The aim of this research paper is to redefine the current state of working and living developments that oftentimes result in gentrification and deindustrialization. It recognizes the importance of keeping these developments affordable, especially in the context of Merwe-Vierhavens, an old industrial port area in Rotterdam. The redevelopment plan that proposes to mix dwellings and production in this area lacks the ambition to create affordable housing or to keep low-tech industries on the site, and is at a high risk to become unaffordable over time. As a way of providing affordable housing, I proposed a combined model of cooperative co-housing and zero-energy housing. By incorporating waste management facilities into this development as the production space, I explored the synergies with dwellings. The findings from the site analysis, academic sources, interviews, and case studies showed that in addition to contributing to affordability, zero-energy housing, cooperative co-housing, and waste management systems all entail a social potential by co-existing in the same space. ... Read more

‘Gender? Home !’ originates in the perpetual state of transcendental homelessness that women of the diaspora experience. This thesis aims to re-centre the periphery by creating a gender equitable dwelling. Throughout this research the periphery is understood as the cultural, social and economic in-between that people with a migration background find themselves in. It defines a metaphysical state of being between the socio-cultural forms of the country of origin of an individual and those of the country they reside in, with that individual existing simultaneously in both and neither. The periphery is about temporal and spatial elsewheres, a sense of longing for something that does not exist, an idealised concept of home. A major factor for gender inequity in the dwelling is the harsh separations of the processes of production (productive labour) and social reproduction (affective labour) that happens under capitalist systems. Production in the framework of capitalism is understood as a remunerated form of labour that has as a purpose a ‘product’. Historically it is associated with factory processes. While social reproduction in this thesis is understood as the sum total of care, affective labour, or subjectivation. Social reproduction covers all the activities that pertain to community making, care for the youth and elderly and social organisational activities. By exploring the opportunities offered by cooperative models when it comes to ensuring ownership and providing a flexible environment for methods of habitation that do not revolve around the nucleic family, I propose a programmatic ecology, a socio-economic and administrative system and lastly a spatial configuration that create equitable living for women of the periphery. ... Read more

Sharing in the built environment is a practice that takes place on different levels. In this design and research, these different levels are explored and an ideal condition for sharing is designed in the M4H area. ... Read more

Unpacking concepts of collaborative living and mixed-use typologies, this project investigates how dwelling types can respond to modern household constellations and how the productive and reproductive realms can co-exist both at the urban level and the scale of the dwelling. Research findings are synthesised into an architectural proposal comprising a maker/educational programme and a housing programme, with the latter exploring strategies for inducing social interactions, gaining by sharing and future-proof spatial planning. ... Read more

Standardisation in dwelling architecture has led to mass housing projects to be built within a short period of time. With increasing standardisation, the needs of the actual user of the building have been lost. Adaptable housing is a way of creating a more useroriented approach within the architecture of buildings. This research paper explores the concept of adaptable architecture design which all started with theories of Habraken and Brand. These were picked up by other theorists Schmidt III and Austin, and Schneider and Till who searched into implementations of adaptable architecture design with the actual benefits to the user. Four contemporary residential building projects are analysed of which are two greatly adaptable in dwelling plans and the other two are adaptable in matters of use. This research gives guidelines for the implementation of adaptable architecture to design with a user-oriented approach for a design project of working and living in the Merwevierhaven in Rotterdam. ... Read more

Social infrastructure is crucial in repairing the fractured societies of today. Fragmentation of lifestyles has resulted in limited social networks between people from different backgrounds. A robust social infrastructure is critical to provide social connections and prevent friction between social groups, especially in multicultural settings. This research aims to identify the conditions that contribute to a robust social infrastructure when combining residential and manufacturing spaces.
The focus is on the social infrastructure within a neighborhood, a mixed-use building block, and a residential building. The research is divided into three parts, developing a theoretical framework, investigating the neighborhood of Kralingen West in Rotterdam, and analyzing mixed-use and dwelling case studies. The neighborhood investigation contains participant observations. The participant observation gives insight into the spatial and programmatic qualities that resonate with social interaction.
The research supports a design assignment in Merwevierhavens Rotterdam, which involves a mixed-use development combining urban manufacturing, residential settlements, and public facilities. The findings are translated into design strategies for the project.
Public amenities are essential in promoting social cohesion in multicultural neighborhoods by providing opportunities for social interaction between different social groups. The layout of dwellings, where the dwellings are connected with the pubic environment, and specific spatial conditions also significantly stimulate social interaction and build trust between residents.
Mixed-use development promotes social inclusion by encouraging public contact between different social groups. Transparent manufacturing and a common architectural language can contribute to a shared identity and promote a sense of belonging. At the same time, a central pedestrian area with spatial conditions that encourage social interaction is essential for encounters between user groups.
Promoting social encounters and interaction in residential developments is essential for community building. An open circulation system and shared spaces provide these opportunities. The cooperative model allows for incorporating a generous circulation system and shared spaces by being user-oriented. Efficiently designed dwellings compensate for generously designed circulation and shared spaces. ... Read more

Lighthouse is a housing project which aims to address the patterns of patriarchal dominance that persist in conventional dwellings by exploring an experimental approach to co-housing. Focusing on the issue of domestic violence, the research investigates the potential of architecture to facilitate healing processes and challenge existing housing norms. The lack of affordable housing, the crisis of care, and the disconnect between domestic and productive spheres leaves few suitable housing options for those who do not conform to traditional family structures. While some households can mitigate the challenges posed by current housing patterns, those in crisis, such as those who have experienced domestic violence, are particularly vulnerable to these limitations. To counteract gendered, social, and economic inequality, a paradigm shift in housing production is necessary if we are to move towards a caring city. By exploring alternative co-housing models, this project aims to contribute to this transformation and inspire a more inclusive and equitable built environment. ... Read more

How can collective housing design encourage social inclusion? From an ecological perspective, the housing of socially disadvantaged and transformation of post-war mass housing is explored. Socially disadvantaged people such as the formerly homeless have often difficulties integrating into a new living environment and need a more stable environment. This project aims to provide spaces of interaction as well as seclusion. Productive and collective spaces like a car maintenance shop, a multistory café, urban farming and a canteen allow the residents to come into both formal and informal contact with each other and the neighbourhood. A carefully crafted circulation space as well as differentiation in dwelling typologies allows for chance meetings between a heterogeneous group of residents. ... Read more

How can a community of multi-generational solo dwellers and non-human species coexist near Rotterdam station today? The project “Togetherness” offers loft homes for starters, cluster apartments for middle and senior citizens, maisonettes for solo parents and habitats for bats. Considering different sharing capacities for each target group leads to the articulation of different layers of shared spaces, thus promoting various forms of cohabitation. The public spaces and collective facilities
on the ground floor are open to residents and visitors. The co-living apartments
contain shared living rooms and kitchens. Bats live in the interstices of the facade,
resembling the mountain landscape. ... Read more

There is currently a "crisis of care" in our neoliberal capitalist society in which women are disproportionally affected and experience isolation in their homes trying to take care of their family members. For low-income households, the struggle involves balancing their time to work and also taking enough care of their family. Co-operative housing tenure could offer these households both affordable housing and support within the housing project with care. For this research I would explore the following question; How can a fourth-wave feminist housing concept with co-operative housing tenure organise social reproduction spaces to support low-income families who need more time for care? The first wave of feminists utilised architecture to realise their ideas for gender equality, but some also maintained the separation between gender and exclusion of lower-class citizens. The second and third-wave feminists managed to further equal access of all genders to domains dominated by men, but they lost the spatial connection as to why women are economically obstructed from financial independence. Now during the fourth wave, there is a crisis of care related to the distance between facilities and housing, the speculation of real estate and the financial disadvantages of women. The conclusion to this research is a housing concept in which a housing and a work co-op offer the residents different spaces and facilities that offer communal and individual care forms and expression. ... Read more

Anonymity in cities and a lack of architectural identity are some of the social-architectural challenges of our time, with profound consequences for urban life. Not only does architecture have a major impact on how we experience cities and buildings, it also has an impact on our health, wellbeing and behavior. The aim of this research is to find out how residential architecture can create identity and positively influence the mental and physical health of its inhabitants. This involves architectural design principles that can respond to users‘ conscious and subconscious needs to their living environment.
An extensive literature search in the main areas of architectural psychology and active architecture provides insights into these issues. In addition, an analysis of case studies illustrates these issues and how they can be implemented spatially.
The results show the great influence that architecture has on large parts of our lives. Among other things, it influences emotions, behavior patterns, health or the way people interact with each other. On this scientific basis, residential architecture can be designed to exert a positive influence on social, private and public life. ... Read more

This research deals with the affordable housing problem for housing seekers who cannot find a house according to their needs and financial capacity; the single person household (solo) and couples with vulnerable financial and social status. Furthermore, it investigates whether the housing form "collective living", under the financing of cooperatives, can provide a solution for them. The research runs in parallel with the graduation studio Advanced Housing Design and is the backbone of my individual urban design in the collective master plan. From the themes diversity and community, the research’s collective living is further investigated. Relationships between private units, shared space in cluster homes and collective spaces within the building and the relation of the residential complex with the master plan are explained in this study. The design is part of the master plan in Rotterdam Blijdorp where I will introduce the co-housing with shared spaces. By means of literature studies and case studies, this research will be supported in order to arrive at a concluding design vision and later a final design based on this, new and rather unknown form of living in the Netherlands, co-living. ... Read more

A financialized housing market entails systemic shortage of affordable housing. Rotterdam’s continuous increase of real estate prices is a case in point: despite its high share of social housing, today Rotterdam faces a shortage of affordable dwellings for lower income groups. How can collective housing design promote social inclusion and reduce the ecological footprint of its residents? To answer these challenges, the TU Delft master level housing design studio operates under the “what if” scenario of a cooperative economy for a neighborhood in Blijdorp. Inspired by the cooperative housing designs in Zurich, such Kalkbreite (2014), the studio conceives of housing laboratories that offer shared spaces to the surrounding neighborhoods and the entire city. Its overarching goal is to relate design, non-speculative housing models and participatory governance. How can a housing project function as a socially inclusive, ecologically sustainable, and economically viable neighborhood operating under the premise of long-term non-speculation? How does this approach impact on the understanding of design knowledge? This graduation project transforms an existing building, the Emmahuis, into a neighborhood center and housing complex that combines owner-occupied maisonettes with a housing cooperative for intergenerational co-living. Besides a collective roof terrace for the residents, the ground floor offers a multitude of shared and collective facilities such as community workshops, open office areas, a public library, and commercial shops. These facilities provide a meeting point for the residents and a micro-centrality for the Blijdorp neighborhood, aiming to amplify a sense of collectiveness among different income and interest groups. ... Read more