This thesis explores the critical issue of global food insecurity and its impact on Doha, Qatar. The increasing unpredictability of climate change and the imposition of food export bans due to extreme weather events have heightened the urgency to achieve self-sufficiency in food production. This thesis delves into the impacts of climate change on food production and availability and the efforts to achieve food sustainability within urban areas. It discusses the challenges faced by Qatar, a country traditionally reliant on food imports due to its harsh desert environment and the shift towards self-sufficiency through innovative agricultural methods such as vertical farming. The research highlights the importance of prioritizing locally grown food; it looks at common vertical farm strategies and what are the best approaches to not only produce food in arid regions but to increase production yield and deploy automated vertical farms en masse in multiple areas simultaneously, inspiring a new era of sustainable food production.

Climate change is leading to an increased probability of flooding of coastal areas. This creates a major problem especially in developing countries. The communities in the coastal area can take little or no measures against sudden climate disasters such as storms and floods.
Suriname is one of these developing countries. Most of the population lives in the coastal area. In many places, the coastal protection cannot withstand climate problems such as sea level rise and is therefore more prone to storms and floods.
Protection from the sea consists mainly of a natural dike of mangrove forests. In their natural state, the trees retain sediment from and thus grow with the sea level. They also form a nutrient-rich ecosystem on which humans and animals depend.
Parties affected by the mangrove forests no longer know how to interact with the environment in a healthy way and live at the expense of the forests. There are communities in the areas, such as the indigenous tribal communities, who have knowledge on how to interact with the forests in a sustainable way. However, the groups have hardly any rights, are not taken serious and are constantly deprived of their living areas.
As a result, these forests are rapidly decreasing and can no longer provide proper protection for people, animals and the areas behind.
Many residents fear eroding coastlines and no longer trust mangrove forests. They lobby for sea dykes but there is little money for this in Suriname. Besides, these dykes have to be maintained and heightened all the time after construction and there is no money for this either.
This thesis, Mangrove Marvels, will focus on the relationship between humans and the mangrove landscape. The aim is to develop a toolbox of design principles that serve as guidelines for sustainable handling of this ecosystem. By applying these design principles, mangroves will have the opportunity to recover and be able to fulfil their crucial role in protecting the landscape.

Restaurants and bars in concert halls, snacks and drinks in jazz clubs or festivals, BGM in cafés and restaurants... Although the scale and method may be different, the fact that music and food coexist in our everyday lives remains the same. This raises the main research question: “What is the relationship between the music-and-food experience offered by a music venue and the identity that this experience creates?” With hearing and taste as the key senses, the sensory experience of music venues will be explored. To answer the question, historical review and case study will be used as research methods. The historical review focusing on banquet culture will reveal the long relationship between music and food and its importance. Furthermore, the research will investigate, through case study, how music, food, and architecture interact in music venues with different city, connection, culture contexts.

The study site, Binckhorst, is evolving from an industrial area into an urban mixed-use residential-work area. The railroad, highway and body of water surrounding Binckhorst act as borders, turning the area into an isolated island of The Hague and an unpopular destination for cyclists or pedestrians. The main reason people go there is for work. Outside of work, the area offers limited options to the general public. The end goal of this study is to propose a music venue with food in Binckhorst. Music and food together will make visitors’ experience more special and memorable, and provide them with an abundance of sensory experience, making it a reason for people to visit and revisit.

As one of the essential elements in the ecosystem, water often plays a key role in the formation process of the landscape. The polder landscape is one types of hydrological heritage landscape formed by the interaction of water and human beings. However, with the influence of climate change and human activities, the unique polder landscape has been severely challenged recently. This project will take the polder landscape of the Ningshao Plain, which is situated near the mouth of the Qiantang River in middle-east of China as an example to research how the design can protect the cultural landscape and be adaptive to development at the same time.
The Ningshao Plain is one of the oldest polder areas in China. It is a long and narrow plain developed between the mountains and the sea, which is the result of residence creating arable land conditions for agriculture and struggling against sea invasion for thousands of years. Due to the needs of freshwater storage, transportation, and so on, the area eventually formed a landscape with the dense canal network and multi-level water conservancy systems. Although the system can quickly discharge water from the canal into the sea, when extreme weather such as typhoon comes every summer, cities are still often threatened by floods due to their poor surface discharge capacity; the rapid development of urbanization and the deterioration of the ecological environment also further damaged the morphology of the polder landscape, A large amount of agricultural field was replaced by building blocks so some traditional hydrological system has gradually lost its original function and be abandoned. The large potentials of the polder as cultural landscape was neglect.
Therefore, the design objective is to build a resilient framework taking hydrological heritage landscape as the basis to ensure the preservation of cultural history and sustainable development of Ningshao plain. And the design assignments concludes three aspects:1)increase rainwater recycle capacity 2)build a robust blue-green network 3) Rejuvenate water-related public spaces.
According to the guiding theory of this project, ‘Protecting with planning’, the core design strategy is to taking the historical polder landscape structure as the basis of the framework. So this project focuses more on the research of the spatial characteristics and development process of the polder landscape in the Ningshao Plain, and tries to explore the potentials of the polder landscape. Some principles of form and resiliency will be concluded from the site itself during the analysis process, which are the ‘polder grammar’, and will be experimented in the design of different scales. These design principles will also be combined with some other resilient strategies studied from cases. Finally, this project will provide a reference for how resilient strategy can be applied in design in a way of more adaptive to the local conditions and cultures.

As part of urban redevelopment and in order to densify and create a new city centre, the Binckhorst, an industrial area and business park in The Hague, The Netherlands, is the design location for a public building for a music venue. With this project, research was done on a fundamental aspect of architecture: form. Analyses of the design location and several case studies were done in order to define how architectural form can contribute to the experience of a music venue. Next to that, the concept of a festival was explored. The idea to see the venue as a festival originated from research on the site. With this, the design was treated as a public space where visitors are able to explore in all directions and where activities are happening everywhere.

This project was a research by design process where the two topics, form and festival, served as direct input for the design of the music venue. The final design can be described as a vertical festival of forms. It is characterized by unique and recognizable forms, supported by a modular system. As is the case with a festival, visitors of the venue will experience a lively and complex space. Through architectural appearance and through it’s program, the building responds to the wider context and it amplifies the Binckhorst and the experience of going to a concert.

In a future not so far away,2050, we envisioned a part of the city freed from infrastructural barriers; a future in which railways will travel underground, with less crowed places and better connections, especially at the two shores of the IJ, or where the station is located, whose location marks a clear border between the city and river. Forgetting that there is another part of the city after that.

The main purpose of the project is to provide a physical connection to the area next Centraal Station. As today the only way to cross the IJ River is through the ferry. This results in an inefficient connection.

The secondary, is to host some activities within the bridge structure.

A mixed program that reflects the two different identities at the shores of the IJ, busier, more global on central station, therefore a visitor center with exposition spaces and other amenities, a library on the north side, to expand and enhance the cultural activities on the north side. Therefore, the project also wants to highlight the different characters of the two areas concerned.

Designing 20th century Heritage architectures may differ from those of the past that are being dealt nowadays. Before modernism, the appearance of architecture had more decoration on façade and different style design from contemporary architecture. Since the development of industry and technology, the appearance of today’s architecture is not very different from those of the 20th century. However, the value of buildings is not just aesthetic and historical values. Kuipers and Jonge said in ‘Designing from Heritage’: “In fact, the aging monuments of the Modern Movement have proven to be less flexible in practice when adaptations to new needs are required, than promised by the original designers. The built legacy of the twentieth century demands innovative approaches to heritage analysis in combination with creativity if it is to meet the ‘challenge of change’ it is faced with.” (Kuipers & Jonge, 2017)In other words, the heritage architecture in the future can be designed for different uses based on various values. Therefore, Dordrecht Vroom and Dreesmann could be a good example of ‘Modern Heritage’. Because it had designed by architect Jan Kuijt in the 1931 and it was renovated in 1999 based on public demand. ‘Heritage Park 2.0’ project focused on the cultural-value, use-value, and social-value of Dordrecht V&D department store. The ground floor of the department store is blocking two main squares, Statenplein and Scheffersplein, and before the department store bankrupted, people walked through the ground floor from Statenplein to Scheffersplein as a shortcut. This spatial value exists, although it is less clearly revealed than the visible heritage of the past. Therefore, the graduation project is researched and designed what is the value of Dordrecht V&D buildings that are important to people even after 100 years from now. In particular, people’s interests and uses will change, and the project was carried out with a focus on what attitudes as an architect should renovate heritage buildings. Therefore, this project has been researched and designed with a focus on the values of modern heritage renovation and, in particular, how the public space should be designed in the future. Furthermore, I think that this method of linking research and design can be used as a reference when developing modern heritage in the future.

The studio ‘Designing for Care – towards an Inclusive Living Environment’ engages with the living environment of elderly that are in need of care. While our society has to cope with a growing amount of elderly, the existing care buildings often do not meet the needs and wishes of our current elderly who want to be more independent. Though they might need help at some point in time, they want to be self-governing and stay part of society. To be able to house the future generations, things have to change. The goal is to design a place where elderly with and without care can live together with others, which takes into account their wishes and needs and gives them something to look forward to. A place that does not exclude elderly from society, but makes them part of it again. One that stimulates them, encourages them to participate and contribute, enjoy and laugh. In which people look after each other and take care of each other. A social net. A place they can transfer their knowledge gathered throughout life, tell their stories and one in which they can in turn learn from others. A community based on reciprocity.

Sustainable development is the key solution to mitigate the impact of the 21st century’s major challenges such as the depletion of our natural resources, emissions that accelerate climate change together with the large waste generation. One of the largest contributor to the aforementioned issues is the existing building stock, in particular the office sector. Upgrading the sustainability performance of the existing building stock is not only in the interest of regulators or society. Real estate professionals are interested in the sustainability performance of their property, portfolio or occupied property. Due to the complexity, it is not feasible for market participants to verify the sustainability performance of a property. As a consequence, voluntary certification schemes have emerged to provide an objective evaluation. However, at the same time, appraisers are paradoxically expected to provide an objective estimation/opinion on the potential added value of sustainability while their duty according to governances is to derive the market value by analysing available data. The inability of current valuation practices for incorporating a thorough sustainability assessment resulted in decision-makers to focus solely on energy-related costs and justify their investment decisions based on energy-related benefits. For this reason, many investment decisions are believed to be profitable for users instead of owners. However, previous research has shown that property owners of sustainable offices might achieve positive effects in relation to an enhanced image, corporate social responsibility, less risky profile for investors and improved marketability. In the effort to shed light on these far-reaching tentacles of sustainability, this thesis sets forth the base for developing an indicator-based sustainability assessment framework for the appraisal of offices. The proposed framework integrates sustainability and the value it holds for various stakeholders by conceptualizing the relationship between sustainability indicators and different value systems as well as the economic parameters that are adjustable by an appraiser in the income capitalization method. In this way, an appraiser is able to provide an objective estimation of the possible added value of sustainability. Starting from an extensive literature review of different certification schemes, a pre-selection of sustainability indicators was made. Through conducting 8 semi-structured interviews with sustainability experts, the first selection of indicators could be determined together with their goals, measurement and criteria. It is remarkable that according to the participants, actively monitoring the consumption and other management-related indicators are defining the sustainability performance of an office as well, next to the physical characteristics. The online survey was distributed among sustainability experts with a questionnaire designed with the constant sum method and were requested to allocate points over the indicators as well as the categories to determine the relevance. Ultimately, the selection resulted in a set of 34 indicators. Combining the findings from the interviews, data from the survey and the literature review resulted in a framework which was discussed in an expert interview with an appraiser. The findings of the expert interview indicate that there is still a huge gap between practice and theory. The nature of the current valuation techniques hampers the integration of sustainability by focussing mainly on the rental agreement. In order to integrate sustainability aspects into the appraisal, a shift from only looking at the rental agreement to looking at the current use and the fitness for use would be needed. Future research could focus on validating and expanding the linkage between the sustainability indicators and the economic adjustable parameters and reducing the subjectivity of input for the indicators.

Hembrug, a former military production site, is one of the largest redevelopments in the Metropolitan area of Amsterdam. The terrain is located at the intersection of the North Sea Canal and Zijkanaal G and functioned as the logistic heart of the Stelling van Amsterdam. The former military terrain consists of many buildings, including 50 monuments and historical green structures. After the Ministry of Defence and the factory Eurometaal left the site, the area became desolated and taken over by nature. Currently this area, full of potential, needs a new permanent use. ‘Campus South’ is part of the military area and consist of the washing hall, heat treatment building, expedition building and ruin of a bicycle shed. The soothing nature and the pleasant character of the ensemble is of value, and therefore desirable to preserve. The once closed off terrain, will be revitalised in which the new program of cultural initiatives and entertainment strengthens the character of the ensemble, making the area accessible and a place to be for the public. This program exist out of: a beer garden with terrace bar, a film studio, and an information point to welcome everyone to the Hembrug terrain. The challenge will be to find a solution that on the one hand preserves the characteristic atmosphere and on the other hand deals with sustainability and creating a well-designed environment for the new use. For the design approach a restoration plan is created, in which what to preserve, restore and renew will be considered. The main strategy is to preserve as much as possible and to demolish only parts of low value when necessary. Additions can be made, but must be demountable, for the future. Most of the additions, restoration approach and use of materials are inspired by the past. After downfall there is the possibility of growth. This means that there is room for change. The buildings are given a new function, taking ‘the endless waves of transformation’ into account: future functions of the building. Central to this is the past, the basis of what is already there and that what is being preserved. For example the preserved interior walls of the beer garden, these walls tell the story of the origin and transformations, and will be treated as a piece of art. The decay of the buildings furthermore make room for renewal. Apart of the basis of the past, a groundwork is laid for future transformations of the buildings. This means that the buildings are made as sustainable as possible. By doing so a public gathering place will be created, wherein the ensemble is treated as a scenery (décor), where people can come together and relieve stress.

The Hembrug terrain is the former location of the Artillerie inrichtingen of the Netherlands which was the heart of the Stelling van Amsterdam. It is located at the intersection of the North sea canal and Zijkanaal G between the cities of Zaandam and Amsterdam. The former military terrain consists of many buildings of varying typologies and sizes as well as open spaces and historical green structures. The site was rediscovered in 2011, after having been abandoned of all function for many years. 'Campus North' is part of the sector previously called Weapon factory and consists of the former Machine Hall and weapon depot of the site. The open spaces and the forest as well as the routing are of great value to the terrain as well as the open plan and construction of the researched buildings. The once closed off site, will be revitalised in order to create a secluded area where the user can retreat for the day and unload from the crowdedness and stress of the capital. The transformation will be performed based on the position towards heritage where the typologies and characteristic elements therefrom will be preserved as witness of the past spirit of the place and additions will be placed only where necessary for the function. The materials used are gathered within a radius of 25km around the site and are respecting of the WELL principles. Two different functions where designed for the buildings. The weapon depot will be transformed in to a house for reflection where workshops will be held in order to enhance the effectiveness on the workplace. The former machine hall will be converted to a Hall of silence focussed on contemplation through a route guiding the user between different experiences. It is connected to the public space by an enclosed garden built between the existing trees of the forest. he site was designed to respond to the growing issue of stress in our busy lives as this is a problem towards which there are still not many response from out the design world.

This research is dealing with the development of a new town in Hanoi, Vietnam. With many Hanoi new towns that are currently failing and on the brink of becoming ghost towns, this research aims to explore the way to design a new town that promotes urban vitality throughout the master planning process - not only in the design process. The main principle in this research is to understand how the local urban areas performed with spatial analysis and on-site observation i.e., Space Syntax analysis (Depthmap) and Public Life Studies (Gehl Institute) and then interpret and simulate it to the design of the new town. The design is then being evaluated through the urban vitality factors and masterplanning processes.