This project explores the concept of 'The Ground' as a multifaceted entity, examining its physical, cultural, and political dimensions. It begins with an etymological foundation, linking the word "human" to "humus," emphasising humanity's intrinsic connection to the earth. The project expands this understanding by investigating the layers, properties, and significance of the ground as both a physical surface and a conceptual space, encompassing themes of territory, governance, and planetary interdependence.
A central theme is Bruno Latour's notion of 'The Terrestrial,' which redefines the earth as a political actor in a reciprocal relationship with humanity. This paradigm shift necessitates a reevaluation of humanity's approach to the ground, from one of ownership and control to one of coexistence and diplomacy. The Isthmus of Panama serves as a case study, illustrating the profound interaction between human engineering and geological processes through the construction and operation of the Panama Canal.
The project proposes an 'Embassy of the Ground' as a gesture of diplomacy to foster a diplomatic relationship between humans and the ground. This embassy, situated near the Post-Panamax locks of the canal, is designed as an enclosed space with the precise dimensions of a lock chamber, granting the ground within it diplomatic immunity. Surrounding the enclosure, three departments—Communications, Legal Affairs, and Informal Diplomacy—facilitate interactions with the ground.
Ultimately, the embassy serves as a bridge between human and geological timescales, promoting an ethic of mutual respect for the ground. By redefining the relationship between the human and the earth, the project challenges static conceptions of space and encourages a dynamic, time-sensitive perspective on architecture and territory.

Ensuring good living accomodation is a constitutional duty of the government, but there is now a shortage of 300,000 homes. Demand for housing has grown sharply in recent years. In the last two years, the housing market issue has been high on the political agenda again. In it, the issue of starters regarding home ownership occupies a prominent place.
The importance of first-time buyers and the benefits of home ownership has therefore not remained underexposed. The inflow of ‘new’ households into the owner-occupied housing market not only stimulates movement but also provides the necessary liquidity. Partly due to quantitatives shortage, the position of first-time buyers is said to have continued to deteriorate. In the formulated housing policy, the quantitative housing demand is therefore emphatically central. Being able to realise the stated policy objectives - suitable and affordable housing for starters - depends on the demand exercised. Such policy requires accurate knowledge about the position occupied by first-time buyers in the (owner-occupied) housing market.

This research focuses on the (changing) position of first-time buyers in the Dutch housing market. The research question answered in this respect is: What is the position of first-time buyers in the Dutch housing market and how has this position developed from 2009 to 2021?

To arrive at this position, an insight needs to be gained into how first-time buyers operate on the housing market. For this, the ‘housing market’ needs to be explored first. Therefore, this research firstly discussed the background developments prior to the data analyses.
The data research is divided into three parts. Firstly, the concept of ‘first-time buyer’ is explored in more detail whereby various profiles are identified. Next, the various distinct households are researched with respect to the demand for owner-occupied housing. Finally, a model-based analysis of housing market accessibility and success rates for these households is provided. The research results conclude to five main findings. Firstly, whereas the absolute market entrance declines lightly, the relative influx decreases sharply. The total demand for housing from both aspiring first-time buyers as well as homeowners has grown sharply. Secondly, the most current houses are not current, meaning the demanded housing is scarcely available in the most demanded regions. Thirdly, the results show that it is increasingly the high-potential households that find their way into the market. Fourth, the position of first-time buyers has been increasingly determined by the total competition, as the affordability seems not to be the issue. This is mainly rooted in low interest rates. Lastly, the general succes rate among first- time buyers decreased while the diversity among these households has increased.

The Graduation Studio of Interiors Buildings Cities (2021-2022) examines the possible future of the National Bank of Belgium, located in the city of Brussels. The Bank as a collective system has recently come under scrutiny because of the ongoing climate change and the switch from physical to digital payments.
The municipality of Brussels is working on improving the city through a slow traffic mobility plan, creating green connections and changing the economic shape in Brussels. Meanwhile, the National Bank of Belgium stands like a closed fortress at a critical point in Brussels.
In this graduation project, the National Bank of Brussels as an institution offers new terrain through the creation of a radical opening to create a connection from the lower part of Brussels to the upper part of the city and creating a new connection that contributes to a better mobility in the city.

Due to several factors, under which the widespread flexibilization in the job market and the fact that it ended up becoming more difficult to take out a mortgage, middle-income households ended up not having access to owner-occupied housing in Dutch urban areas. Also, middle-income households’ incomes are too high to qualify for the social housing segment. Therefore, they depend on private rental housing in the Randstad. However, there is a shortage of private rental housing. Due to this lack of private rental housing, rental housing prices have increased tremendously. And this occurred while households’ incomes have not been rising to the same extent. Furthermore, organisations that rely on key workers have a more difficult time finding employees in urban areas. Middle-income households, including the households that can potentially fill up these vacancies, are often forced to move to other areas to find housing that fits their preferences. Therefore, it is essential to gain knowledge of how private rental housing for middle-income households can become affordable. Having knowledge of housing affordability in relation to housing preferences is vital to understand how the private rental housing supply for middle-income households can be increased and preserved in urban areas. Therefore, this research seeks to answer: “How can the rental housing supply in urban areas in the Netherlands, that is affordable for middle-income households, be increased following their preferences?” With this research question posed, the research aims to provide insight into middle-income households' housing affordability. It also aims to present the middle-income households’ rental housing preferences. To reach this aim, the methodology applied in this research is a mixed-method with an embedded design. This research made use of the WoON 2018 data and the semi-structured interview method. To conclude, the findings of this research were validated by an expert panel. The comprehensive quantitative research, regarding what middle-income’s housing preferences are, demonstrated that these preferences are not sufficiently affordably facilitated in Groot-Amsterdam. Delving into these results together with the qualitative research, this study determined what instruments could be used to increase and preserve the affordable rental housing supply for middle-income households following their housing preferences. This research evinced that in Groot-Amsterdam, housing with five rooms is not sufficiently facilitated in the mid-segment rental housing supply. Additionally, for the couple, couple-one-child, couple-two-children, couple-three-children, and one-parent-three-children households earning a gross annual income near €36,798, mid-segment rental housing is not affordable. In order to provide affordable housing for all middle-income households, the central government should assume a more active role in steering toward increasing the mid-segment rental housing supply. Thereby, they should enlarge the housing associations’ playing field. Furthermore, they should limit their role to spatial planning, providing infrastructure, and providing monetary means. Next to that, there should be a balance between municipal demands on development programmes and land prices. Together, the municipality and market actors should determine the demands of the development programme. An independent third party should calculate the residual land value.

With the fall of the Socialist block in 1989, the Cuban national economy collapsed, followed by a severe scarcity in gasoline, materials and especially food. Of Alamar, a socialist housingproject in construction in East Havana only the areas dedicated to dwelling were finished, leaving the neighbourhood without a defined public space or economic centre. Due to the limited transportation possibilities and the distance to the inner city, Alamar became relatively isolated from the rest of Havana. Out of necessity, the inhabitants started to cultivate vacant areas between building blocks.

More than twenty years later, this practice is not only still an important source of employment, income and food security for the community, but Havana, and Alamar in particular, has become internationally known as a frontrunner in sustainable urban agriculture. However, the development of urban agriculture is in danger, mainly as a result of the singe-sided support approach by the state, a centralized distribution and marketing system that offers little material incentives or economic freedom and the looming risks of an inevitably drastically changing social, political and economic context.

The ambition of this project:
The introduction of a new economic platform for the distribution and marketing of urban agricultural products that facilitates the development of a resilient, sustainable, community-driven local food economy in Alamar and the larger Havana region.