This booklet describes the process of work carried out by a group of students within the On Site Studio of the Department of Landscape Architecture at TU Delft (Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences)in the spring of 2024. The students
have different academic backgrounds in either architecture, urbanism or landscape architecture and have been divided into dynamic sub-groups focusing on different approaches to analyse and design, but the work is the result of an effort by the group as a whole.

As the title of the studio ‘ON SITE: Scenes in Stadspark West’ suggests, this project took place in Stadspark West (SPW), a unique location in Rotterdam, however it is not an officially recognised geographical name. The initiators behind SPW refer to it as ‘an idea’ and ‘a fictional park that actually exists’.

This document is divided into three elements, the first part, Analysis and Research, deals with the embodied on-site analysis of the site and the theoretical research that underpins this analysis. The main aim of this part is to get a better grip on the multifaceted area of Stadspark West and to find better ways to describe, define, discuss and work with this area from a landscape architectural perspective. The second part of this booklet focuses on exploring and transcending the outcome of this analysis to a wider audience. In the project we achieve this goal by designing an intervention in the landscape. As the findings of our analysis have come from our first-hand embodied experiences, the aim is to present and extend these impressions from the same perspective. In the final part we use these findings to create an overall vision for Stadspark West.

Outdoor play is declining, with negative consequences for children’s development, physical health, mental well being and social relations. More action is needed than the presence of a singular playground in a neighborhood to make outdoor play popular again in this digital and urbanized century.

This thesis studies how an urban environment can be transformed into a child-friendly and playful environment that ensures a liveable future. By finding spatial solutions for not only a playground, but different interventions through different scales. The necessity for a variety of design solutions arises from the differing needs of children from different age groups, varying play personalities and orientations towards either biophilia or videophilia. A range of eyes on the streets, accessibility, mix of nature and variety of play are all essential elements in the design of outdoor play spaces. Connecting different play areas enhances accessibility and encourages exploration, enriching the overall experience for users.
Incorporating comfort-focused play structures and nature-inspired play structures is essential to meet the needs for the range of target groups. The integration of these structures into one spatial design represents an effective step towards successful play areas in this digital and urbanized century.

By exploring the intersection between post-war ruins and the city of Den Helder, history and memory, this project will examine the potential of post-war ruins in dealing with the fading history and memory of the past. Based on Pierre Nora's concept of sites of memory (lieux de mémoire), with the landscape biography study of Den Helder’s defence line, the research proposes that Atlantic wall ruins, as carriers of history, can become new sites of memory in Den Helder. The design outcome will elaborate a new type of modern memory: experiential memory, which is freshly generated in ruins, based on people's understanding of history, direct experience and spontaneous reflection and subjective imagination.
Based on the notion of landscape palimpsest, Alois Rieg's definition of monument values and case studies related to post-war ruins, this study proposes a design approach that starts with the qualities of ruins, that is to enhance the ruinous qualities during the decaying process and the decaying effect on the surrounding environment. The attention will be paid to the historical function and construction methods of the Atlantic wall ruins, the landscape context, current spatial characteristics, materiality and sustainability.
To sum up, this project promotes a more open attitude towards post-war ruins and accept the fact that things decay and disappear. Ruins are our direct contact with history, therefore participating in the process of decay is our direct memory of the intangible history. This project regards ruins as a process rather than just an object on a physical level. It further explores how landscape components, spatial atmosphere and public participation reveal the value of the ruins and influence the decaying process of ruins. The post-war ruins will be used as a medium to remind people to reflect on the past and look forward.

"As Countless Unconspicuous Elements Build an Urban Landscape, City Memories and Personal Memories Are Spontaneously Formed and Influenced."
The research investigates the potential for benches, a ubiquitous element of urban landscapes, to be reimagined as living memorials, thereby amplifying public awareness of urban identity and creating individual significance. Through immersive observation, the concept of "benchscapes" is introduced, encompassing both the perceived and conceived dimensions. The design of the conceived benchscape necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the urban public space, utilizing the proposed "Four-relation Model".
The study focuses on the city of Den Helder, which faces challenges regarding the erosion of its unique identity. Drawing inspiration from Avril Maddrell's "Third Emotional Space" concept, the design framework explores three distinct scales: benchscape as a whole system, benches as key players in benchscape, and bench as a living memorial in benchscape. Furthermore, by considering movement patterns and the specific requirements of different characters, the design seeks to achieve a delicate equilibrium between the perceived and conceived benchscapes, an aspect referred to as benchscape affordance.
Ultimately, the whole benchscape family design represents a deliberate response to the main research question, effectively demonstrating how memorial benchscapes can effectively frame diverse "Third Emotional Spaces" within partially defined memorial places. By harnessing the power of benchscapes, this approach enables the construction of a cohesive network of city memories while evoking or nurturing personal recollections.

This research design project is aiming to explore the spatial and temporal continuity in Den Helder’s Defence Line boundary area which is acting as a transitional area in-between 3 main residential areas. There's a lot of history behind this defensive line area (hidden boundary) that people don't know. And sometimes this linear space is not clearly seen or easily distinguished by people.
The boundary space not only serves as a separation, but it also acts as a bonding agent to connect the two sides as a transition space for people and everything might meet here. In this project, the boundary space is proposed to be divided into four dimensions (length, width, height, and time), and for each, the design strategy is proposed and integrated into the specific design site to enhance this boundary character of the city in these linear spaces and improve these transitional spaces.

The urban spaces that arise as a result of urban shrinkage and decay are loosely defined (Franck & Stevens, 2007). The ambiguity of these spaces provides a potential outlet for accidental or spontaneous encounters, informal activities and alternatives to our increasingly commodified, controlled and privatised 'open' urban spaces. Many topographic unions, particularly those that are easily accessible and large enough to contain interesting physical features, have the potential to become 'dynamic 'indeterminate spaces'' or 'slot areas' (free zones).As undefined ambiguous places, these sites are highly inclusive of environmental renewal within and outside themselves. This means that interstitial sites temporarily or non-temporarily allow for any movement to take place in the city. The design task begins with an urban memory path based on void and leftover places.The understanding of the sites as carrying memories depends on the audience. They can be anyone, human or non-human. So, let's make the audience the players. And we, the designers, are the directors.

Over the past decade, within many fields, there has been growing interest in thoughts and theories from the commons. In commons theory, the conceptualisation of something as a commons, is a way in which a common resource can be protected from enclosure, overexploitation or neglect by connecting it to a community which uses, manages and (re)produces the resource in a sustainable and socially just way, creating added value for the community as well. With the commons being originally connected to landscapes and natural resources, but the way we experience, use, and value landscapes has been changing, it is relevant to explore a contemporary relation between landscape and commons, and possibly using commons theory within landscape architecture as well.
This thesis explores the role of landscape architectural design in transforming landscapes into commons, with the particular focus on landscape edges. The study is focussed on the city of Den Helder which, being surrounded by the North sea and Wadden sea, has a valuable and intriguing land-water edge. However, this landscape as a resource is under threat of enclosure and neglect since the design and occupation of this edge limits its use by both humans and non-humans.
This research provides a framework for contemporary landscape commons consisting of ‘Landscape as Commons’ and ‘Commons in the Landscape’, and defines important factors and values to create landscape commons for both human and non-human communities. From a design exploration in the Wadden sea coast of Den Helder, general principles are derived to transform landscape edges into commons for both human and non-human species.
From the combined research can be concluded that ¬the landscape architectural design predominantly works on the level of resources, and has limited influence on the components of community and social practices. Through landscape architectural design, suitable conditions can be created for human and non-human communities to experience, make use of, appropriate and manage landscape edges as commons. This provides an important starting point for the transformation of landscape edges into commons, and provides a framework that balances different landscape values that need to be considered for landscapes to operate as commons.

This booklet is the attempt to synthesize the work developed by a multidisciplinary group of Master students from TU-Delft during the Landscape elective course OnSite. The course revolves around the design and the construction of a temporary project in a landscape setting, preceded by extensive exploration of the site. During the course, the students were given the unique chance to experience the land in multiple forms, and later on, feel the impact of their intervention.
We were assigned to work in the area called Land of Chabot, located in the north of Rotterdam, where the famous painter Henk Chabot (1894-1949) used to live. The area is constrained by the Rotte River on the north, an untouched forested area on the right and a relic of the original agricultural polders and on the left. It is currently being cut in the middle by the construction of the A16 motorway, which leads to deep structural and symbolic transformation of the landscape.
Chabot used to paint this landscape, evoking the essence of the land by his raw, harsh, and bold brushstrokes. Another powerful characteristic of his
work are the different viewpoints from which he paints the land, bringing the viewers to experience its openness and contemplate the land to its fullest.
Today, the land of Chabot is a fragment of an open farmland tissue that once surrounded the whole city of Rotterdam, and that has been profoundly changed over the years. The reason why this specific piece of land remains, is the construction of the A16 motorway that is now happening, after 30 years of planning. A huge contradiction arises due to the fact that the highway that is disrupting the land by carving it in the middle, is the very same reason why this land has been kept preserved over the years.
During the design process of our intervention, we aimed to tackle the cultural and symbolic significance of this place, and mostly, what new meanings and ways to see this landscape could take place now, given its inevitable current transformations. We dived into Chabot’s paintings and tried to capture his shifting horizon - that is different when viewed from the Rotte than when viewed from the dike, from the house where Chabot lived and worked, or from the polder floor. Our intervention became an attempt to descend into this land in order to see it.

Brownfields can bring forward unique spatial qualities in the urban environment: spatial exceptionality, re-usable infrastructures & imperfection that could bring forward the experience of being in a whole other world, while being in the middle of a city. However, these sites are often deconstructed, because they lack a direct financial or infrastructural benefit and are seen as ‘rubbish’.

A trend which is reflected in the Binckhorst, The Hague, where an ensemble of two brownfields is planned to be demolished. Why? The Binckhorst is transforming from an industrial area into a dense mixed-use residential area, housing 5000+ dwellers and 5000+ workers. However, with more and more people living in the same environment the demand for restorative environments increases: spaces that help recharge our cognitive batteries. Simultaneously, with the industrial program moving, there is an opportunity to restore the ecological quality of this area.

Urban forestry has proven to be able to bring forward restorative qualities for human nature. On the one hand, by providing soft fascinations for people. On the other hand, by being a vital component to increase biodiversity in cities.

This thesis researches the potential of the brownfield-urban forest. More specifically, how the integration of these modern ruins and the natural backbone of the city could bring forward restorative environments for human nature.

The result, the spatial design of the Patchwork Oasis in the Binckhorst and a concluding design guide, supported by precedent analysis. Both, showcasing why we need more green ruinscapes in our lifes and how the needs of human nature are much more similar than we often think.

In July 2021, heavy floods hit the Dutch province Limburg after days of rainfall in south-west Germany, the Ardennes and southern Limburg. Rivers like the Geul, the Roer and the Maas couldn’t discharge the large amounts of water. Many parts of these regions flooded, and approximately 50.000 people have been evacuated from their homes (Task Force Fact Finding hoogwater 2021, 2021, pp. 8 - 10).
How safe residents feel in the river landscape is affected by the floods. The sense of safety people get from the landscape depends on how they perceive that landscape and how they perceive their safety in it. How landscape and safety are perceived relates to the relationship residents have with their landscape. Due to centralized supervision, local communities are increasingly cut-off from their water system, and they are changing from active workers to passive users. Ultimately, their knowledge of the water systems is forgotten. Another aspect of perceiving a sense of safety is related to the Dutch water management strategies. Optimizing and directing water has dominated the Dutch attitude. Engineering strategies including dikes, storm surge barriers and regulated polders are dominant in the Dutch landscape (Metz & Van den Heuvel, 2012, p. 281). With these strategies, the Dutch have outsourced their water safety to engineers and water boards. As water safety is primarily the concern of professionals, people themselves are decreasingly aware of their dependence on these defence systems, and simply perceive dikes and other defence systems as objects in the landscape (Metz & Van den Heuvel, 2012, p. 79).
As a result of this strategy, the relationship between humans and river has become a rigid one. Humans dominate water by force, pushing it away hard as possible. However, because of the changing climate water is now pushing back, which resulted in the floods of 2021. Changing how we relate to rivers, and water in general, can help to establish a new spatial relationship that is not based on dominance but rather on equality.
In light of the recent floods in Limburg, this graduation project deals with the question of perceiving a sense of safety in river landscapes. The research project deals with the leading question “What is the role of architecture in perceiving a sense of safety in Dutch river landscapes?”. Central in this project is a cycling trip from Delft to Maastricht, including research methods like interviewing, immersive analysis, sketching and annotating.
The design project deals with a public building that provides a safe evacuation centre in times of high water, while in the everyday functioning it expresses its position in the water landscape and in turn provides a lens on the water conditions in this landscape. Chapter 8 elaborates on the resulting design project, in which a permanent platform provides the base for a temporary evacuation centre. Together with other design objects (a hiking trail, a bridge, water basins) the project addresses river dynamics and flood dangers in Valkenburg aan de Geul, in Limburg.

A guide for the landscape architectural design of an urban forest that helps create realms of experience in order to make people more aware of our connection to nature.

The imbalance between how we live and how the natural world around us works leads to a disconnected relationship with nature. Because of this many people see nature that is far away as idyllic, while they see nature that is nearby as a nuisance. If people keep seeing nature as a destination it fuels the belief that real nature is separate from daily life, which creates the feeling that caring for nature is not people’s responsibility or within their power. Therefore this guide contains a method for the design of an urban forest to help people experience nature in daily life. The method is illustrated by a design example through realms of living, moving and visiting in the Hague.

This research begins with a fascination for nonhuman activeness. This is based within a theoretical framework of multispecies world, in which nonhumans are seen as active beings that continuously disturb. Seeing nonhumans as active beings causes some policies, or interventions, to look strange. One of these policies in the Netherlands is the new forest strategy commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture in the Netherlands: the expansion of forest by 37.000 hectares within ten years. Even though the goal of the forest strategy is to provide more biodiverse spaces, the new forest is still there because it is pleasant for us humans. The research therefore aims at an alternative to this forest strategy through researching the main question: How can new ways of connectedness between humans and nonhumans be generated in existing and newly constructed areas perceived as ‘natural’ or ‘nature’?
In order to research new types of connectedness, the theoretical framework of multispecies world is further explored. This results in design principles on human, nonhuman, and abiotic movement, hybrid as an explicit human structure where there is a condensation of movement, and landscape as being, which is a forest structure designed as if it has legal rights.
After this, the dune region, with in specific Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen is analysed in terms of movement, transitions and identity of the area, and problematic areas where a landscape as being is necessary. In terms of movement there are different movements found in the areas of the forest/savannah, the dunes, the water infiltration system, and the flower bulb fields. Transition zones are found between these areas. Hybrids are placed here in order to let make humans more aware of nonhuman movement. Problematic areas around Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen are considered to be the Oosterkanaal, that retrieves water from the dunes, and the cultivation of flower bulbs.
These elements result in a research by design that tries to generate new ways of connectedness between humans and nonhumans. Time, and materiality become very important in the design. The hybrids have a timespan in which they need to be build anew or left to decay. Therefore, every thirty years there is a reassessment of the relation that humans have to the landscape. Through the design it becomes clear that the multispecies approach taken on in the design, does not generate new connections with the presence of movement, hybrid, and landscape as being. But it does generate different ways of connectedness because of the rebuilding of hybrids that are a direct response to the landscape and its corresponding movements, and the changes that happened in the landscape. A multispecies framework therefore proposes an alternative design for the forest strategy that instead of moving towards an end goal (which the forest strategy does), mostly marks a beginning of a relation to the landscape that is revaluated through a cyclical approach to time. This approach thus does not lead to new connectedness, however it does lead to different connectedness.

I have always been fascinated by fire. By no means does this mean that I am not afraid of it. As a child, growing up in the Athenian, suburban interface, but also in the Greek, Mediterranean, summery, rural landscape, fire was a familiar event to me. Even so, though, that doesn’t make it something less shocking, scary, and unwanted. Every time, every summer, the fear of a fire in the forests, in the mountains, in the pastures, a fire that spreads uncontrollably, and that can destroy landscapes, properties, lives, is deeply rooted in the Greek souls.
However, it was, is, and will continue to be a natural part of the ecosystem. Yet, it is the human actions that are responsible for the most destructive, unnatural, fires and wildfires, intentionally or not, directly or not, in the current times. And along with the global problem of climate change, the consequences on all aspects of nature and non-nature are devastating.
One of these most severe wildfires happened in Greece in 2018. The tragedy of Mati, in Eastern Attica, a once green, summery paradise, is recorded as the second-deadliest wildfire event of the 21st century, with 102 people confirmed dead.
And it was this tragic event that changed everything. People were killed, thousands of homes were destroyed, and tens of thousands of acres of forest were burned. Mati will not be the same again. And three years now, the memories are still there, painful memories that are engraved on people’s souls, and recalled by the also battered landscape.
This thesis project focuses on the two traumas that this fire caused, the Human Trauma, the human wound, caused by the fire experiencing, and the loss, and includes the Individual trauma, and the Collective-Community trauma, and the disrupted relationship of people and nature, and the Landscape Trauma, the trauma of the landscape that includes the direct and indirect tangible consequences of the fire, and the indirect tangible landscape degradation, when fires are repeated at relatively short intervals at the same place, and delay its regeneration.
But what is the role of space and design in the healing processes of both traumas? How to imprint and express on-site the memories in a cathartic way, in a way that the design itself can contribute to the recovery of people and the landscape, and the restoration of their relationship, even in avoiding the same mistakes?
The design intention is to create a public locus, a didactic, non-static, Living Memorial that will express and imprint these memories, contribute to the tangible and intangible healing processes, integrating fire-resilient, landscape design tools, in order to achieve atonement and a better relationship with nature and its phenomena, in order to show that fire is part of nature, destruction and loss is part of nature, we are part of nature, but the important is to bounce back every time, recover and heal, continue the cyclical journey of life, forgiving and learning from, but not forgetting, the past.

This thesis explores the possibilities for semi-spontaeneous forest succession as the solution for creating a healthy living environment in the formerly industrial area of Schieoevers, Delft. The thesis describes what measurements are needed in order to make the uncertainties of feralisation acceptable for the larger public, as well as the opportunities and benefits that feralisation, the understudied counterpoint to domestication, could bring to the post-industrial landscape.

Leftover spaces are neglected and obsolete spaces within the city. As they are temporarily unoccupied by defined urban functions, leftover spaces provide unique “interstitial conditions” that open for wild species as well as different informal social activities, offering crucial complements to the formal and defined urban spaces. In this context, the design of leftover spaces poses a paradox between the practice of design that projects a set of definitions onto the site, and the indeterminacy of leftover spaces that opens for appropriation and interpretation. By recognizing this paradox within the design of leftover spaces, this thesis strives to explore open-ended design approaches that engage leftover spaces without losing their essential qualities of indeterminacy. Three case studies—Valby Smedestræde 2 in Copenhagen, Le Jardin Du Tiers-Paysage [the Garden of the Third Landscape] in Saint-Nazaire, and the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden in London are scrutinized with a uniform framework consisting of four lenses: the morphological, social, ecological and material lens. The plan, the section, the perspective and axonometric drawings are used as tools to examine the cases and further, to represent the results of reading through each lens. The study delivers four general modi operandi—disclosing, selecting, founding, and sustaining—for engaging with the interstitial condition of leftover spaces. This thesis further invites for an exploration on the role of “gardeners”, nurtures and balances diverse social and ecological practices in the on-going transformation of the site.

Connection and separation, or synthesis and dissolution, to draw on Georg Simmel’s expression, are each the precondition of the other. It lightens me to rethink the core of boundary. In the estate landscape of Veluwe Zoom, the elites and noble use flowing water, shrubs, walls, fences to declare their own territory and maintain bridge, passage to connect. The past boundary in estate landscape is functional and programmatic. The current huge grey infrastructure for connecting disrupt the original estates landscape and became the insurmountable boundary.
The estate landscape in the veluwe zoom of Netherlands have undergone a quite dramatic transformation from rural hinterland to residential suburb and some have been part of the larger urban landscape. The boundaries between the estates landscape and urban built area is shifting and changing and have threaten the protection of estate landscape. The future transformation of these unique estate landscape needs to be negotiated with the urbanization process and the ecology integration.The current boundaries system needs to take responsibility of the disconnectedness of estate ensemble, ecology corridor and disorderly urban sprawl. An explicit boundary could better ensure the quality and quantity of “void”, the landscape patch and corridor.
The revitalization of estates landscape relies on the redefining of these boundaries. The transition and separation are understood as the inner concept of boundary. The function of separation will ensure the uniqueness of estate landscape and the transition echo to the land fragmentation which is one common issue of Europe urbanization process.

The intended research and design exploration for resilient heritage landscapes of the future, looks at the heritage estate not just as a composition of a historic building and its garden ensemble but as a centrally organized economic system and a spatial assemblage of living, leisure and production. In the Achterhoek region from the Province of Gelderland, Netherlands, the agricultural lands and the forestry were lifelines of the living and leisure functions of the estates even in the early 20th century.
In the production history of Achterhoek, two major events took place that largely determine today’s landscape character of the area. These events were respectively, the ‘Marken division’ in 1820’s initiated by the powerful estate owners and the ‘post-World War 2 land consolidation’ after 1950's mostly taken up by the farmers. Most of the forestry and the characteristic ‘backstage landscape’ of the estate area, were developed at the time of the Marken division. During the land consolidation after World War 2, the East Achterhoek landscape accommodated intensification of agriculture. Thus, the forestry and the characteristic landscape along with its diversity were somewhat lost into a more homogenized open landscape in the East Achterhoek. On the contrary, the estate owners protected the cultural landscape of the estate area for the appreciation of its experiential qualities, its nature value and the leisure opportunities it provided them. But over time, the productive hinterland lost its value and strong connection with the estates as it was not enough as an economy generator anymore. As a consequence, most of the estates were taken up by conservation organizations in the 1970’s for their maintenance and protection.
Today, the richly protected heritage estate zones only cover the estate building and the garden, but the hinterland is not equally seen as an important part of the heritage. Once, the hinterland was an invaluable part of the estate and even during the post WW2 crisis, the estate owners ensured the protection of their hinterlands along with the characteristic features of the cultural landscape of Achterhoek. That is why, there is a need for re-exploring its value and finding new functional and experiential links between the hinterland and the estates.
In the current scenario, the severe scarcity of water in the estate grounds can be seen rather as a possibility for new links. Going back in history of water management, it is found that the productive landscape and its processes have influenced and altered the ‘Baakse Beek’ (brook system) and the wetness storage capacity of the region especially the East Achterhoek area. Here, a lack of awareness of its impact on the adjacent estate area is noticed. Thus, we find another missing link between the estates and the the broader cultural landscape as well.
If suitable measures are taken in the productive landscape, this situation might improve. This, in turn, generates new possibilities of re-purposing and revaluing the productive hinterland and restore its link to the heritage estates through different scales.

People continually shape the landscape. The landscape being a palimpset of their socio-economic and cultural ethos. Few landscapes become valued as heritage and a marker for regional identity. However, often times, landscapes deemed as heritage might not strike upan attachment with the lives of the people around and within it. A heritage landscape for a few might mean very little to many others. Additionally, when elements composition the heritage landscape begin to fall apart, the landscape is pushed further into a state of disassociations.The estate landscape of the Baakse Beek narrates quite a similar tale. It is an estate landscape losing prominence and attachment from the rural lives. This broken relationship is further aggravated by the brook decaying functionally, ecologically and sensorially. Curating experiences offers a revitalisation of the heritage estates to become a setting for formation of experiential narratives and appreciation of the brook, which vitalises the aesthetic and ecological diversity within these estates. In doing so, the research entails the use of narratives as a method for documenting the uniqueness that lies in the basic unitof the landscape’s composition i.e the enclosures, mapping the experiences in these enclosures and alongthe brook, and constructing the plethora of socio-cultural engagements and perceptions in and with the landscape. Enriched by the theories of Sensorial Landscape, Seasonality of Landscape and Aesthetic Engagement, the research led to the curation of a tapestry of sensorially stimulating and engaging spaces. The project delivers a way of seeing the brook as integral to the experience of the landscape . It hopes to inspire the different stakeholders of the landscape to envision a more whole some outlook of looking at the sustainability of these heritage landscapes not only in functional terms, but also in terms of socio-cultural connections that sustain the value of this landscape.