This year, the graduation studio of Urban Architecture focusses on the development of a suburban area. The aim is to turn this low town into a downtown in which the pioneering spirit of generosity and reciprocity survives.
The project envisions a possible future for a collection of factory buildings located on the former can and rim factory terrain of Hoboken, Antwerp. Based on thorough research about leftover materials, reuse networks and reuse craftmanship the project proposes the building of Herbouwhuis.
Herbouwhuis is a reuse cycle centre, consisting of:
- Herbouwschool: reuse cycle school
- Bureau Herbouw: architecture, building and research office
- Herbouwateliers: ateliers for reuse artists
The proposal of Herbouwhuis fits within the design of a 300.000 m2 masterplan that centers around Lageweg. The masterplan approaches the site as part of Antwerp’s social, cultural and material ecosystem. Inspired by the pioneering community at Blikfabriek, it proposes a strategy of reconfiguration, building on existing qualities of the industrial heritage and material flows. Using time to its advantage, the plan aims to establish a culture of care by reusing discarded materials the city produces. The masterplan operates as a demolition contractor, recycling centre and thrift shop at once. By focussing on exchange points at the edge of industry and neighbourhood it increases the contact surface between materials and residents.
The design project consists of three acts, each representing a different phase.
Act 1 elicits the methodology, taking the existing situation as a serious starting point and using reuse craftmanship and improvisation to intervene and open up.
Act 2 shows what the building site would look like on a bigger scale and how the methodology leads to an architecture that tries to connect to its neighbouring developments.
Act 3 envisions Herbouwhuis in operation. It illustrates how the architecture of Herbouwhuis facilitates materials and agents to flow through, interact and go their own way.
The design of Herbouwhuis went together with the design of a curriculum for Herbouwschool. This curriculum was derived from a manifesto and education programme for Bauhaus by Walter Gropius, dating back to 1919.
My aim is that the growing reuse network and places like Herbouwhuis exponentially elevate the amount of reuse architecture in the urban landscape. That it becomes common sense to think in cycles and value the potential of leftover materials. As a reuse architect I’d like to be transparent about the origins of the materials I use, because it informs the user and might inspire others to turn waste into gift.

The revitalisation project, called 'Navigating Tourism', focuses on the heritage site of Kinderdijk in the province of Zuid-Holland, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Kinderdijk's historic water management system and landscape, with a striking contrast between the horizontal canals, dikes and fields and the vertical mill systems, are key elements of the site's universal value. The project focuses on the challenges posed by the influx of more than one million tourists per year to the small community of 790 inhabitants.

The study compares Kinderdijk with another heritage village, Zaanse Schans, and identifies common problems such as tourist pressure and the need for better infrastructure. The proposed design aims to streamline tourist access while maintaining the integrity of the site and improving the quality of life for local residents. Key findings include the separation of different mobility flows, the creation of a centralised entrance and the separation of functions for tourists and residents.

Currently, the point of arrival at Kinderdijk depends on the mode of transport chosen to reach the heritage site. New arrival points for boats and buses are therefore proposed, together with a car park just outside the core of the heritage area, in order to reduce the arrival points currently scattered throughout the area to one, so that all visitors arrive at the same point. A new entrance building, integrated into a reinforced embankment, will serve as a visitor preparation area and will include a cinema, restaurant and exhibition spaces. This building will be strategically located adjacent to the heritage area.

The project also focuses on preserving the cultural memory of Kinderdijk's industrial past. The Pot Barn, an important historical building in the outer dike area, will be dismantled, restored and rebuilt, and will then form part of the new entrance complex. The Pot Barn was traditionally part of an ensemble of three barns that together functioned as a shipyard. The ensemble will be restored by rebuilding the trio on top of the new entrance building, preserving their original orientation and architectural details. One of the barns will act as a gateway to the tourist facilities and the other two will house communal areas for residents, creating a clear distinction between areas for residents and visitors.

Overall, the project aims to strike a balance between tourism and heritage conservation, enhancing the visitor experience while respecting the needs of the local community and preserving the historic significance of the site.

As living in urban environments increases, the impact of city design on the health of individuals becomes more relevant. Cities have shown to negatively affect individuals' circadian health. This thesis investigates the influence of façade and city lighting design on indoor circadian lighting availability, addressing the increasing prevalence of circadian disruption in cities caused by poor daylight access and excessive artificial light exposure.
The research introduces a workflow that evaluates how façade designs and urban lighting choices affect circadian light exposure within homes based on open data sources. By creating a tool capable of simulating these effects for individual floor levels on an urban scale, the study provides a method to assess and optimize architectural and urban design for circadian health with public information in a large-scale manner.
The results aim to bridge the gap between available 3D urban data and practical applications, offering design strategies that improve indoor circadian lighting availability and contribute to healthier urban living environments.
Key findings prove the misalignment of indoor circadian lighting availability with human needs in cities, and show the importance of window size, floor level and façade orientation in mitigating circadian disruption caused by the urban context. Next to that, it shows the negative impact city lighting has on indoor circadian health, for which design suggestions are done.