This thesis investigates how genius loci, the spirit of place, can serve as a meaningful strategy in the adaptive reuse of twentieth-century industrial heritage. Drawing on Christian Norberg-Schulz’s phenomenological theory, the research explores how a transformative intervention can be executed while preserving a building's identity and atmosphere. Through a literature review and analysis of adaptive reuse strategies, a value matrix is developed that integrates Norberg-Schulz's subjective, place-based values into design principles. The study applies this framework to three case studies, LocHal (Tilburg), RDM Onderzeebootloods (Rotterdam), and Mastenloods (Den Helder), to assess how contemporary architectural interventions respond to and reinterpret the genius loci. The findings show that incorporating the design principles leads to more rooted, context-sensitive reuse that preserves a building's identity. The final outcome is a adaptive reuse strategy for De Biesboschhal that balances historical continuity with contemporary needs, emphasizing repurposing (Winhov, 2024) over contrast-based reuse. This research contributes a perspective to heritage discourse, offering designers practical tools to preserve and articulate genius loci in adaptive reuse projects. ... Read more

The National Dredging Museum in Sliedrecht tells the story of the Netherlands’ global dredging industry, rooted deeply in the local community. Beyond its physical collection, the museum holds a rich layer of intangible cultural heritage (ICH): personal stories, skills, and lived experiences passed down through generations. Today, this heritage is mostly kept alive by the museum’s team of volunteers. However, these people are aging and there is no succeeding generation to take over, raising concerns about the future of this ICH. As the importance of safeguarding ICH gains recognition, organisations like UNESCO have developed frameworks to protect it. However, these focus largely on documentation and education, offering little guidance on how architecture might support ICH.

This thesis investigates how architectural design can contribute to preserving and activating intangible heritage. Using a research-by-design approach, the National Dredging Museum is reimagined as a space that not only displays the history of dredging, but also sustains its living culture. Through spatial design, the museum becomes a vessel for ICH. ... Read more

This aim of this thesis is to discover which resource principle is the most affordable. To achieve this, case studies representing these resource principles are chosen and evaluated using a set of criteria. It was found that modular design was the most affordable of the chosen principles. The findings of this thesis was then translated into a housing design for Midden-Delfland in the year 2120. This design houses non-traditional family types by using modular and adaptable principles. The design also uses soil and water to drive the masterplan. Overall, this project is a result of the research executed as well as the conditions of the given site. ... Read more

The increasing effects of commodifying urban structures result in the appearance of smooth environments (Boer, 2023), which lead to static, exclusive environments in which any form of otherness or spontaneity is removed. This in turn affects important democratic processes, for spaces for commononing, negotiating and conflict in the public realm are dimnished or erased.

By exploring theories of urban depth, a solution towards Just Cities can be found in viewing the urban as a sequence of territories that that unlock a variety of spatial conditions that can serve as the spatial framework for otherness to happen. A thorough understanding of the spatial environment as well as local social structures helped inform where strategic design interventions could act as a catalyst to enrich local depth structures in the Jordaan. Consequently, local territorial conditions are met which supports the opportunity for a diversity of norms to simultaneously make a spatial claim in the public eye. As a result, space for counter-narratives are established that help challenge and deconstruct unequal power structures, as well as provide the just spatial conditions required to participate in fair democratic processes that shape ourselves, the city, and society at large. ... Read more

The post-war neighbourhood Boerhaavewijk in Haarlem is an example of rational modernist urban planning following the design guidelines of air, light and space. Repeated typologies or ‘stamps’ of terraced housing and apartment buildings created by industrialised methods of construction were the answer to the population boom experienced in the 60s.
Today Boerhaavewijk is showing its age. The modernist principles have become old-fashioned and do not support a livable neighbourhood. The buildings do not comply with today's standards and are rapidly becoming outdated in both their function and technical state. The local architecture and urban planning don’t foster social cohesion or a strong identity.
Over time the demographics have been changing and growing, with a more diverse population as a result. Different migrant communities have made Boerhaavewijk their home. Spaces where people can meet however are limited in quantity and quality. There is a lack of future-proof public facilities and community spaces.
The current demand for housing has resulted in a lot of new construction in the neighbourhood, often replacing the old. The same construction methods and materials such as concrete, steel and brick are used, which have a large carbon footprint and are high in embodied energy. These buildings are not designed to be flexible and re-used, guaranteeing their demolition in the future. We use the same non-renewable materials and unsustainable construction methods as in the 60s.
In order to tackle these problems, the graduation project proposes the construction of Forum Boerhaave: the design of an iconic and sustainable building in Boerhaavewijk that can adapt to demographic changes. The forum is a multifunctional public place for people of the neighbourhood to meet, a community building to facilitate its users.
The site of the building is found in between the urban and the natural, connecting Boerhaavewijk and the Poelpolder. The building attempts to find a balance between the generic and the specific, as its intention is to facilitate instead of dictate, while also reacting to the specific conditions or the genius loci of the site.
In order to future-proof the building, the ‘open building’ principles of Habraken are applied. This way the building may adapt to future changes when demanded by its users. The materials used in the building are, as far as possible, locally harvested. An open plan is achieved through a timber skeleton structure, CLT floors and an aluminium space frame, the latter reclaimed from Schiphol. The plinth is 3D printed, using dredged earth from the river Spaarne. It is stabilised using Kaumera biopolymer and insulated with cellulose both harvested from sewage treatment plants, while reed fibres from the Poelpolder improve the tensile strength of the material. ... Read more

This master’s thesis aims to shed light on the recent phenomenon of regional food strategies that aim for more localized food provisioning for urban and metropolitan areas. The discourse used in these strategies influences not only which stakeholders are included in the urban food governance process, but also influences the competition for urban and peri-urban space. It is imperative to highlight how discourse is used in regional food strategies and how this could potentially affect the fair use of and access to certain food resources within growing metropolitan areas. A search of current literature was done, and no research was found on how the discourse used in regional food strategies and urban food governance impacts spatial justice and food security within cities. This thesis aims to do so.

A comparative case study was used as they effectively analyze and synthesize patterns across phenomenon – regional food strategies – that unfold in different places – the two metropolitan regions of Amsterdam, North Holland the Netherlands and Phoenix, Arizona in the United States of America. A triangulation of qualitative methods, including discourse analysis, were used to enhance the validity of the research design.

The results revealed that both cases are characterized by fragmented governance, a lack of political urgency in addressing food system challenges, stakeholder conflict, and low to non-existent awareness of the RFSs among the public. Additionally, both cases are facing increased spatial inequalities that are effectively decreasing access to basic urban food resources. ... Read more

Humans are consuming resources at a rate that the natural world can not sustain. Nations around the world are grappling with large amounts of possible interventions that can stop or at least delay the battle against environmental degradation. While we may not notice it, hard infrastructure (energy, transportation, water management and communications), have a outsized effect on the negative impact that humans have on the natural environment. It is a representation of the backbone of modern society that can both enable, and disable, our ability to transition to a more sustainable future. Directly linked to this our loss of connection with nature. Infrastructure is a critical piece of the puzzle that is the creating of a sustainable future. Thats why this project will focus on using hard infrastructure to enable us to live within the planetary boundaries in the context of South Holland in the Netherlands. An inventory of the existing infrastructure network is completed to understand the scope of the problem. Subsequently, a literature review, analysis of similar case studies and industry research was completed to understand potential solutions. Then, using the existing natural structure as a backbone, a series of green, connected and smart interventions are proposed. These interventions occur on provincial, municipal and local scales and work together to enable the human sphere and the ecosphere to exist in symbiosis.
The following is a proposal on how to achieve a sustainable, innovative, just, accessible and resilient South Holland by the year 2060 through a reimagining of the hard infrastructure system.
... Read more

Cyprus is an island where two opposite civilizations with great history meet, but unfortunately do not interact. Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots used to coexist in peace on the island, despite their differences. However, their strong ethnic identities and foreign influences developed feelings of mistrust and fear between them. Therefore, this resulted in nationalistic claims of sovereignty which ended in territorial separation.
The capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, is divided for more than 50 years. This division was an attempt to ease the tension between the two rival communities. In 1964, a cease-fire line patrolled by The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was established in the most commercial area of the capital. Then, Turkish military forces invaded the island and divided the whole country into two ethnic parts. Within a day the spatial, social, and political background of the island changed completely. Forcible division, violation of human rights, and displacement of people from both communities were some of the consequences of this ethnic conflict.
It is recognised that as the dynamics of the buffer zone change, so also the status of the conflict. The conflict today is completely different from how it was before and right after the division; it is domesticated. Following so many years of failed negotiations in the political context and without conclusions, this protracted conflict transformed from a domesticated conflict into a comfortable one. Even though the consequences of this conflict violated a load of human rights and created feelings of injustice and fear between the two communities, it also created a state of a stable ‘instability’ in the island; both communities either it was by force or not, accommodate themselves in this situation. Thus, it is required a paradigm shift in order to move the focus away from the conflict and emphasise on constructing a shared future for dealing with common issues. Moreover, even though domestic and international negotiators have been working on a settlement for reconciliation, the final decision depends on the society, and unfortunately not so many Cypriots trust current peacebuilding processes.
This research project aims to prepare the ground for conflict resolution by bridging the spatial and socio-cultural gap between the two communities. Therefore, the research proposes the “commoning” process, which is self-govern and self-sustain cooperation for overcoming common issues. Bi-communal cooperation
holds promise for bringing the two communities together, as well as increasing people’s awareness and participation with the wider objective to create a sense of belonging and a sense of community in the contested city. ... Read more