Graduation thesis about the transformation of Schalkwijk shopping centre, from a retail function to a movement hub with several sports facilities. Research preliminary to the design explores the movement patterns of the mall visitor from 1970 till 2023 and how the movement among mall visitors can be stimulated in order to revitalize the mall. ... Read more

This paper examines how comfort is experienced at Dutch post-war shopping centers by studying the behavior of users. Since the development of the first shopping center in the Netherlands, the Lijnbaan in Rotterdam, retail spaces served as public spaces for the neighborhood where community life could emerge. Throughout the years, new typologies for retail spaces were introduced, to respond to the evolving public life of society. To be able to continue fulfilling the needs that the modern consumer seeks in a public space, it is important to understand how shopping centers are currently valued by its users. Comfort is a basic need that influences the value of a space and helps stimulate other needs
such as passive engagement, active engagement, relaxation and discovery. By methods of observational analysis, results are collected on the different ways in which people experience comfort while walking, standing and sitting at shopping centers. These show a strong relationship with the objects, functions, building design elements and natural design elements with the space. ... Read more

The present graduation thesis “The shopping mall as an urban catalyst” explores the idea of an urban structure where working, crafting, living, meeting, and learning are entangled. The aim of this exploration mainly lies in the creation of a “skill city”, where groups that have not yet been fully integrated into the area under research can be the protagonists of a vibrant neighborhood, while the shopping mall from a place of consumption is transformed into a community core, a place of production and exchange. At the same time, this project is a continuous research on how an existing structure with its embedded values can become future-proof, ensuring it both remains a point of reference and accomodates change according to the shifting needs and demands. This aspect was examined under the scope of urban adaptability and its interplay with the notion of heritage; revealing design strategies that were implemented on the redesign of Leyweg Winkelcentrum. To conclude, the exploration of the new role that shopping malls, as urban centers, could adopt in an ever-changing context as condensers of public life, its diverse aspects, and social groups, as hubs for social interaction and as cores of community life can be regarded as the motivation for the development of this project. ... Read more

This master thesis explores the application of the theories from Den Heijer's dissertation ‘Managing the university campus - Information to support real estate decisions’ in the context of analysing vacant shopping malls in revitalisation processes. The aim is to develop a decision-making process that can be used by decision makers to make time-efficient, informed and optimal decisions about the future concept of these shopping malls. Building on the existing knowledge, a new framework in the form of a step-by-step plan has been developed. This step-by-step plan combines the theories from Den Heijer's dissertation focusing on shopping mall revitalisations and extending them to the heritage context and thus the analysis of the past. By applying this new framework within revitalisation processes, optimal decisions can be made tailored to the project and the process can be accelerated. As a result, the vacancy rate of these shopping malls and its social and urban consequences, like an increasing number of crimes or the loss of identity are shortened. ... Read more

With the changing consumer behaviour and the diversification of functions in and around malls, the execution of architectural elements in malls should be re-evaluated. This research focuses on current user behaviour and how it is affected by architectural elements. Therefore, the main research question is: What is the influence of architectural elements of a mall on its users? Literary research on environmental behaviour forms the basis for the observational study, in which the behaviour of users of malls is observed and linked to the characteristics of the architectural elements. It has been concluded that characteristics of architectural elements of a mall can encourage certain behaviour, such as where people tend to go and at which speed. This information can be used to increase footfall in certain areas, which can be beneficial for certain shops or the design of a mall in general. ... Read more

This graduation project is a research into, and a design proposal for the extended part of the Lijnbaan in Rotterdam. Through literature research and interviews with its visitors, past interventions in this area of the Lijnbaan are analyzed based on these visitors' opinions. The design is a proposal for this part of the Lijnbaan. By recapturing the spirit and thought process behind the original design of this urban block, this design opens up this closed-off area, revitalising a part of Rotterdam which now remains underutilized. ... Read more

Now almost 50 years old, the woonerf is challenged with social and technical deterioration, poor energy performance, misalignment of demographics and typology and an overall negative image. Because the housing stock consists of 20% of woonerf residents, there is considerable reason to seek for a solution to make this type of neighbourhood future-proof. In this national task to renovate and adapt entire neighbourhoods, there is another issue to consider: our linear consumption trends. The consequence of the linear economy is a worldwide waste crisis, pollution, and the depletion of finite resource. That is why we need to switch to circular consumption. Which means going from a take-make-dispose system to an economy in which resources are circulated. This project therefore combines the challenge of future-proofing the woonerf and the transition to circular consumption into a test case that aims to experiment with the woonerf as a circular neighbourhood. The final product is a research-informed design for the neighbourhood Goedewerf in Almere Haven.

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Inspired by the Existenzminimum movement of the early 20th century, the feasibility of historic efficient housing concepts is studied. The canvas for this is the renovation design of a post-65 housing complex in Amsterdam. Three concepts reinterpreted into a modern context and applied in the design. The first is a sharing concept with smaller individual homes and shared amenities and functions. The second is a flexible plan concept in which the home itself is made as efficient as possible. The final implemented concept is a institutionalized squatting concept with lowest rent possible. The feasibility is assessed through judging the design in 18 categories before and after the renovation. ... Read more

Problem statement:
To keep good quality housing affordable in the Netherlands we are currently facing two main assignments:
1. Establishment of new homes.
2. The renovation of existing houses to make them more sustainable.
Within the New Heritage studio both issues are addressed together within the context of nineteen-seventies an eighties residential areas. A large part of the Dutch housing stock consists of this type of neighbourhoods, they often have relatively much potential for densification and a their insulation and installations are currently often insufficient or outdated.
In this project adaptability is used as a guiding theme to address these problems. This focus serves both a societal and a scientific purpose. Contemporary ideas about Open Building can be strengthened by reuse of the ideas of architects from the seventies of which the effect is already visible in their buildings. And on the other hand the adaptability of these existing building has to be strengthened to become more sustainable and house new groups of residents.

Research Question:
How can strategies for adaptability and appropriation as used in the experimental housing from the nineteen-seventies be reused in sustainable renovation and densification of neighborhoods from this period?

Subquestions:
- What is adaptable architecture?
- What was the program for experimental housing in the nineteen-seventies?
- Which strategies for adaptable architecture were applied in the projects that were part of the program?
- Why and how is densification and sustainable renovation of nineteen-seventies neighbourhoods required?
- How can the found strategies for adaptable architecture contribute to this?

Structure:
The research and design methodology is subdivided in five steps, of which the first two form the research part and the following three the design (image 3). These steps are:

1. Identify different strategies
2. Investigate how they are applied

In these steps information about the cases is distracted from primary sources and secondary literature using literature study and plan analyses. This information is translated into diagrams that show the different strategies that are found and their application.

3. Evaluate effects on design location
4. Define a brief
5. Design an integrated plan

In the design part the outcomes of the research part are combined with the value assessment that was made using the Kamari model (Kamari, Corrao, & Kirkegaard, 2017) and scenario studies. On the bases of this analysis a brief is defined based on different design scenarios. Hand sketches and physical models are used for both research purposes and as a presentation medium. Especially models are investigated as a way to present the design to residents and involve them in the design of their own houses and neighbourhood.
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Currently there is a high demand for more housing dwellings, a change in housing compositions, mis-match between household profiles and their space and lastly a growing demand in sustainability, circularity and adaptivity. Re-adaptive housing prevents demolition, transformation to non-housing functions, is more sustainable and continuously meet the space demands from changing households. Yet, re-adaptive housing seems not be the norm of housing construction. The fundamental question is whether (re-)adaptive principles can be applied in practice along, what (dis) enables it and how re-adaptive housing can be managed.

Through researching the (re-)adaptive theories of Metabolism, Structuralism and Open Bouwen an own definition of re-adaptive is proposed as there is no definition of re-adaptivity yet. After the literature review, case studies are researched in the empirical study. Case studies are supplemented with interviews and a survey. As a result, enablers and barriers are allocated and addressed in terms of providing proposals to improve re-adaptive housing new construction in the Netherlands. For both the allocation and the addressing, a professional panel has been discussing these findings and shed a critical backlight from different actors within a project team.
The main four themes that came forward were 1) financial; 2) legal; 3)design and 4) governance.

Newly constructed re-adaptive housing in the Netherlands can be managed by a) first finding an investor who is willing to have a long-term vision for its financing to be paid back as re-adaptive housing shows a higher yield but over a longer time than usual housing construction; b) having the municipality and/or other larger legal bodies willing to make policy changes (or introduction) in new flexibility in-use-policies with regards to the current building policies on a national level; c) offering a tenant contract with ownership over infill to the residents; d) providing the architect a very specific and clear brief/design assignment on re-adaptive architecture and e) setting up a different resident organisation with a more extensive communication between owner-resident and a continious management, even after the construction phase.
(Re-)adaptive housing and above stated recommendations also lead to role changes of stakeholders as residents play a stronger role since they take partly a designing, financing and ownership role. An additional stakeholder is the resident representative. Construction engineer and architect will have to work closer together. And the the owner/organisation will have to play a bigger role after construction as continuous guidance and management is needed.

Re-adaptive housing never re-visits the initation phase (when renovation or transformation is happening) but rather has the introduction of the ‘re-phase’ which enablers (re-)adaptation of the housing unit. This phase is imbedded to such an extent that systems and information of what the possibilities are (within architectural space/design but also structural) are clear and set for residents. The operation phase (becoming more a loop) is longer due this re-phase, and also results in shorter life cycles and thus less need for maintenance. Lastly, the design phase is longer and the construction phase is shorter in comparison with regular housing. It can be concluded that re-adaptivity is a process as its continuous / open ended, has a certain procedure to be followed (especially during the re-phase), doesn’t have a definite duration, is event-driven and neverending.

In order to enable re-adaptive housing in the Netherlands, re-adaptive housing should be seen, initiated and followed through as a process and not a project. ... Read more

This graduation project addresses the societal relevance of the increasingly urgent building envelope renovations of Post 65 suburban housing in the light of the necessary improvement of energy performance. The Post 65 aesthetic and spatial identity stands a good chance of being underexposed in the renovation practice because of the lack of public appreciation of Post 65 architecture and the still developing body of knowledge. This project shows that by strengthening and/or adding Post 65 aesthetic and spatial attributes in renovation design there is a future for the valuable Post 65 aesthetic and spatial identity. Through developing know-how for contextualist renovation design that uses Post 65 aesthetic and spatial vocabulary this projects creates guidance for future-proof renovations for a lower probability of compromised heritage values. The academic relevance of this project is characterised by the critical historiographical perspective on existing literature that discusses Dutch Post 65 architecture. The research output is a contribution to this still developing body of knowledge on Dutch Post 65 architecture. ... Read more

The project aims to answer the following research question: How can the Dutch 80’s neighbourhood be densified in terms of housing and nature while enhancing and preserving in- and extrinsic values (if present) by taking the neighbourhood Hoptille as case study? Hoptille (1980) is a neighbourhood in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost and was a reaction against the Bijlmer high-rise flats. The area consists of a mid-rise, 300 meter long building, several low-rise row housing and two large parking garages. After 40 years is it well over due for a renovation/transformation. Hoptille was research through stakeholder research, risk assessments, and several analyses. This research was the base for the program and goals for the neighbourhood. The project itself takes the international and the national context to address the local situation. This is done through a threefold approach to explore the many opportunities within the area, low intensity renovation, high intensity transformation, and demolish-new build. During the design process, the emphasise was laid on sustainable development, particularly the enhancement of biodiversity. ... Read more

After doing a collective research in Heesterveld, positive and negative aspects were mentioned by the government, residents, makers and owners. The goal of this design is to embrace the valuable aspects of Heesterveld and improve the problems. The problems in the neighbourhood mainly arose on the social level, more specifically in the public space. The unique identity of Heesterveld was also mentioned during the research, this will also be preserved and emphasized in the design. From literature research, two other challenges in Heesterveld came up, which were also mentioned by the residents. According to the municipality, there were also many socio-economic issues, which needed to be resolved. Lastly, the global problem of climate change also has a big impact on a small scale, so this issue was also addressed in the design. Heesterveld had to improve on social, economic and environmental aspects, which is done in the design. This is done by adding a blue green infrastructure, adding various new functions on the ground floor and by future-proofing the building. The blue green infrastructure tackles the social and environmental issues and by creating diversity on the ground floor, the social and economic problems will be solved. The existing building itself is also made future proof by adding insulation on the inside, solar panels and a thermal energy storage. So in conclusion, Heesterveld is ready for the future with this sustainable design, which solves the social, economic and environmental issues. ... Read more

Clipping Kampung aims to improve the resilience of Hoptille neighbourhood in Amsterdam based on lessons learned from Indonesian Kampung. At least, two main qualities from Kampung that are useful for Hoptille’s resilience problem have been identified: adaptability and transformability. The Kampung has a quality to be more adaptable due to its residents’ bond that encourages them to help and take care of each other and their environment. Moreover, it also has a transformability quality, in which the neighbourhood’s function shifts, enriches and organically grows over time. This project believes that time is the dimension that allows people to add layers of growth to their environment. Understanding the Kampung qualities can help create intervention and framework to tackle Hoptille’s socio-spatial issues, hence improving its resilience. Based on the qualities mentioned above, Clipping Kampung is designed as an intervention that offers flexibility and option towards future needs by accommodating the change of functions or size in the Hoptille neighbourhood more flexibly while also promoting higher adaptability. ... Read more

This project explores a residential building from 1982 that can be found in Amsterdam. Using several interviews and research into the potential heritage values of the building a transformation is proposed. ... Read more

"NEW HERITAGE” The studio New Heritage focuses on the existing housing stock within Amsterdam Zuidoost: „Many neighbourhoods face social problems of liveability and demographic changes. Moreover, this housing, like all of our stock, should meet the future standards of energy performance, which leads to an urgent need for energy upgrading. The question arises if keeping this housing is feasible, when taking into account the complexity of technical, social, economic and aesthetic issues.“ (New Heritage, 2020) During this studio the aim has been to develop an answer on the housing stock of H-Buurt, an area within Bijlmermeer, and if it is suitable for further use or not? To make decisions on this, value-based design shall help to extract existing values as well as challenges to get a good understanding of the needs of H-Buurt.   THE PROJECT IDencity is located in Hakfort as part of H-Buurt in Amsterdam Zuidoost. The project addresses the non-used car park Hakfort. The car park has been built as part of the expansion plan of Amsterdam in the mid 70’s and was originally connected to the high-rise dwelling Hakfort. The once facilitating function to society is nowadays not given anymore, since the car park finds itself empty and faces demolition in 2022 in order to make space for a new development driven by the municipality of Amsterdam. As original part of Bijlmer’s master plan, the car park incorporates the characteristics of the functional city approach, which puts the car into the centre of the city and gives Bijlmer part of its identity.  Therefore, IDencity aims to draw an alternative solution to the demolition by analysing its value from an environmental, social and economic perspective. Programmatically, the project proposes an adaptive, low-carbon transformation of the existing structure into a social hub, while offering an answer to the national housing shortage by adding 120 dwellings.  In summary, IDencity aims to push circularity on both a building and a society level by creating places and spaces where the existing is complemented by additions to serve both environment and society.  RESEARCH QUESTION How can the adaptive reuse of car park Hakfort offer solutions to current challenges while strengthen the genius loci? Sub question 1: How can the transformation provide an answer to the national goal of carbon neutrality by 2050? Sub question 2: What possibilities of serving the one million homes challenge can be achieved while keeping the existing car park’s structure?  Sub question 3: How can the adaptive reuse enhance the buildings’ value to society?  CONCLUSION Environmental challenges as well as societal needs have been extracted as key elements of the proposed project. To deal with an existing structure, which is currently not used and to re-dedicate it to society can show value in keeping existing buildings rather than demolishing them. Additionally, environmental goals, like carbon neutrality and circularity can give impulses to confront oneself with the building in depth. In the framework of “New Heritage”, this results in a value based design that extracts values, enhances them and can result in valuable proposals that helps to transition towards a more sustainable built environment. In the case of car park Hakfort, high environmental value of its structure, historical value as part of original Bijlmer, as a functional city, can be used to develop a highly connective building, which interacts with society and surroundings.  With its holistic approach, the project tackles relevant themes while offering flexibility to its solution. ... Read more

Many apartment buildings built in the 1980’s are now being considered for demolition, because their technical installations are outdated. However, such demolitions would result in the loss of values, such as social value as well as embodied energy. Transformation of the buildings will preserve the values, but in the future further renovations will be needed as unforeseen challenges arise. By also adding adaptability to these buildings, these future renovations will be easier and will result in a lower loss of values. Furthermore, adaptability allows the building to easily adapt to the needs of individual users. This project offers an approach on how to add adaptability to a building, while preserving the values associated to it. ... Read more

This graduation thesis was executed within the studio New Heritage in which the question was raised whether postmodern architecture can be valued as heritage. Multiple postmodern neighbourhoods suffer from a stigma. Outsiders have a negative image where insiders are much more positive about their neighbourhood. This master thesis focusses on the project site Hoptille, located in the Bijlmermeer, Amsterdam-Southeast. It answers the design question: “How to transform the current neighbourhood in such a way that both insiders and outsiders would live in Hoptille by a neutral or positive choice?”. This transformation balances the interests of insiders and outsiders resulting in image enhancement in combination with the preservation of identity. Finally, densification has been taken into account regarding the topical question of 1 million homes by 2030. ... Read more

In the interest of the ‘new heritage’, the project explores the greater potential of the existing public spaces in an 80s residential neighborhood, Bijlmerplein. The design speculates how an adaptive reuse of an under-designed shopping mall from the 1980s can stimulate a fair healthy living environment within a broader neighborhood. A series of interventions, which were informed by the stakeholders, aim to improve the quality of public spaces and hence strengthen the heritage value of the site, while providing a vision to create a healthy sustainable public life for the post covid future. The project 1) remodels the existing shopping plinth and the surrounding urban structure to create more healthy and accessible public spaces, 2) integrates a cultural venue within the plinth to bring in more enjoyment and stronger identity of the neighborhood. It proposes a reciprocal activation between a spatial reform of an 80s shopping plinth, and the functional reinforcement of its local cultural activities. Ultimately, the design suggests an alternative viability of those deteriorating privatized shopping malls as a better public venue to strengthen the lifespan of the post-modern architecture. ... Read more

This project explores a social housing project from 1979 that is located in the Bijlmer area of Amsterdam and is based upon three main topics; Preservation, Community and Future Proof.
By researching the potential heritage value of the building blocks, conducting specific literature research and by interviewing different stakeholders a transformation is proposed based on the research question; How can the residential area of Hoptille be transformed into sustainable future proof housing complexes, by strengthening the present social community and preserving its architectural values.
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