This graduation project investigates how architecture can function as a medium for social activation, capable of communicating complex societal issues in a way that resonates emotionally and encourages individual action. While contemporary architectural practice often uses a story to explain the design, this research shifts the approach to a design to explain the story, as it argues that architecture possesses a largely underused communicative potential. Societal challenges, such as climate change, are frequently communicated through abstract data and statistics, which tend to overwhelm people rather than motivate them. As a result, there is a growing need for alternative forms of communication that translate factual knowledge into meaningful, memorable experiences.

The research phase explores how architectural space can be designed to convey narratives that move beyond symbolism and instead engage visitors through experience. Drawing from three theoretical fields, narrative psychology, experience design, and narrative architecture, the study identifies 5 key qualities that support emotional engagement, memory formation, and behavioural reflection. An analysis of 24 architectural and non-architectural case studies results in the identification of a practical toolbox with insights into design tools intended to guide message-driven architectural design.

In the second half of the graduation project, this theoretical framework is tested through a research-by-design approach. The design ‘Dripping Data’ outcome is a travelling pavilion that communicates the societal issue of Dark Data: the invisible environmental impact of digital data storage. The pavilion addresses the paradox of increasing efficiency leading to increased consumption and highlights the hidden energy and water demands of data centres. Structured according to the three-act structure, introduction, confrontation, and resolution, the pavilion guides visitors through a carefully choreographed spatial journey. Each space applies specific design tools from the research framework, such as controlled sequencing, interaction, and moments of reflection, to translate abstract information into embodied experience.

The pavilion is designed as a floating, demountable structure situated on a push barge, allowing it to spread the message by travelling between cities while remaining physically connected to water, a key narrative element in the project. Sustainability, adaptability, and material responsibility are integral to the design, aligning with the project’s message. Water functions both as a sensory medium and as a narrative actor, gradually shifting from background presence to the central character.

By integrating theory, analysis, and design, this graduation project demonstrates how architecture can move beyond passive representation and become an active medium for communication and reflection. The project proposes a transferable design framework that can be applied to other societal topics, positioning architecture as a powerful tool for raising awareness, encouraging dialogue, and inspiring individual responsibility. ... Read more

This thesis explores the creation of an architectural "space of inspiration" aimed at revitalizing Dutch architecture and fostering novel perspectives. The research posits that a collaborative environment, facilitating knowledge sharing, experimental design, and public exhibition, can significantly influence architectural practice. The core design objective was to develop an inspiring architectural intervention that inherently integrates principles of circularity and adaptability.

The M4H district, selected for its future developments and material availability, serves as the project's site. The proposed design envisions a dynamic park landscape, featuring a central pavilion and a series of smaller, adaptable pavilions. This evolving park occupies vacant redevelopment plots, utilizing phytoremediation for soil decontamination, and gradually creating new construction ground. During this interim, architectural practices are invited to use the park as an experimentation ground, constructing small, publicly accessible pavilions from reclaimed materials. The existing Ferro factory is repurposed as a "material pavilion" for storage, manufacturing, and assembly, while the adjacent Ferro dome is transformed into flexible office and exhibition spaces for architectural firms. Concluding the design's vision, a biennial event will regularly showcase innovative projects to a global audience, fostering ongoing inspiration within the architectural community. ... Read more

Modern cities are often characterized by their fast paced environments and levels of sensory overload. Consequently, these environments often pressure individuals and can create feelings of (emotional) detachment. These feelings of detachment call for interventions that enable people to connect to the full scale of their emotions and reconnect to their surroundings. Art and architecture have the potential to offer environments and encounters that can stimulate this (re)connection. Therefore, this research investigates the architectural principles and embodied visitor experiences of objects in (semi-)public spaces.

An overview of design principles and accompanied visitor experiences is created. The main types of experiences that have been identified are: contemplation, experiment/play, movement, surprise/wonder, and (unexpected) social interaction. Useful architectural tools to achieve these experiences entail, among others, the use of material, play with light, the relation (or disconnection) to place and its history, shape, sound, and perspective. Lastly, it is important to note that experience is rather subjective, even though these architectural principles can guide the experience. Therefore, urban planners and designers are encouraged to thoroughly investigate the case specific context to determine the most fit design.

These findings have been used to create three interventions following Kostverlorenvaart, a body of water located in the city of Amsterdam. By using the history of place as an additional guiding theme and incorporating a flexible structure that can be adapted to temporary needs, three pavilions have been created to help (re)connect city inhabitants to their direct surroundings. The project outlines a blueprint for urban interventions that can be implented in other cities to help counterbalance these fast paced environments. ... Read more

This project presents a response to the pressing issue of women's safety in public spaces, particularly in Latin American cities. Women worldwide are disproportionately affected by safety issues and fear in urban environments. I explore ways in which public spaces can enhance perceptions of safety and freedom instead. Based on extensive four months of fieldwork, including semi-structured interviews with thirty women and a survey, I identify common themes in women's experiences and propose planning and design strategies for enhancing the perception of safety. These guidelines encompass six categories: temporality and sustainability, inclusive functional programs, equal access to localized and high-quality infrastructure, planning trajectories and areas of influence, supporting existing networks of care, and creating spaces for organizing and collective action.

In response to these findings, I introduce a design concept for pavilions dedicated to women, strategically integrated within the network of the UVA (Units for the Articulation of Life) in Medellín, Colombia. Through the project, I emphasize the creation of a community of mutual care among residents, exploring how bonds can form both during construction and utilization of space. These pavilions are envisioned as transformative places, where women are encouraged to actively participate in construction, subsequent management, and adaptation of the building to evolving needs. The project is tailored for community construction, ensuring local ownership and long-term sustainability.

The selection of bamboo as the primary building material comes from the appreciation of its environmental sustainability benefits but also its transformative potential to empower women in construction. Being lightweight, safe, and easy to work with, it is suitable to facilitate active participation of women in the construction process. To maximize bamboo’s sustainability benefits, I complement it with a choice of biobased materials for the roof, and I propose concepts for demountable foundations and joints to ensure the circularity of the design.

This project contributes to the broader debate on urban safety and social inclusion. Through addressing both social and environmental aspects of sustainability, it enhances women's safety while fostering a more equitable and resilient urban environment. ... Read more

The deaf and hard-of-hearing live in world that, from an architectural standpoint, is designed for hearing people. Which causes a set of challenges for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.These problems have major effects at schools for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. These schools are mainly located in buildings that happened to be empty or that already had an educational function anyway. These buildings have never been specifically designed for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, which causes a problem. If a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students was never designed for them, how can these buildings reflect and be good for them? ... Read more

This research encompasses an exploration on spaces for mental health and wellbeing for newcomers in the Netherlands with a migration background caused by forced dislocation. This group of new Dutch citizens have a higher prevalence for mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and related symptoms of a decreased mental health. The role of architectural spaces and architectonic elements is analyzed and studied through a thorough literature research, supported by case studies to relate to practical executions of the findings. The architectural spaces are defined by necessary activities in preventing and treating mental disorders, creating spaces that support participation, feeling of control, social relations, restoring identity etc. in relation to the integration process on a neighborhood-level. The architectonic elements describe the design considerations for these spaces concerning natural daylight, clear wayfinding, safety through a stable environment, materials for comfortable spaces and atmosphere created through aesthetics that create a home-like and familiar environment for support.
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Onderzoek: Dit project heeft als doel te onderzoeken hoe skateboarders de gebouwde omgeving ervaren en begrijpen en wat architecten of ontwerpers (van zulke plekken) kunnen leren van deze gebruikers. Skateboarders, voor wie autoriteit en conventie van weinig betekenis zijn, suggereren dat de gebouwde omgeving niet alleen een plek is om te wonen, winkelen en werken, maar ook een waar pretpark is; een plek die is aangelegd met ornamenten voor plezier, een plek waar het menselijk lichaam, creativiteit, emoties en energie ten volle tot uiting kunnen komen. Ze maken niet alleen intensiever gebruik van de stad, maar gebruiken de objecten die ze tegenkomen vaak op een totaal andere manier dan waar het voor ontworpen is. Neem bijvoorbeeld de trapleuning waar een skater met zijn/haar board overheen naar beneden glijdt; een element dat te maken heeft met veiligheid wordt omgedoopt tot een risico-object: de hele logica van de trapleuning is op zijn kop gezet. Gevolg is echter vaak dat de skateboarder ongewenst is, terwijl de maatschappelijke voordelen van skateboarders in de openbare ruimte over het hoofd worden gezien. Skateboarders zorgen namelijk niet alleen voor meer leefbaarheid en veiligheid op openbare plekken, maar juist vanuit hun onbevangenheid ook voor samenkomst ontmoeting tussen zeer diverse lagen uit de bevolking. Architecten doen zichzelf tekort door niet op de hoogte te zijn van het gebruik van skateboarders in de openbare ruimte en de sociale voordelen die ze met zich meebrengen. En architecten richten zich vaak op de productie van het object in plaats van op de productie van de ervaring en begrijpen daarom niet echt de manier waarop de gedeelde ruimte door de verschillende gebruikers van de stad kan worden opgevat en toegeëigend. De grote les die skateboarders architecten kunnen leren is dat vorm elke functie zou kunnen zijn en dat skateboarden kan helpen bij het openstellen van publieke ruimtes voor iedereen.

Ontwerpproject: een bruisende publieke straat dwars door de oude kabelfabriek heen.
De Kabelstraat; een straat die de omliggende gebieden en haar diverse gebruikers verbindt.
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Often, the current housing stock does not address problems of social isolation at this moment in time. For example, dwellings are designed as interior spaces and the route towards the home is often an unpleasant and boring one. It is important for architects and designers to have positive impulses and guidelines to address these problems. To find these kind of guidelines, I started my graduation at the Explore Lab studio at the TU Delft with a research. Parallel to a literary study, I researched people, their social relations, space, objects and architecture through observational studies relating to social sciences (short-term ethnography, qualitative fieldwork inquiry, praxeology). I found patterns in elements relating to social relations which enabled the drafting of design principles. Through the design of a programmatic hybrid city building in Rotterdam, challenges of social isolation were explored and addressed across scales. Not only the space in and around the home, also the workspace in or outside the home is important to consider within this problematic. In the design proposal, social relations are considered in for example the route through the building, sightlines between spaces within the building, in the program, and in the didactics and details of the facade. ... Read more

The long-stretched shadow of my body touches the footprints in the sand in front of me. It is a cold winter afternoon and the sun is already setting. I hear the rhythm of water pulling back and passing under another wave of water. The beach is full of people many of whom presumably visit this place for the same reason as I: “uitwaaien”. While walking in the wind, I empty my mind of thoughts which have been floating around in my head that day. I find comfort in being together with the wind, the sand, the sea. “Uitwaaien” is a Dutch word that is not directly translatable to another language. It involves an activity, yet also a feeling, an experience, a change in mood. What intrigues me as an architect is that this shows that an environment has such strong influence on a person’s well-being. Architects are constructors of environments and therefore I believe that by researching and using the coastal environment as a laboratory, architects can learn to better understand how to design an environment that results in positively affecting its users. To explore the topic, the coastal environment around the harbour of Scheveningen becomes the laboratory. Around Scheveningen harbour, few buildings are left which remind me of the fishing industry which used to be the occupation for most of Scheveningen’s inhabitants. Fish is still one of the most important industries around the harbour, yet the labour has moved inside large box-like warehouses and factory-like ships. Now that the fishing industry is taking less space in the harbour, new offices, apartment blocks and warehouses are starting to appear. These new developments are a reflection of what is happening on a national level and global level. In the case of The Netherlands, the political and economic structures are creating a commercial environment in which housing developers start new building developments at a fast pace and with low budgets. The lack of action by the state in developing houses and the large housing shortage in most cities adds to this problem (Hulsman, 2021; Hulsman & de Voogt, 2020; Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties, 2020). Designs, therefore, are often reduced to the minimum standard of living as set by the building codes. The result is distanced and generalised architecture without thoughts on how these environments could positively affect the user’s well-being (Hannema, 2019) (Pallasmaa, 2012, p. 34,37). In words of Juhani Pallasmaa: “homogenisation of space weakens the experience of being, and wipes away the sense of place” (Pallasmaa, 2012, p. 50). So, the new buildings in the harbour stand in a strong contrast to the spatial characteristics of the coastal environment which provide many positive effects. How can architects make sure that also the buildings have a positive influence on people’s well-being? How can buildings, instead of weakening, enhance the characteristics of the area? How can a building be specific for the Scheveningen and reconnect people with the sense of place? ... Read more

The graduation work aims to raise a discussion around the future of post-industrial urban centers and communities. A counter-project that, through a critique of conventional urban planning methods, wants to re-imagine the future of those small towns that are facing an economic and demographic crisis caused by the ending of industrial activities. The Belgian village of Waterschei is taken as a context. It was designed and built as a perfect example of company Company Town for the workers of the coal industry. At the time, urban politics dealt with the problem of the growth of industrial cities through the dispersion of individual laborers in the green landscape of newly built garden suburbs, where communal and personal life could be easily controlled and rationalized. Today, Waterschei is facing deindustrialization, decay, and the demolition of its urban structure. Life of the community happens mainly within the fences that surround private gardens while the population is excluded by the large urban redevelopment projects, usually more interested in re-generating economic growth than a sense of community. The thesis proposes an operative methodology, through which the practice of architecture can offer the re-construction of communal life within the dissolution of the urban fabric, and a restored dialogue with nature. ... Read more

Research about the ideal characters and role of activities in terms of social interaction and people gathering in a culture diverse neighborhood. How to create opportunities for residents to interact and find common activities to improve their relationship is the main intention. ... Read more

A decades long process of replacing biodiverse landscapes with agricultural monocultures has led to a significant drop in biodiversity in the Netherlands. The current agricultural landscape offers limited habitats for animals and insects and lacks resilience to cope with the effects of climate change. A strong departure from the current system is required by adopting nature-inclusive agriculture which utilizes and protects biodiversity in and around the farm. At the same time, there is a structural shortage in housing stock. The problem is that the increased demand for housing and the need for nature-inclusive agriculture are competing issues, where one has to make way for the other. But what if the development for new homes could be integrated with the transition towards nature inclusive agriculture? There are clear indications that demand is changing towards more spacious homes in natural environments. To build homes with the future agricultural landscape, they must be designed differently: in a nature inclusive way that facilitates biodiversity in and around the farm without reducing the current amount of food production. In addition, the integration of homes could enable the transition towards nature-inclusive agriculture, either by establishing a collective farm or by involving multiple partners. To conclude, a case study project is proposed in the Noordoostpolder, an area that is uniquely suited as a test ground for exploring the future of countryside living because it offers a relative central location and is highly adaptable and scalable.
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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. ... Read more

Mostar contains a multiplicity of ruined, abandoned and contested spaces, a consequence of the war in which it was involved between 1992 and 1996. But to define those spaces today we cannot think only of the violent changes that originated them. The fact that war ruins remained long after the end of the armed conflict, becoming blank spots in the city, allowed them to slowly transform into something else. The abandonment of those structures enabled the processes of ruination and decay to progress, making them less appealing to humans and giving space for non-human actors to start reclaiming portions of the city.
Today, new and renovated buildings stand between neglected ruins and stalled constructions, many of them overgrown by spontaneous vegetation. Plants have taken over the leftovers of war, shaping a new kind of space that is neither completely urban nor wild: the urban wilderness. And if we look even closer into this combination of apparently dissimilar conditions, we will find a kind of coexistence that goes beyond the sharing of spaces in the city. What was once an area of general destruction is now covered by plants growing directly from war debris and contaminated soils. With time, man-made and plants have further entangled, forming hybrids where matter and life intersect and support each other, turning ruined areas into the perfect ground for new interactions between humans and non-humans. ... Read more

This research and design is about "Het Gemeenschap Gezondheidshuis; Samen Leven". A research about the change of healthcare nowadays; where people want to stay at home longer and have care at home. But also where the needs of a patient are more central. The main question is: what elements of architecture contributes to a healthier environment, to create a home like feeling for everyone with different cultural backgrounds. In the design this was the mainfocus. In the design these aspects where applied in the forms of a single room area, where the rehabilitated had the choice to whether stay in there rooms, make use of the common kitchen of have a coffee in the public coffee bar. In this same bar passants have the oppertunity to drink a coffee as well, without having the feeling to be in a place of recovery. ... Read more

Towards 2030, the amount of single households of 65 years and older will double to 40 percent. Due to changes in the political environment elderly can only move to a nursing home if the demand of care is high enough. Consequently, there will be a bigger group of elderly that needs to live longer independently in their urban neighborhood. In the current urban structure, there is still a lot to improve and develop to make the neighborhood a place for all generations, where people can live their whole life. As the physical range of activities and social network of elderly are becoming smaller over the years, they often experience feelings of loneliness. They will become more dependent on the availability of informal care in their near social network. The stimulation of contact with other people and especially other generations could increase the social network of the elderly. This leads to the main question of this research; what architectonic elements enhance contact among elderly and between elderly and other generations in an neighborhood in the city of Rotterdam?

The design assignment comes forward out of the result of the research of the (changing) needs of ‘city-elderly’ and the research of the elements that enhance contact within the neighborhood. The design can be seen as a case study in which a new perspective on the typology of independent elderly living is given, in combination with a program and functions that can enhance contact between generations. The design consists of a cluster of buildings within the existing city structure with a combination of living for the elderly, welfare, care and neighborhood functions.
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The research and graduation project are about the revalue of unfinished, abandoned landscapes through architectural structures. Nowadays it is almost rare to find places and landscapes in cities that have no function, are left behind or not taken care of. Even in the city of Rotterdam, which is less dense than Amsterdam, every square meter is very valuable and is often planned for. If it does not have a destination yet, then developers are eager to make that piece of land profitable. This capitalistic view is characteristic for our productive, accelerated and consumptive society. In this society, we tend to forget the small, but valuable things in life and stray away from our core, our existential self, which is that we are part of nature. We tend to neglect the need for spaces for reflection and being in our continuous drive for moving forward. The city needs these breathing spaces where, for a moment, the citizen is not a passive consumer, but an active and playful participant, a wanderer, a collector and an explorer in these ‘Places for Freedom’.

Preliminary to the design a research was done on the unfinished, abandoned landscapes of Rotterdam: places in the city that lost their formal use, are left behind and often taken over by nature. Those places fascinated me as they actually oppose the productive and planned city and the effects thereof. In order to find the proper methods to explore and close read those places, a study was done in psychogeography. Psychogeography is an exploration of urban environments that emphasizes playfulness and ‘drifting’ to find unexpected perspectives and therefore can create new awareness of places. Walking, the merit of wandering, as the main act of the research for encountering those places, means slowing down which allows close reading of space, remembrance and let in the invisible sensory experience. Furthermore, the methods photographing, drawing and writing were used to document, represent and make them legible for others. It allowed me to perceive the specific qualities of the observed places and lead to a categorization of different types of unfinished landscapes found in Rotterdam. For the design proposal, the three typical unfinished landscapes of Rotterdam are being exposed: the wasteland in the city, the in-between landscape and the industrial landscape.

With the design ‘Places for Freedom’ I create architectural structures inside those chosen unfinished landscapes to offer an alternative way of being in and thinking about the city. These structures are inviting one to be present in the moment and provides a sensory experience of a place, they are enhancing the specific qualities of each landscape. ‘Places for Freedom’ offers a break in our routinized journeys within the city, a closer relationship with our natural environment and moments for intimate informal encounters, not only with humans, but also with animals and plants which are the other inhabitants of the city.
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The project examines the relationship between a city and a waterfront. With the ongoing waterfront redevelopment projects it is necessary to step back and evaluate the current trends and impacts of them on the city. City Plaza proposes a unique and original way to merge architecture and waterfronts and proposes a new structure and relationship of our city edge and waterfront occupation. ... Read more

In recent years, the popularity of compact living spaces like Tiny Houses is rising in the Netherlands. With Tiny Houses still gaining in popularity, there is a demand for information and knowledge about this new form of living. Through multiple sources, interested people are learning about tiny living and how to realize living in a Tiny House. However, these sources only cover the 'what' and 'how' about a Tiny House and forget about the most important 'why' part: why does a Tiny House fit you and which aspects of living in a Tiny House are important to you?

This project focuses on this 'why-gap' by designing an exploration tool that helps people to find their ultimate Tiny House experience and this way create a strong base for designing their own Tiny House.

To gain knowledge about the context, target group, and existing Tiny Houses, multiple types of research are conducted. In a contextual research, Tiny House residents are asked to share their experiences to find out which different values can be distinguished per resident. In the user research, the target groups are defined to see how the tool could contribute to each of the different groups. The reference analysis is used to map out the different characteristic elements that determine the design and character of a Tiny House.

From these researches, a design model arose, where the 'why' forms the base of the design, with the user and its values central. The 'how' builds on to this base, where the choices of the user as the determinants are central. Finally, these two layers serve as the foundation for the design of the Tiny House.

The final design: Tiny Roots is a toolkit that can be used in a series of sessions, for users to explore their ultimate Tiny House experience by answering this 'why' and 'how' first before designing the 'what': the Tiny House itself. It serves as the roots for designing a Tiny House that meets all values and wishes, matches the personality of the resident and this way create the ultimate Tiny House experience.
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