This project explores the complex interplay of utopian and dystopian perceptions within the maritime industrial heritage context, focusing on the former Van Eijk shipyard in Sliedrecht, the Netherlands. Once a symbol of industrial progress and prosperity, the site now embodies a sense of abandonment and spatial decay, reflecting a shift in societal and functional values in the post-industrial era. The central research question is: How were the utopian/dystopian dualities manifested over the course of the former Van Eijk shipyard's lifetime and its epistemological sections, and how can these dualities be employed to re-form its appearance into a heritage-based transformation?

The study examines how industrial spaces, traditionally viewed as utopian, often evolve into dystopian environments, depending on their current state and social perception. Drawing upon historical and theoretical frameworks—such as critiques by Manfredo Tafuri, and Constant Nieuwenhuys’s New Babylon—the research reveals how utopia and dystopia are not fixed categories but subjective experiences shaped by context and use.

A new method of heritage evaluation is introduced, emphasizing spatial experience and user perception over traditional value matrices. Unlike established matrix-based assessments, which often require expert interpretation and singular viewpoints, this approach incorporates multiple user perspectives to recognize the coexistence of contradictory spatial meanings. By focusing on spatial dualities—accessible vs. inaccessible, extrovert vs. introvert—the method allows for a more nuanced, participatory understanding of space.

This user-oriented model not only facilitates adaptive reuse strategies grounded in emotional and experiential spatial qualities but also strengthens the continuity and identity of heritage sites. Ultimately, the architect’s role shifts toward mediating between spatial atmosphere and collective memory, enabling a more inclusive and sustainable transformation of post-industrial environments.
The proposal for a complex combining existing heritage with new construction brings the theory to life. The use of materials and proposed functions create a social hub for the local community, reconnecting them with their forgotten past while creating a prominent future. Similar volumes, semi-transparency and framing create a landmark that aims to be given back to the local community, with the land and water at its epicenter.
Sponsors:
-Foundation for Education and European Culture (IPEP)
-Greek Shipowners’ Social Welfare Company

This project proposes to reconnect the hidden, neglected maritime heritage of Sliedrecht with the public realm through spatial, material, and narrative-based design strategies. It is part of the Heritage & Architecture studio, with a focus on transforming maritime heritage into publicly accessible spaces that reinforce local identity and landscape memory.
Located across the Biesbosch, the Delta Shipyard and adjacent watertower embody the layered history of Sliedrecht’s shipbuilding legacy. Through three key strategies—preservation and adaptive reuse, material reuse and sustainability, and storyline and interpretation—the project aims to revive the site without erasing its traces of labor, erosion, and change. Formerly fragmented and inaccessible, the site is reimagined as a continuous, layered landscape where the historical and contemporary overlap through careful spatial interventions.
Historic fragmentation gives way to a layered, accessible environment where memory and use co-exist. By designing with and through the remnants of the shipyard, the project allows the community to re-engage with their maritime past, transforming a former industrial enclave into a collective space for leisure, culture, and reflection, rooted in both site and story.

This project explores the transformation of a former shipyard in Sliedrecht into a resilient, mixed-use neighborhood that reconnects the village with its maritime heritage and the river landscape. Situated outside the primary dike, the site faces flood risk but holds cultural and historical value as part of the “Maritime Industry Heritage Line.”

The design proposes a layered masterplan that integrates housing, public space, and the adaptive reuse of industrial structures. Key heritage elements—such as the crane, slipway, and shipbuilding halls—are preserved and reinterpreted, with the shipyard repurposed into a hotel and conference center. Flood resilience strategies are embedded throughout, using a combination of elevated construction, water-resistant materials, and adaptive landscape design.

Deze thesis onderzoekt het woonhotel als een vernieuwend woningtype dat in het interbellum in Den Haag ontstond. Woonhotels combineerden zelfstandige appartementen met gedeelde voorzieningen en boden een alternatief voor de traditionele eengezinswoning met inwonend personeel. Aan de hand van vier casestudy’s (Huize Boschzicht, Willemsparkflat, Nirwanaflat en Duinwyck) wordt de typologie geanalyseerd vanuit architectonisch, functioneel en sociaal perspectief. Het onderzoek laat zien hoe woonhotels inspeelden op maatschappelijke veranderingen zoals het dienstbodenvraagstuk, individualisering en verstedelijking. Hoewel collectiviteit in deze gebouwen vooral gericht was op service en comfort, bieden zij waardevolle lessen voor hedendaagse woonopgaven rondom collectief wonen, duurzaamheid en ruimtelijke efficiëntie. De thesis pleit voor een herwaardering van het woonhotel als inspiratiebron voor toekomstbestendige woonmodellen.

This thesis explores how visitor circulation in Dutch museums has been reshaped through architectural strategies during renovations over the past twenty years. Prompted by policy changes in the 1990s, many museums were required to become more self-sustaining, leading to significant transformations in both function and spatial design. While visitor experience has become increasingly central, there is limited research on how spatial circulation is addressed in renovation projects.

The main research question asks: In which manner have renovations, in the last twenty years, of museums in the Netherlands influenced the design of visitor circulation through architectural strategies?

Using plan analysis, archival sources, and theoretical literature, four case studies are examined: the Stedelijk Museum, Van Abbemuseum, Kunstmuseum, and Museum De Lakenhal. The findings reveal two main strategies: either preserving and integrating existing circulation patterns or introducing new strategies to enhance visitor autonomy. Across all cases, circulation is redesigned to promote autonomy and to stage a more dynamic, layered museum experience.

This paper examines how photography has shaped the perception and preservation of industrial heritage in Germany’s Ruhr Area, with a particular focus on the typological industrial photographs of Bernd and Hilla Becher. Employing a literature-based approach combined with a visual analysis, the study explores a chronological spectrum of industrial imagery, from 19th-century company archives and mid-20th-century documentary surveys to late-20th-century artistic interpretations. It investigates how these photographs not only recorded the material evolution of industrial objects but also influenced public and professional perception towards their historical value. The research finds that the Becher’s systematic, typological approach recontextualized industrial structures as objects of aesthetic and cultural significance, contributing to a growing heritage consciousness during the period of deindustrialization. At the same time, other photographic approaches provided complementary layers, early industrial photographers created historical records, while later photographers introduced human and emotional dimensions to the portrayal of industrial decline. By analysing what each approach emphasizes or omits, the paper demonstrates that photography has served both as an archive and an argument, preserving visual evidence of the Ruhr’s industrial past and actively shaping narratives of regional identity. The findings highlight that multiple photographic approaches together have reinforced an appreciation for industrial heritage and supported its preservation and adaptive reuse in the post-industrial era.

This thesis examines the transformative urban renewal initiatives that reshaped Rotterdam’s built environment from the 1960s through the late 1980s. While Rotterdam’s architectural character is commonly attributed to post-war reconstruction, this research demonstrates how subsequent decades of deliberate demolition and rebuilding in the first ring neighborhoods fundamentally altered the city’s urban fabric in its pre-war neighborhoods. Rotterdam’s urban renewal wasn’t merely replacing deteriorated structures, but represented a comprehensive re-imagining of the city’s residential fabric; prioritizing improved living conditions and cost combined with modern design principles, fundamentally altering the visual and functional character of historic neighborhoods. This transformation highlights Rotterdam’s unique position among Dutch cities, where urban renewal up until the 1980s became a publicly corrected and cost-conscious continuation of its post-war modernization efforts.

This thesis explores the role of ecclesiastical architecture in the reconstruction of post-Soviet identity within Visaginas, a Lithuanian nuclear monotown originally designed without religious infrastructure. It is focused on the three case studies—St. Paul Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, and St. Martyr Panteleimono Orthodox Church, portraying them as tools of cultural and spiritual revival as a contradiction to Soviet-imposed atheism. The investigation in this paper attempts to answer the question: “How do the ecclesiastical Churches in Visaginas uncover the post-Soviet religious revival and identity reconstruction?”. It aims to shed light on the various approaches of the case studies to reclaim spiritual and cultural identity. Beyond the physicality of the buildings - from the adaptive reuse of Soviet infrastructure to symbolic architectural expression, the writing offers the conceptual lens of comparison based on the power dynamics included in the development processes. The study investigates the influence of the power dynamics in the formation of these case studies, following either a top-down, institutionalized model or exemplifying bottom-up community-driven adaptation.
Ultimately, both movements use different language and approach to illustrate the same action - the gradual reclamation of space and identity in the new post-Soviet context through survival and transformation, navigating the tension between visibility and acceptance.

This thesis explores the localization of Art Nouveau architecture through a comparative analysis of the works of Mikhail Eisenstein in Riga and Joseph Bascourt in Antwerp. This study investigates how Art Nouveau principles differentiate between themselves by examining specific case studies—Eisenstein's buildings on Alberta Street and Bascourt's houses in the Zurenborg district. The research employs a multi-method approach combining visual analysis, archival research, and comparison to define differences and commonalities in facade composition, ornamentation, and symbolic language. The findings reveal that Eisenstein favored expressive, heavily ornamented facades rich with mythological and allegorical imagery. However, Bascourt adopted a more restrained geometric style that embedded symbolism within the rhythm and material contrast of the facade. Despite their different aesthetic strategies, both architect's facades serve as visual narratives, embodying the Art Nouveau character of uniting art and architecture. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how global architectural movements acquire localized identities through the lens of individual artistic expression.

This paper analyses the wooden villas of Pushcha-Vodytsia in Ukraine. This analysis partially relies on attempts to locate this architecture in between the wooden practices in neighboring countries. More precisely, the wooden villas of Pushcha-Vodytsia are compared to wooden summerhouses located in Otwock, Poland. The choice for the Otwock settlement was made due to their similarities with the analyzed Ukrainian example. As a result, the research question is: What are the differences in architecture, particularly detailing approaches, between two comparable wooden housing types constructed at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in Otwock and Pushcha-Vodytsia?
The research methodology is based on gathering and summarising information about the development history, building masses, and detailing of the wooden houses of Otwock. Then that knowledge is compared with the history and architectural aspects of villas in Pushcha-Vodytsi. The literature concerning the Ukrainian example is limited therefore the analysis is done based on the available photomaterials.
The conducted research proved the wooden houses of Otwock and Pushcha-Vodytsia share similarities in terms of their historical development, building masses, and general approaches toward detailing. The aspects, in which the villas of Ukraine are different from the Polish example, are also underlined. Lastly, a brief analysis of the chosen ornaments of Pushcha-Vodytsia houses was conducted.
The conducted research established a new discussion theme that was not acknowledged before. Namely, the research concerning the wooden villas of Pushcha-Vodytsia is currently limited.

Anne Tyng is an architect who has been strongly influenced by her interest in geometry within the field of architecture. The use of Platonic solids is evident in Tyng's designs. However, for a long time Tyng was undervalued for the influence she had on the designs that Tyng created with Louis Kahn. This thesis explores what Anne Tyng's architectural goals were and what influence Tyng had on the designs Tyng and Kahn made together. For this a literature research is done and nine designs, three by Tyng, three by Kahn and three joint projects, are analysed and compared. In Anne Tyng's designs, Platonic solids, combined geometrical hierarchy and human scale emerge as Tyng's objectives, mainly in the structure of the designs. Louis Kahn, on the other hand, uses more two-dimensional structures, regular polygons, within his floor plans, in addition to focusing on light and central places within the buildings. Comparing the three joint projects, it is clear that the structures are mostly made out of Platonic solids, indicating the influence of Anne Tyng. The designs also focus on light and central spaces, which are influences of Louis Khan. This points to the influence of both architects, with Anne Tyng as the 'geometrical conceiver'.

This thesis investigates how the architecture of the Herenboeren in the Hogeland reflected socio-economic developments in the agricultural sector between the 18th and 20th centuries. At the heart of this research is the dual role of architecture: both as a functional response to agricultural needs and as an expression of rising social status. Key themes include the relationship between wealth and architectural form, the role of architecture in shaping cultural identity, and how the built environment reinforced the position of the Herenboer as the new rural elite. The study focuses on the architectural transformation of the Hogeland during and after the 19th-century Agricultural Revolution, beginning with the shift from grassland to arable farming and the growing influence of technological innovations. As prosperity increased, Herenboeren invested in new farms such as kop-hals-romp and Oldambtster types and gradually transitioned to more villa-like residences. Later developments show the adoption of Jugendstil and Amsterdam School styles, to showcase their power and wealth even more. Through a combination of literature review, archival research, and fieldwork, this research highlights how these farms, villas, and landscapes were not just products of their time but lasting symbols of power, progress, and identity in one of the Netherlands’ most prosperous agricultural regions.

This research explores the evolution of prefabricated mass housing in Kaluga, Russia, between 1955 and 1991, a period marked by urgent post-World War II housing needs and significant ideological shifts within Soviet architecture. The study systematically investigates the distinct urban development strategies and architectural modifications implemented in Kaluga’s prefabricated housing series, categorising them into three generations. This paper proves the findings, that indicate progressive improvements in living standards, such as increased apartment sizes, larger kitchens, improved structural elements, and enhanced façade complexity. Notably, local architects creatively utilised decorative motifs inspired by regional embroidery, introducing distinctive visual diversity despite strict standardisation constraints. However, economic and planning challenges limited comprehensive urban realisation, resulting in fragment- ed city development. Today, these aging prefabricated buildings, exceeding their intended lifespan, pose urban planning and heritage preservation dilemmas. This study underscores the necessity to document and preserve certain structures due architectural significance, highlighting the impact of Soviet-era urban planning on contem- porary urban landscapes.

This thesis investigates the evolving perception and appreciation of Het Schip, an icon of the Amsterdam School designed by Michel de Klerk, from its completion in 1921 to the present day. As a social housing complex and national monument, Het Schip has a unique relationship between architectural expression, social ideals, and historical reinterpretation. The research explores how various stakeholders—including architects, critics, residents, policymakers, and the public—have shaped and reshaped the building’s significance over time. Four core themes structure the analysis: the historical context and theoretical foundations of the Amsterdam School; the early reception and critique of Het Schip countering modernism; the impact of renovation and restoration efforts; and the evolving symbolic image of the building as a monument to social cohesion, craftsmanship, and beauty. Methodologically, the thesis combines historical analysis with qualitative insights drawn from archival research and interviews with museum staff. The study concludes that the lasting image of Het Schip stems not only from its architectural richness but also from its social legacy. As a testament to the values of dignity, collectivity, and artistic ambition in public housing, Het Schip can be seen as an example for contemporary social housing projects on the future of socially responsible design.

Authenticity in architecture is a topic of much discussion. The term itself has been given many definitions and limitations, and can be used to describe the realness of material, structure, symbolism, or more. When looking at three case studies in Delft (Markt 2, Markt 27, and the Vermeer Centrum), it becomes apparent that authenticity has a large important in the maintenance of heritage in the city. Not just by being old or historic, but by the story it tells to the city and its culture and inhabitance.

This research aims to reveal and explore the commonalities and differences in the definition of interventions on built heritage between theory and practice, using new aspects—cultural values and attributes of cultural significance—to support the definition process. A comparative approach is employed to discuss how different interventions are defined in international doctrines and applied in a local project, including stakeholders’ perspectives.

International organizations have adopted doctrinal documents that promote best practices in heritage management. However, these doctrines are difficult to compare and apply due to the lack of alignment in definitions between them and the limited research on how cultural values and attributes of cultural significance influence the definition of interventions.

In filling these gaps, the main research question was asked: What are the trends of interventions and their definitions under the influence of cultural significance, as scoped by international doctrines between theory and practice? The research utilized theoretical frameworks on cultural values and attributes and analyzed documents and interview transcripts from the National Gallery Singapore.

The main findings indicate the diversity in defining interventions at the international level. Values play a dynamic role in shaping intervention definitions, whereas attributes influence them in a hierarchical pattern. At the local level, stakeholders' perspectives on definitions are shaped by the local context and a mindset of "practicality." This research concludes that Singapore follows international trends while locally customizing and evolving its definitions. This research proposes a possible novel approach to defining interventions in built heritage that bridges theory and practice.

The former site of Kloos Kinderdijk in Alblasserdam is transformed into a mixed-use area, combining housing, recreation, retail and public outdoor space. The aim is to create a liveable environment for the residents, the neighbours and visitors. The transformation combines the translation of the heritage values, the social needs of Alblasserdam and spatial improvements.

On the periphery of a dike, a maritime industrial area between Alblasserdam and Kinderdijk in the Netherlands, a former windmill and ship manufacturer operated during the 19th and 20th centuries. This narrow 250-meter-long hall, known as Kloos Kinderdijk, is defined by its spectacular length and characterised by its spacious and light atmosphere. It is situated between two contrasting Dutch landscapes: on one side, the typical sophisticated, delicate, horizontal polder landscape with UNESCO World Heritage windmills at Kinderdijk; and on the other side, the robust river landscape, once pivotal for the maritime industry and still significant today. Kloos is one of the few remaining shipyards. However, not for long as Kloos is now waiting to be demolished. With the demolition of this building, the last visible maritime-industrial remnant will be lost.

Maritime-industrial heritage is in danger of being lost. It is crucial to transform these sites with a reinterpretation towards the future. This research is a new way of thinking about heritage and moves away from conservative preservation methods. It illustrates how undervalued buildings can be saved, reinterpreted for future significance, and thereby gain visibility by adding value through a more radical architectural adaptive-reuse approach.

In the case of Kloos Kinderdijk, the area has struggled with water issues for years, and these problems are expected to worsen due to rising sea levels. Therefore, Kloos' design involved building a floating volume above the existing. This floating volume is flood-resistant, maintains the spatial openness of the polder landscape, and offers panoramic views of both the polder and river landscape. The construction of the floating volume radically breaks through the existing structure, to enhance the building's visibility from the river landscape.

Centrality denotes areas within a city that serve as pivotal hubs of social, economic, and political activity, transcending geography to symbolize authority, influence, and resource concentration. This concept is both cognitive, involving a comprehensive perception of reality, and social, encompassing the amalgamation of assets and activities. Centrality thus represents a fusion of diverse elements.
The new Baggerarea in Sliedrecht has been remodelled with small interventions to enhance its social and cultural significance. A key change is opening the inner dyke to pedestrians, reclaiming it as public property akin to the old dyke. New functions include an inner-making street in the Rotterdam Steelworks BV shipyard, featuring a Box in Box system accessible from both ends of the dyke. Additionally, the old Dredging Museum and its extension have been transformed into a hotel. The Wow-Keet will be cladded with wood and repurposed as a pavilion for relaxation and coffee.
Mirroring architectural heritage can generate meaningful urban interventions, enriching collective memory. This approach is embodied in the New NBM (Nationaal Bagger Museum), incorporating distinctive elements from Sliedrecht, such as glass-stained windows above entrances and steel columns in the Van Eijck hall. Inspired by monumental buildings like the old and reformed churches, the town hall, and old dredging contractor houses, as well as the shape of old dredging ships, these elements coalesce into the New NBM’s design, preserving and enhancing the area’s historical essence and to also enhance its social and cultural significance.