This graduation project investigates how former Cold War aircraft shelters at Airbase Soesterberg can be transformed into a visitor center that represents military heritage while mediating between public accessibility and ecological protection. The airbase, once a closed and highly secured military site, has been transformed into a public nature reserve. However, its Cold War history and the presence of the former USAFE infrastructure remain only partly visible and understandable to visitors, while ecological restrictions continue to limit movement and access.
The project focuses on three third-generation aircraft shelters: 623, 625 and 626. Instead of treating the visitor center as a single building, the design proposes a distributed sequence of shelters, routes and thresholds. Shelter 626 functions as the Visitor & Event Center, shelter 623 as the Experience Center, and shelter 625 as the Museum Center. These shelters are connected by partly sunken corridors and introduced through a small pavilion on the former taxiway.
Through research-by-design, heritage analysis, ecological mapping, precedent research and spatial testing, the project develops an architectural strategy based on controlled accessibility. The existing military qualities of the shelters, such as their arched volumes, heavy concrete and steel construction, darkness, enclosure and introverted atmosphere, are preserved and used as design material. New interventions are inserted as readable contemporary layers.
The project concludes that Cold War military heritage can become meaningful public architecture when preservation, accessibility and ecological restraint are treated as interdependent design conditions. Architecture does not simply open the site, but carefully guides how visitors move through, understand and experience the former military landscape. ... Read more

This study examines the relationship between design elements and how visitors perceive exhibitions to assess how architectural interior design influences visitor engagement in museums. In light of the post-pandemic spike in museum visits, the study attempts to close the information gap regarding the connection between evolving exhibition narratives and architectural principles for creating immersive spaces.
Through fieldwork and literature reviews, this study investigates the complex relationship between visitor engagement and architectural design. The theoretical basis highlights the significance of layout, traffic flow, and how spatial design influences visitor behavior.
The Maritime Museum in Rotterdam and Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk serve as two case studies that highlight these concepts by showcasing how to integrate additional functions, achieve a balance between structure and freedom, and arrange interactive features effectively.
The research concludes that architectural interior design significantly influences visitor engagement through thoughtful layouts and varied installations. Achieving success requires establishing a balance between direction and liberty, catering to a variety of audiences, and integrating digital content into the exhibition. The outcomes offer architects and curators beneficial insights into designing impactful museum environments. ... Read more

Centrality denotes areas within a city that serve as pivotal hubs of social, economic, and political activity, transcending geography to symbolize authority, influence, and resource concentration. This concept is both cognitive, involving a comprehensive perception of reality, and social, encompassing the amalgamation of assets and activities. Centrality thus represents a fusion of diverse elements.
The new Baggerarea in Sliedrecht has been remodelled with small interventions to enhance its social and cultural significance. A key change is opening the inner dyke to pedestrians, reclaiming it as public property akin to the old dyke. New functions include an inner-making street in the Rotterdam Steelworks BV shipyard, featuring a Box in Box system accessible from both ends of the dyke. Additionally, the old Dredging Museum and its extension have been transformed into a hotel. The Wow-Keet will be cladded with wood and repurposed as a pavilion for relaxation and coffee.
Mirroring architectural heritage can generate meaningful urban interventions, enriching collective memory. This approach is embodied in the New NBM (Nationaal Bagger Museum), incorporating distinctive elements from Sliedrecht, such as glass-stained windows above entrances and steel columns in the Van Eijck hall. Inspired by monumental buildings like the old and reformed churches, the town hall, and old dredging contractor houses, as well as the shape of old dredging ships, these elements coalesce into the New NBM’s design, preserving and enhancing the area’s historical essence and to also enhance its social and cultural significance.
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The research is on the intangible cultural heritages of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, analyzing UNESCO documents and media sources. Additionally, it compares these findings with how current museums enhance the visitor experience of intangible cultural heritage through architectural composition, programs, and community integration. The research focuses on Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in Alblasserdam, the Netherlands. It assesses and compares the core values attributed to Kinderdijk, as outlined in UNESCO documents, with its Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), closely linked to the site, including community and industrial structures. The assessment further explores how these are connected to present communities by extracting and analyzing keywords from various media sources. The research conducts a spatial analysis of museums within Kinderdijk and other museums associated with UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites in the Netherlands. It evaluates the combination of spatial elements and ICH, as well as the integration of the community. Furthermore, the research proposes an efficient organizational approach to ICH. The results show a comprehensive understanding of values through diverse approaches and highlight how spatial elements of museums and community integration have contributed to intangible values, as illustrated by current case studies. ... Read more

This research explores the evolving role of shopping malls in the lives of the growing elderly population in the Netherlands. Delving into the unique needs and desires of the elderly, the study emphasizes diversity, accessibility, community, and inclusivity within shopping centres. The research methodology integrates a comprehensive literature review, a case study of elderly-cantered architectural designs, and structured interviews with elderly individuals. Contrary to the prevalent literature portraying the elderly as fragile and facing significant challenges, the interviews unveil a diverse reality of ageing, emphasizing individuality and varied impacts on daily life. The case study elucidates themes of mobility and social community as crucial elements in the design of age-inclusive spaces. By integrating these perspectives, the research concludes that a one-size-fits-all blueprint for shopping malls is inadequate. Instead, designers should focus on incorporating practical amenities, a diverse shopping environment, promoting community, and ensuring accessibility to cater to the broad spectrum of elderly needs and preferences. Furthermore, the study advocates for ongoing research to understand how the ageing population’s needs influence urban environments and various functions within these spaces. Ultimately, this research envisions an age-inclusive future, where cities and spaces are designed to meet the evolving requirements of an ageing population, promoting inclusive and enjoyable environments for all. ... Read more

The modern malls in the Randstad are pressured into redevelopment, as their retail property value is decreasing relative to other more profitable functions (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, 2019).

According to Galema & Van Hoogstraten (2005), the shopping centres built in 1940-1965 according to contemporary and recent literature are often hardly recognisable, due to the speed at which commercial attitudes change. They further state that retail is forced to keep up with the times, and retail buildings and centres change regularly. Concluding that the building type evades traditional monument conservation.

This is despite forming an essential part of neighbourhoods for their socioeconomic value (Robertson & Fennell, 2007; Kooijman, 1999; Feinberg et al., 1989).

Therefore, the research focuses on determining who the insider stakeholders are and how they value the spatial attributes of a changed 20th-century shopping mall. One of the key strategies for the survival of a 20th-century mall is to reinvent its meaning in contemporary society.
The design focused on how to incorporate these values combined with contemporary design theories such as Gehl, and Sim, among others. ... Read more

This research and design explores holistic sustainability as a remedy for long term development of modern shopping malls in the Netherlands. Shopping malls are susceptible to changes and sometimes fail to create an equal balance between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainability, leading to vacant shops and lower quality of living in and around the mall. The insights presented in the research paper, which assess the impact of past mall renovations on the three aspects of sustainability can be used to make future redesigns on modern shopping malls better resilient to changes and promote a long lasting life. For the design "In de Bogaard" (Rijswijk) was chosen to apply the strategy of transforming a mall in a holistic sustainable way into a food court, indoor market and culture centre. Reducing, reusing and refilling are found at the heart of this discipline and tackle the design question of dealing with modern heritage. ... Read more

This thesis explores the potentialities of neo-gothic churches’ preservation and redesign in order to re-connect people and nature. It aims to identify elements of neo-gothic churches that are compatible with a biophilic and nature-inclusive mindset. At the same time, it reflects upon incompatibilities and how these can be overcome in order to create a more comprehensive redesign framework.
Additionally, it creates a precedent of incorporating natural features into adaptively redesigned heritage buildings. ... Read more

During adaptive re-use of heritage obejcts, experiential value of characteristics is often overlooked. This project highlights the importance of the effect of architecture on the psyche and how integrating this into the value assessment, a more holistic heritage approach can be realised. Religious heritage often has the capacity to astonish, overwhelm and inspire the visitor. This experience can be linked to the sublime, a philosophical concept which rose to fame in the 18th and 19th century. It describes how wilderness, vast landscapes, impactful structures, art and even music can elevate the mind, leaving a positive influence on mental well-being. The sublime experience is where the individual feels small or insignificant, but in a comforting way and where they are in an environment that goes beyond their imagination, evoking the realisation of the higher powers of their own mind. During adaptive-reuse of vacant churches, this experiential value is often overlooked, resulting in interventions that destroy the sublimity of the object. The research aims to identify the specific architectural characteristics and requirements within religious structure, so they can be preserved during transformation. This would ensure that the valuable experience is not lost, and can continue to positively impact society. A program which is suited to the existing architecture, a mental health & community centre, creates a beneficial relationship between function and structure where, both work towards the same goal: better mental well-being. Interaction between target groups reduces stigma on mental health issues and keep the church a public facility. Preserving the aesthetics and impactfullness of the structure, enhances sustainability and longevity, due to the ability of the structure to garner greater public support. The transformation was done with a zero was approach, meaning that materials that were demolished were re-used and future waste-streams greatly diminished through design. The project highlights how more research on wellness-architecture, or experiential qualities is needed to optimize the potential of heritage transformation. ... Read more