discrete timber elements was tested. These aggregations were influenced by parameter such as the scaling factor (where a normal straight column, was scaled variedly into a mushroom-like column), dimensions of the base of the discrete system, the dimensions of the cross sections and the material of the discrete elements. The results from these tests showed the effects from the various parameters on the maximum displacement and utilization of the discrete timber system. However, there are also some gaps with regards to which joints are suitable, moreover, can the joints be made in timber or should there be resorted to a reinforced joint in a different material than timber? One of the main strengths of a discrete timber system lays in its reversibility, and for the system to be reversible there must be a demountable joint. Discrete timber systems can be a feasible alternative to conventional structural timber by ensuring that the discrete systems have strong, reversible joints that are simple in production and construction.