The wood architecture narrative is an important link in carbon reduction of the building sector. However, upscaling wood production and shifting to high-value application is impeded by poor resilience and quality of coniferous production forests in the Netherlands. This research aims to explore the potential for indigenous deciduous wood production and application in load-bearing constructions. A pilot location was chosen, for which through a literature study, an ideal indigenous forest prototype could be theorized. Recommended management methods helped to infer the resulting yield and wood dimensions for such a forest. With technical literature and a comparative analysis of mechanical properties, the resulting wood types (Black Alder, European Ash, European Beech, Hornbeam and Summer Oak) were attributed various possible applications in construction. It was concluded that there is potential for a strategy for indigenous wood architecture.

This project explores the problems of a lack of housing in the Netherlands, the inevitable city expansion in the future and the current linearity of the construction and agriculture industries. It aims to tackle housing needs through self-building and to establish a more nurturing and participatory connection between users and their environment through a regenerative approach to architecture. The vernacular building practices of the Hallenhuis in Drenthe are translated into tangible knowledge regarding materials, connections and tools as to propose a technical framework for a self-build design. The study is guided by the main question: How can we translate the relationship of Vernacular Architecture in Drenthe with its landscape to applicable knowledge for regenerative self-building in the modern context? In three chapters, the socio-economic roles and tectonic relationship of the Hallenhuis farm with their landscape, the opportunities and implications of a future regenerative production of building materials and the applicability of vernacular practices to modern self-building are discussed. The paper presents data on the geographical, material, economic, social and technical layers of the Hallenhuis typology and its surroundings. The evident relation between a regenerative approach and self-build architecture is accompanied by the complexity of problems and opportunities regarding the implementation of a regenerative building material network. The conclusions indicate further research is desirable and could consist of comparative studies across regions, quantification of environmental impacts and expansion of the field scope to food production, Urbanism or Landscape Design.

Symbiosis Unearthed proposes a renovation design for three postwar flats in the 'Westelijke Tuinsteden' of Amsterdam. The aim of the project is to transform the outdated flats into a regenerative, symbiotic community by improving the existing architecture, adding two storeys, and introducing communal functions to the site. The landscape is an important part of the design; the green space in the area is transformed into a regenerative forest, that forms a healthy environment for all living beings, and at the same time provides wood for the renovation and maintenance of the flats. Through the implementation of the urban and architectural transformation, and a local wood system the postwar site is turned into a healthy, urban living environment where people live with the land, and not from it.

The upcoming circular economy has consequences for the application of materials within the building sector, which requires a different mindset and way of designing from the architect. The aim of this research is to develop a Circularity Overview in which the materials of a building can be assessed for circularity and environmental impact. The Overview can thus be used as a tool to test materials of an existing building, materials for a design, or can be used as a tool during the design process for adaptive reuse. This allows for orderly weighing of options and making choices, therefore it is a tool that can be of interest to students and architects who will be working with circular material use. The Overview is developed from criteria that have been compiled through desk research, for which it was important that the criteria are measurable and verifiable so that results can be replicated and traced. Knowledge about circularity was generated through literature research, after which six case studies were analyzed with an objective view. By testing the Overview on both newly built circular projects and transformed buildings, it emerged that the combination of material use and construction technique of both, such as reusing materials, applying detachable connections, and keeping existing structures intact as much as possible, can lead to favorable outcomes in terms of circularity. The circularity of the case studies as well as the operation of the Overview itself have also become insightful as a result. Although the Circularity Overview has shortcomings due to the incomplete availability of data, it provides an indication of circularity in material use that can be used to support choices before, during, and after a design phase.
The Circularity Overview was used during the design process for the revitalization of the St Barbara church in Culemborg, which resulted in a design with minimal impact on the environment.

Drought is a current problem in North-Brabant and might become more severe by climate change. Water board ‘The Dommel’, managing the drainage basin of the Dommel brook, aims for a future proof water system by 2050. At the same time, the urbanization agenda for North-Brabant anticipates a growing need for houses in the near and far future. A switch to local, biobased construction could ecologically justify the current and future housing assignment, and potentially boost the local landscape with a more local oriented architecture as by-catch.
This thesis combines both challenges by answering the question: ‘What spatial framework for the drainage basin of the Dommel supports the move towards a future proof water system that simultaneously provides local, natural construction materials for the future building program?’
Within the graduation lab of Urban Ecology and Ecocities, the landscape is approached as a system of layers that interact. Therefore, a regional framework is made using the water system as base, informed by the ‘layer approach’ and ‘a hydrological approach to landscape planning’. The framework is informed by a landscape biography of historical local building materials. By design-through-scales, the general framework is translated to a local design of a high pressure zone in between Eindhoven and Helmond, and site specific design experiments evaluate the spatial and perceptual value of the framework.
The foundation of the resulting spatial framework is the natural system layer and its preferred hydrological conditions. Strategies to improve the water system are based on retaining water, buffering of water, and delaying drainage. Potential pairing opportunities simultaneously providing local building materials are: a productive tree network that acts as a sponge network by increasing the soil organic matter, surface water basins that provide loam by excavation of land, expanded heathland on the dry surface sand ridges to provide wool of sheep maintaining the heathland and sods for roofing, winter grains that improve the water retaining capacity of soil by increase of the organic matter as well as providing straw, raised forest that buffers water and provides timber, countryside wadi’s that provide reed/willow/cattail fibers, hydrated brook valleys that provide reed for roofing and additional fibers, and use of wastewater for cultivating fibers. These findings show that a combination of both strategies can provide a win-win situation. The design experiments result in a landscape that is diverse, more healthy and is aligned with the regional program. A landscape in which new houses do not invade, but integrate into the landscape and therefore strengthen the local identity of the place.

Noise pollution is a contemporary problem that developed through urbanisation and industrialization. The consequences of this issue directly influence the health of human beings, as their perception of noise leads to certain behavioural responses. By addressing this issue in a strategic way, residential housing can still be created in noise-polluted areas in response to the housing shortage in the Netherlands. By masking noise with pleasurable and healthy sounds, residents' (mental) health can be stimulated in an eco-friendly living environment. This can be done through the placement of noise-free courtyards, selecting a dense and noise-reflecting facade, and creating healthy soundscapes in the courtyards through the integration of vegetation, water and biodiversity. These courtyards function as frames in which nature lets its freedom be heard.

In the global shift towards decarbonization of the built environment, the nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) goals in the Directive 2010/31/EU had been set as an achievable goal for the EU. By requiring all future constructions to utilize the integration of energy efficient services into the building as well as emphasize the reduction of embodied energy in building materials, the nZEB goals for existing buildings has continued to be a challenge. Within the Netherlands, large estates of post-war housing require the renovation for improved energy efficiency to meet the thermal performance set by the directive, however the low renovation rate of buildings has limited progress thus stunting the major shift towards a more sustainable existing built environment.
In the completed renovation projects, petroleum based materials have been utilized in most cases for insulation and particleboards. This raises the question of if the shift towards a more sustainable built environment that meets nZEB goals should still be utilizing materials that no longer meet the rationality of sustainable practices.
Through the use of Bio-base Materials, renovations have the potential of not only decarbonize aspects of the entire renovation project but also shift towards following a circular economy design approach. By replacing the traditional construction materials, bio-base materials have the possibility of large scale integration in the built environment through a modular panel renovation approach. Specifically focused on agricultural bio-base materials, allow for the possibility of acknowledging the four steps of circular design, origin, composition, assembly, and future. Within the framework of the circular design approach, it was acknowledged that the origin of agriculture bio-base materials have limitations of scalability as well as have the potential of damaging the local ecosystem and land use designations through the increased pressure for cultivation of bio-base materials from agricultural waste flows.
Although bio-base materials are inherently more sustainability sourced than traditional materials, by designing a controlled environment agriculture process for bio-base materials has been a radical and novel idea within the research for the guaranteed harvesting of bio-base material as well as integrated Water Energy Food Nexus concepts. By reducing water consumption of the bio-base materials in a Controlled Environment, as well as the by-product of grains, and increased efficiency, the application of the circular renovation design of the renovation elements acknowledges major parts of the WEF Nexus on a local and regional scale.
A Controlled Environment growing bio-base materials for renovation application is designed for the future resilience of the agriculture bio-base material industry as well as enables positive impact on a local social scale and suggests that the shift towards decarbonized built environment and material elements must require a considerable and radical shift in order to meet the sustainable future goals of 2050.

This project is an adaptive-reuse project on De Knip, the current tax administrative building in Sloterdijk, Amsrerdam into dwelling complex for starters. It is a house to rekindle our innate, physical sensitivity towards our environment, which has been slowly eroded in the mass standardisation in architecture. The interventions are added in modest, archaic or non-canonical approaches to challenge the conceived idea of comfort and home, materialised in reeds & relevant complementary biobased materials.

The region of het Groene Hart in the Netherlands currently faces many issues, of which soil subsidence is the most urgent. The problems are mainly caused by the dairy industry, which covers 80% of the region. A fundamental change in land-use is therefore needed. In this paper first the Groene Hart region will be described and explored, after which the current issues will be presented. Next, different sustainable farming methods will be explored to find alternatives to the current landuse. Finally, natural building materials suitable to grow on peat soil will be described, which can be
used to design a circular, zero-impact farm.

The architectural engineering graduation studio created an opportunity to address the emerging social, urban, environmental and infrastructural challenges facing the global context today. This project seeks to embrace the culture of circular building concepts and methods through materialization and vernacular principles in addressing social and urban pressing needs. The title of the graduation project is “STUDIE-TAINER”, conceived from the concept of students living in a shipping container. This project can simply be envisaged as an architectural composition and exploration of re-purposed shipping containers, local building materials and techniques to create a micro and eco-friendly living experience for students in Ghana, West Africa. The design proposal will be located on Central University campus, Tema, Ghana. The inspirations regarding the use of shipping containers as a building element for student housing also emerged from an appreciation of some interesting student housing projects in the Netherlands. It was intriguing to see how cargo-architecture had been used to address student housing demands within the temperate climatic region. Considering the tropical climate of Ghana, this proposed project will serve as a basis for experimenting how to create a climate and eco-friendly living experience for students, thus achieving both indoor and outdoor comfort for the users. Ghana is enriched with diverse cultural values and traditions especially with respect to traditional architecture. Bearing in mind the climatic and cultural influences of Ghana, an experimental approach was developed to harness these influences to create an architecture that responds to both the climatic and cultural aspirations.

There is a growing need for affordable spaces for young working people. In many big cities of Europe, prices per square meters are rising, what forces young professionals to rent a questionable quality, temporary flats, or push them to outskirts. In this work I will investigate a strategy called Klusflat and prove that this strategy can be used to bring an affordable, quality spaces for young people. In the following paragraphs some Klusflat case studies are researched. First example is Kleiburg, one of the most famous Klusflat example. Second one is Klarenstraat block in Amsterdam, the third is a housing unit in Rotterdam. In a conclusion I compare different approaches observed in my case studies. I also give an answer if this strategy can be adapted to solve a problems of not affordable, and not valuable spaces for young professionals

The project is situated in Parkstad, South Limburg, an administrative region consisting of 7 municipalities, formerly known as the East Mining Region. Deindustrialisation completely transformed the region, making it the first shrinking area of the Netherlands. Shrinkage commonly refers to a shrinking economy, shrinking population and increased urban vacancy. Deindustrialisation also caused serious aftermaths in terms of social problems. Many new urban park projects have been initiated to replace vacant housings and plots, these new parks also become ways to combat urban decay, poor social condition and crime rates. This huge need for parks is however seemingly difficult in a city that is already facing economic shrinkage. In the short run (or long run) where no new investment or residents can be expected in a shrinking area; parks rely only on government funding and appear as a losing investment or a financial burden. On the other hand, Parkstad faces an upcoming environmental threat of groundwater nitrate contamination which would not only impact drinking water and biodiversity but again, also lead to further financial burden for the government and for local residents. Nitrate problem is hard to tackle in the presence of intensified agricultural practice and Parkstad's signature soil type (Loess). The project questions the values of park, and more specifically the meaning of park in a shrinking city. It explores the possibility of marrying social restoration and nitrate remediation - two pressing needs of Parkstad, in the form of an urban park. The resulting design is on one hand a model of social-nitrate synergy through azolla (water fern), and on the other hand a park cooperative facilitating the azolla industry and the operation of an urban park. As a water-remediation and azolla-park prototype the project will also gain additional funding from research institutions, innovative start-ups and the water company. The designing of the Azolla City Park is an attempt to deliver such coexistence of the social layer and the functional nitrate-remediating layer of an urban park. It also aims to bring these multi-layer rhythms to life. The collective identity of the past is juxtaposed with the site's new function and identity. Azolla is the new coal, you may say. In the way coal mining used to give Heerlen its pride, businesses, social life and culture, so would the proposed azolla-city park create ripples of possibilities in the urban fabric of Heerlen.

In 2017 the island Sint Maarten was hit by hurricane Irma. Approximately ninety-one per cent of the build environment was damaged. This made the existing housing shortage, caused by a growing population, even more significant. Now, three years later, the residential area of Philipsburg is mostly deserted. With the departure of its residents, the sense of community in the neighbourhood also vanished. Throughout history the island is connected to natural disasters. To rebuild after a natural disaster, self-building was commonly used within the local building culture. However, this tradition disappeared in the last three decades. This research is looking into opportunities to reintroduce a form of organized self-help housing (OSHH), to contribute to the answer against the housing shortage and turn this district of Philipsburg into a lively neighbourhood again. Within OSHH the community have to build themselves, so residents need to have time to realize the project. Unfortunately, this is not the way things are done on the island, so the project will not be accomplished. A possible solution is found in the bottom-up approach of a Collective Private Commissioning (CPO). The design objective during this project is to examine whether urban densification is an opportunity to meet the demand for extra housing. This is often accompanied by extra paved surface which can provoke the heat island effect. Due to the hot climate and the urbanization, residents prefer to stay in their homes with the air-conditioning on. Within this project the goal is to reduce heat accumulation and stimulate the outdoor life. This combination can reintroduce and encourage the social interaction and strengthen the sense of community on Philipsburg.

Bethlehem - from exploitation to ecosystem service, is a project based on Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. The lower social classes of Sint Maarten experience trouble with their building culture, especially in combination with the reoccurring hurricanes and earthquakes. Vulnerable communities mostly rely on self or communal building, since both expertise and building materials currently need to be imported onto the island, which cannot be afforded by everyone. Research conducted into vernacular architectural principles provided strategies for creating a more sustainable domestic (self-)building culture. Main principles are defined as a building culture that embodies material appropriateness, climate responsiveness and socio-economic advantages. In combination with the interesting plantocracy heritage of Sint Maarten, the project results in the revitalization of an abandoned sugarcane plantation (Bethlehem) into a public park that cultivates natural building materials - mainly bamboos and grasses, similar to sugarcane part of the poaceae family. The plantations ruins are reactivated by assigning new functions to them related to the park. The main architectural focus is a building that provides education to the local communities on how to build with the materials now available from the park. The architecture showcases climate responsiveness, and can be build communally in a low tech way. This holistic project transforms a terrain that once exploited both people and land, into an ecosystem providing socio-economic diversification, building education and -materials to the surrounding neighbourhood. In doing so, the project aims to stimulate a transition towards a more sustainable (self)building culture on a neighbourhood scale.

The primary objective of the project is to not only manifest the gigantic challenges of recovering after hurricane Irma which took place in 2017 but also to point out the socioeconomic disarray in the island before the hurricane itself.
Irma clearly had a tremendous influence on numerous issues. However, the island had been struggling with many problems far beforehand. Consequently, the recovery program is still extremely difficult as the rebuilding/construction issue is not the only problem calling for resolution. Destroyed buildings and people struggling with rebuilding their houses are only the tip of the iceberg.
Sint Maarten’s history is strongly interconnected with natural disasters and - simultaneously - lack of proper governance and preparedness plans against more and more frequent hurricanes in the region. The above context triggered my interest in disaster relief methods and post-disaster projects which, later on, formed the base of my design. Researching into the best possible contemporary disaster relief frameworks, showed effective ways of tackling natural disaster related problems. This also helped with designing a solution that results in effective community based relief. Thus the outcome of my research is directly translated into the design by creating ‘a building learning centre’, an institution which promotes hurricane-proof building knowledge among communities on Sint Maarten. The centre helps to create an optimised and self-sufficient disaster relief on the island and - hopefully - even beyond. The long-term goal is to enable gaining knowledge around building methods which would be held by skilled construction workers. These people would gradually improve building environment over the years. This will eventually contribute to minimising damages with every hurricane to come. The school's program and specific knowledge of 'hurricane-proof craftsmanship' could help in creating communities that actively participate in strengthening and speeding up the recovery time after possible future disasters. The design would not only bring potential relief programme but also a way for diverse income generating solution for local communities. The programme of the school includes also traineeship which enables locals to combine employment and training in order to gain a nationally recognised qualification. In this way many people, who struggle economically, could gain new opportunities. These contribute to creating financial stability and help with rebuilding homes faster after hurricane.
The centre’s design and program are both based on the effective disaster relief elements. They bring knowledge, contains co-planning and co-designing aspects, which - as a consequence - create trust within the community and other actors. All the above can be accomplished by creating an on-spot fixed building, which hosts facility working on the resilience and at the same time building itself being a community facility as an asset-based design.
The relief method (i.e. building learning centre), merged with economic diversification program, would hopefully provide people with knowledge and experience in order to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on outside help. The inspiration of hurricane preparedness and post-disaster projects not only aims to deal with the ‘tip of the iceberg’ problems but also to create a long term strategy.

Indonesia is currently facing a housing deficit of 15 million units. In order to try and resolve this problem, 800.000 units of formal housing are being build every year and the most popular typology in this fast growing housing market is the Indonesian housing cluster. The goal within this project is to do a redesign of the housing cluster typology and create a sustainable neighbourhood using building principles derived from the learnings of circular economy.