This project addresses the importance of human-centred architecture with a focus on well-being. It aims to answer the research question of how architectural design strategies in timber buildings contribute to users’ well-being. The project consists of two integrated parts: research and design. The research is conducted through a literature review and case study analysis. The conclusions are translated into a design proposal for the transformation and vertical extension of the industrial complex at Hoogte Kadijk 400, Amsterdam. ... Read more

This master's thesis presents an architectural investigation into urban densification through the application of concepts developed by Yona Friedman. The design research focuses on the use of timber as the primary construction material. Timber is particularly suitable for vertical extensions on existing structures, due to its relatively lightweight properties. Furthermore, its lower embodied carbon footprint makes timber a viable, more sustainable alternative to conventional materials such as steel.
Building upon Friedman's utopian architectural theories, and specifically his concept of the Spatial City, the thesis develops a design methodology that translates these speculative ideas into a contemporary architectural proposal. The objective was to produce a site-specific intervention that is both technically feasible and compliant with current building regulations.
The project is situated at the Spinozahof along the Mauritskade in Amsterdam. Five existing, identical residential blocks were incorporated as the foundation of a larger structural framework, forming an elevated platform that accommodates new housing as well as publicly accessible outdoor spaces. Through this research and design exercise, the thesis examines how Friedman's radical vision could provide alternative strategies for sustainable urban densification.
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The Dutch construction sector faces a critical challenge: meeting ambitious housing targets while drastically reducing carbon emissions. Existing research identifies barriers to sustainable construction but offers limited insight into how actors coordinate their strategic positions to overcome them. This research examines how strategic positioning of value chain actors influences the socio-technical transition toward bio-based construction in the Netherlands. Using semi-structured interviews with multiple stakeholders and a Delphi validation study, this research identifies critical coordination failures preventing transition acceleration. The findings reveal that strategic incentives often outweigh purely economic considerations, as timber construction costs more than conventional methods in traditional calculations. However, the answer is contingent: strategic positioning enables transition only through coordinated movement across multiple actor types. The research delivers strategic recommendations on two levels. For value chain coordination: establish shared risk distribution mechanisms, create a transition conductor role, and develop contractual frameworks preventing pioneers from bearing disproportionate costs. For institutional investors: integrate sustainability impact measurement beyond financial returns, build network mechanisms connecting capital to capability development, and recognise that fiduciary obligations align with transition goals when prioritising long-term value creation. These recommendations demonstrate that successful transitions require coordinated repositioning across multiple value chain segments rather than isolated optimisation by individual actors. ... Read more

Amsterdam’s population is expected to grow 20% by 2035. To accommodate this increase in population, Amsterdam is planning the Haven-stad transformation, turning an area west of the city centre into a city inside the city. The Haven-stad plan also includes a bridge linking the NDSM-werf to the Minervahaven, two areas that are to be transformed into high density mixed-use neighbourhoods. Most of the land available has already been built on, or is under construction, so underused spaces must be used to the fullest. This research investigates how this new bridge crossing the IJ river, can contribute to the densification of Amsterdam, by reintroducing the typology of a multifunctional bridge. By analyzing historical bridge proposals, case studies of multifunctional bridges, and conducting a SWOT-analysis, the study explores how a bridge crossing the IJ river can support diverse functions, such as housing, commerce, and culture. A research-by-design approach combines the found typologies of the case studies with the SWOT-analysis, resulting in a multifunctional bridge that connects Amsterdam to a regional bike network, connects the north and south of the city and contributes to the urban development of the Minervahaven and NDSM-area. This research opens opportunities for further research into other urban structures that are underused or how this typology would work in other cities or regions. ... Read more

The construction industry accounts for a significant part (39%) of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, additionally it is accountable for 40% of all extracted materials, 40% of primary energy usage and 40% of the total waste generated. Adding up to CO2-emissions in the form of embodied or operational carbon. Meanwhile the temperature limit set in 2015 signed Paris Agreement with the purpose of reducing the global temperature increase, is being exceeded

If the global GHG-emissions are not reduced the global temperature rise will increase even more, and with that the severity of the climate change consequences. GHG emissions in the building sector can be decreased by reducing operational and/or embodied carbon. Since embodied carbon is getting increasingly higher but lacks in research and innovative solutions, this research explores the possibility of reducing embodied carbon by designing a reversible discrete timber system as alternative to a conventional structural timber element or system.

For this a joint that is reversible and applicable to discrete timber elements must be found and tested. Five joints from a larger list were selected based on simplicity. In order to determine the loads on the discrete timber system, a case study was set to be a post war apartment block in Rotterdam South. The selected joints were analysed to determine what would happen if a load is applied to this element. The load showed highly localized peak stresses in the joints, indicating that the joints might be the weakness of the discrete timber elements, the rest of the element showed expected behaviour. In the end a simple square cog joint is the most suitable.

Besides testing the discrete timber elements, the discrete timber systems also needed to be tested to see how they would react under the applied loads, and what the resulting maximum displacement and utilization values would be. Here various ways of aggregating discrete timber elements was tested. These aggregations were influenced by parameter such as the scaling factor (where a normal straight column, was scaled variedly into a mushroom-like column), dimensions of the base of the discrete system, the dimensions of the cross sections and the material of the discrete elements. The results from these tests showed the effects from the various parameters on the maximum displacement and utilization of the discrete timber system.

However, there are also some gaps with regards to which joints are suitable, moreover, can the joints be made in timber or should there be resorted to a reinforced joint in a different material than timber? One of the main strengths of a discrete timber system lays in its reversibility, and for the system to be reversible there must be a demountable joint.

Discrete timber systems can be a feasible alternative to conventional structural timber by ensuring that the discrete systems have strong, reversible joints that are simple in production and construction. ... Read more