Hospital layout design plays a crucial role in ensuring operational efficiency. This research develops a Hospital Design Support System, a data-driven framework that integrates the Four-Step Transportation Model, Discrete-Event Simulation, and Exploratory Network Analysis to systematically assess hospital layout performance in terms of operational efficiency. The HDSS evaluates four key criteria: spatial crowdedness, patient waiting times, patient walking distances, and difficulty in wayfinding. Hospitals exhibit spatial and operational characteristics akin to small cities and factories, making transportation planning and Discrete-Event Simulation highly applicable in evaluating hospital layout performances in terms of the four operational criteria. Exploratory Network Analysis further reveals the inherent structural tendencies that impact hospital efficiency and resilience. Additionally, evaluation mechanisms, including aggregation, relativization, and interpretation, translate disaggregated simulation outputs into actionable metrics, enabling comparative assessment of design alternatives. This study contributes a systematic approach to hospital layout evaluation, offering valuable insights for architects and policymakers aiming to enhance hospital layout design. ... Read more

Despite The Hague's historically mild climate, it is experiencing rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves, resulting in a growing demand for space cooling. However, there is a significant gap in research and sustainable policies to address this demand in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. While studies have examined the environmental impacts of residential heating, cooling remains understudied, and The Hague lacks sustainable cooling policies. This study projects cooling demand, energy consumption, material usage, and greenhouse gas emissions in The Hague for the status quo (2020), 2030, and three 2050 scenarios. It uses geospatial analysis of residential and office buildings and uses a thermodynamic model to calculate cooling demand in a bottom-up approach, before evaluating the aggregate environmental impacts. Despite offices accounting for only 13% of floor space, they contribute to 34% of present-day cooling demand and 65% of associated greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, space cooling accounts for 25% of annual office electricity consumption and 5.5% of residential electricity use. Moreover, 77% of cooling demand remains unmet, particularly affecting economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The results suggest that adopting stringent climate change adaptation measures may reduce cooling demand and environmental impacts, even in the face of a warming climate. However, a business-as-usual scenario predicts a doubling of cooling demand and a significant rise in associated environmental impacts, challenging the Netherlands' goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Sensitivity analyses highlight key areas for The Hague to focus on, including thermal comfort standards, addressing the urban heat island effect, and improving the energy efficiency of cooling technologies. The study further offers recommendations to mitigate environmental impacts, such as minimum energy label standards for building renovations and promoting circular economy practices for cooling equipment. In conclusion, this study underscores the need to address space cooling in The Hague and the Netherlands. Without action, environmental impacts will worsen the effects of climate change. To tackle this challenge, the study recommends prioritizing energy-efficient cooling technologies, utilizing synergies between sustainable heating and cooling, and incorporating environmental justice into policy measures. This is the path towards securing a sustainable and cooler future for The Hague. ... Read more

This thesis explores different ventilation systems used for operating rooms (OR). Entrainment test methods are used in most European standards to determine the protected zone whereas the air quality in the periphery is often excluded. Furthermore, these measurements are mostly carried out in an at-rest situation where intermittent sampling during operation should be required. Most ORs in the Netherlands have an air handling system with an ultra-clean ventilation system (UCV). ORs are energy-intensive departments, where air handling systems consume the most. Relatively simple adjustments can be made to the air handling system to reduce energy, such as expanding relative humidity limits and introducing operational clock times. Lowering outside air quantity has the biggest impact on energy reduction, lowering the OR classification the least. Reducing the air change rate in the OR from an ultra-clean to a generic OR will reduce the recovery degree and the local air change rate. Lowering the air change rate in operating rooms could harm comfort conditions and (ultra-clean) air quality. The capital and operational expenditures of air handling installations with an UCV-system are higher than those with a conventional system. The investment pays for itself when 2 to 4 surgical wound infections are prevented over the lifetime of the OR. The type of surgery should be a leading consideration in determining the typology of the air handling system and the type of air supply system. Absence of evidence that surgical site infections are prevented in ORs equipped with UCV-systems is not evidence that these are not prevented. ... Read more

This thesis investigates the potential for natural ventilative cooling strategies to improve the cooling and comfort of residential midrise buildings in the Netherlands. Ventilative Cooling is “the application of the cooling capacity of the outdoor air flow by ventilation to reduce or even eliminate the cooling loads and/or the energy use by mechanical cooling in buildings, while guaranteeing a comfortable thermal environment”. The effect of Day and Night ventilation strategies on the indoor environment of two common typologies of midrise apartments seen in the Netherlands was evaluated. The project investigated window and stack ventilation using dynamic energy simulations coupled with airflow network (AFN) modelling. EnergyPlus airflow network model was used for simulations with Grasshopper and Rhino as the user interface. Honeybee and Ladybug plug-in for Grasshopper translated the model into the EnergyPlus-readable input format. Various performance indicators were used to evaluate the apartments' comfort and cooling. These included temperature limit exceedance hours, GTO hours, Cooling requirements reduction ratio, Climate Potential for Natural Ventilation (CPNV), Natural Ventilative Cooling Effectiveness (NVCE) and Climate Potential Utilization Ratio (CPUR). Ventilative cooling simulations yielded favorable results. There was a significant reduction in the peak temperatures and GTO hours within the rooms when the windows were opened, compared to when they were closed. Out of the tested two typologies of apartments, the number of hours when the temperature exceeds 28°C reduced by 50-70% when the windows were fully opened in typology 1 apartments and was reduced by 36-70% in typology 2. GTO hours reduced by 70-80% when the windows were opened for ventilative cooling in typology 1 apartments and reduced by 55-60% for typology 2 apartments in comparison to when they were closed. Apartments with the capability of cross ventilation performed better than those with only single-sided ventilation. The cooling effectiveness of the existing building designs was also evaluated. The results showed that there is room for improvement of design to utilize the site’s potential for natural ventilation. When passive stack is used along with the opening of windows in an apartment, there was a slight reduction in temperature when compared to using only open windows for the same apartment. However, the reduction was not very significant. The findings are presented in a comparative and quantitative manner, providing valuable insight into the relevant field. ... Read more

Current issues such as climate change or scarcity of resources, among others, make general business market and in this case, Lidl supermarket Netherlands continue searching and improving its commercial operations and services around circular economy principles (CE). However, CE carries several social limitations that this thesis is planned to solve through exploring social circular economy solutions (SCE) and synergistic potential of urban metabolism. Moreover, the influence of United Nations (through Sustainable Development Goals) and its objective to focus on the improvement of social conditions is important for the sustainable progress and social living conditions of degraded areas such as Spangen, the selected case study. ... Read more

Departing from two problem statements, one concerning circularity in the built environment and one concerning flexibility in the built environment, this dissertation sets out to answer two main research questions: – In an Open Building division of support and infill, to what extent can the infill contribute to sustainable circular material & product flows? – Which qualitative and quantitative criteria and preconditions are central to integrating the notions of user health & well-being, circularity, and flexibility in infill configurations? In view on these research questions, this dissertation revolves around multiple topics and disciplines, addressing material properties, material flows, product design, and user benefits, relating to a specific building component: non-bearing partitioning. The research follows a mixed-method approach, primarily qualitatively driven and supported by quantitative data and tools. Literature studies, workshops and expert consultations are applied throughout the trajectory to derive, test and adjust criteria, guidelines and design concepts. The dissertation is structured around four research chapters (each set-up as a separate academic article), preceded by a general introduction and background sketch, and followed by an overarching evaluation of the findings. ... Read more

Policymakers and literature have expressed the need for a visual and tangible manner of mapping circular value, the progress towards a fully circular economy and the presence of materials (material passport) in public space. Several initiatives exist for the measurement of circular progress. However, none have explicitly aimed towards the urban public space yet. Also, the most promising frameworks have shown to run into technical and organisational issues that make them impracticable. This has resulted in the goal: To develop actionable knowledge on performance measurement of the ecological and economic impact of the end of life phase in regional public asset management by developing a framework and identifying the technical and organisational barriers for implementation of these circularity parameters. A framework for performance measurement has been set up consisting of category characteristics, economic- and ecological parameters. These indicators provide a holistic image of the current end of life asset management practice. Data availability has been identified as a major issue in performance measurement frameworks that were discussed before. Therefore, the developed framework aims to assist in identifying these data gaps, their cause and proposal of a solution to aid the implementation of the end of life phase in local asset management. ... Read more

The relationship between humanity and its environment is broken. For centuries, humanity has dominated this relationship to enter a stage in which further temperature rise towards 1,5 Celsius would have irreversible consequences towards earth’s valuable ecosystems. One of the main contributors to this cause is our current way of building, that results in high carbon dioxide emissions, raw material depletion and is often a linear process. In contrast to mankind’s 200.000 years of parasitism, Mother Nature has been innovating for 3.8 billions years true trial and error, forming symbiosis with beneficial consequences to planet earth. While most researchers had their eyes on the plants & organisms above ground, recent discovery’s show that earths most crucial creatures live underneath us. Over 92% of all plants species rely on mycelium and its ability to recycle organic matter into key nutrients for seedlings to flourish. It is a vast underground network that connects the roots of plants. Not only does ‘Natures Internet’ share nutrients, it is also able to communicate and share information. Therefore, an opportunity arises for mankind to break through its fixed-minded ideas and truly become part of nature’s ecosystem. Imagine a building that grows, breaths and heals itself. I present, interlink: worlds first living architecture. ... Read more

The construction, operation and maintenance of buildings consume more than 40% of primary energy in most countries. Out of this 40%, a large portion is related to the operational phase involving heat losses through a buildings envelope. To reduce this loss, several materials have been developed to reduce the thermal transmittance through a façade, even though they carry a heavy environmental burden. Furthermore, the unregulated and rapid expansion of urban environments led to a considerable amount of problems. Among them, the urban heat island effect demands special attention as it has been responsible for an increase of the energy consumption to higher mortality rates. In part, the use of materials with high thermal admittance is responsible for these effects. Vertical green systems have shown to be a potential solution to improve, among others, the thermal demands of buildings and to mitigate the urban heat island effect. However, due to the uncertainty associated with their design process and operation, the implementation of vegetation as a construction material in an urban setting is often overlooked. Therefore, an in-depth study of their performance under different configurations and climate conditions is needed.

The optimization study was based on the parametrization of a green façade and a living wall system which aimed to identify their response under variable initial conditions. A analysis of the essential parameters in the vegetation model was performed. Consequently, the leaf area index showed the highest effect, followed by the substrate thickness, leaf angle distribution, leaf surface albedo and finally by the moisture content of the substrate layer. Furthermore, a state-of-the-art computational work flow was developed through the integration of ENVI_met, Rhino/Grasshopper and modeFRONTIER, in combination with Python 3 scripting, to evaluate the performance of vertical greenery systems. The evaluation focused on the heat transmission through the façade of a single building, in comparison to a reference model. The work flow allowed the study of the impact of each parameter in the behavior of the system and led to the development of several design guidelines. The optimized result was tested in an urban setting to evaluate its potential as a mitigation strategy for the urban heat island effect.

The largest reduction in thermal transmission took place in equatorial, fully humid climate due to the low vapor pressure deficit; while the lowest in a temperate climate during winter conditions, suggesting the lower efficiency of the systems under cold weather. Furthermore, living wall systems have a significantly higher performance in comparison to green façades. On the other hand, the latent heat release associated with the evapotranspiration process has a strong correlation with the leaf area index, given the simultaneous action of the aerodynamic and bulk surface resistance. The optimized configuration of the vegetation was then derived based partly on this correlation. Moreover, the leaf angle distribution displayed a high correlation with the solar zenith angle and the leaf surface albedo with the intensity of the solar radiation and the ambient temperature. Additionally, among the substrate properties, the substrate thickness indicated a large potential in reducing heat transmission.

The effects of vertical green systems in an urban setting suggested an improvement of the environmental conditions. While the leaf area index is directly related to the decrease of wind speed and evaporative cooling, the leaf surface albedo influenced the amount of reflected shortwave radiation in a façade. Furthermore, the highest cooling potential was observed in desert climates as a result of the high vapor pressure deficit with temperature drops of up to 0.25 C.

The outcome of this research indicates that an optimized vertical greenery system is a suitable replacement for artificial insulating materials as a passive alternative to reduce energy demands in buildings. Indicating a decrease in heat transmission from 8% to 50% of the original heat flux. Furthermore, the findings of the urban study suggests that a decrease in the ambient temperature and an overall reduction of the negative impacts related to the urban heat island effect is possible. ... Read more

In the first part of this Architectural master thesis the Circular Economy is studied and results are Applied to the Amstel III district in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In this study the Circular Strategies of Europe, the Netherlands and Amsterdam are distilled into 5 main drivers. The main driver this thesis focusses on is “Design for Disassembly” by creating new modular components with reversible connections. A new design system that allows change in program, volume and façade elements is designed.

The second part of the thesis is the adaptation of this new design system into an architectural composition that fits the current needs of the neighborhood and allows for adaptation to a future scenario in which the urban composition of the area has changed. This architectural design shows the potential for the re-use of materials by transforming from an office building to a mixed use, mid-rise building that houses residential units and a modern interpretation of a library including a restaurant, an exhibition space and flexible workspaces.

The adaptation of this new system leads to a significant decrease in building waste, CO2 emissions and Energy consumption.
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As material stocks are depleting and the building sector plays a big role in using these materials a circular economy can bring a solution to this depleting problem. Within the thoughts of applying the circular economy to the built environment, upscaling would not be possible without the community to engage to the topic. This project of a circular community lab lets people experience the reused materials of the area of Amstel III in a way they can learn from it about circular usage of materials and be inspired by it. The project seeks to explore the different experiences of reused materials into a new architectural language. Where the applied reused materials are coming from the area itself, from the buildings which will in the nearby future be demolished to provide space for a more densified city district and new inhabitants. This project of the circular community lab will therefore also provide a space for the neighbours to go to, create their own identity and express their hobbies or connect with each other with circular initiatives. ... Read more

The problem of linear resource flow is addressed, in this thesis, parallel to the problem of human behaviour with respect to resource use. There is sufficient research being done with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of urban water systems, but not enough to reduce resistance towards such ideas. This resistance is a result of growing comfort and convenience in the developed world which most societies are motivated towards. The objective of this thesis is to define technical and behavioural strategies for water circularity in urban residential neighbourhoods. It addresses both parts of the problem statement, that is, the system of linear resource use and the role of users in the system. Results of research are incorporated into a digital tool that takes context-related inputs and provides options for circular water and pro-environmental behaviour strategies to incorporate in the design of a residential neighbourhood. ... Read more

During the Paris climate conference in December 2015, 195 different countries recognized the dangers of climate change. One of the key points on which the participants of this conference agreed on was that cities should built resilience against the effects of climate change. The changing climate has amongst others major consequences for water systems. In a country such as the Netherlands – which is extremely vulnerable to the consequences of flooding – water should be treated and used differently according to J.M. de Vries, former Secretary of State for Transport, Public Works and Water Management, in order to keep the Netherlands safe and livable. The climate will change considerably in the coming decades. Cities and their buildings will be affected. My graduation focuses on how water can be treated differently within the built environment related to climate change resilience. As project location, I have chosen 'Het Marineterrein' in Amsterdam. This area belongs to the Royal Navy until 2018. In this year, the Navy will leave and the area will be open for redevelopment from then on. My research on how water and its natural cycles can be integrated into a hotel building leads to a design of a bio hotel for 'Het Marineterrein', in Amsterdam. Within the hotel building and its surroundings water is purified, recycled and harvested. The hotel is an inspirational place for hotel guests, visitors and locals, where people can learn about water treatment related to climate change and where they can share their ideas and thoughts about the subject.

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The Dutch government has issued a legislation that follows the Paris Agreement of 2016. This legislation means that all office buildings in 2023 must have minimum energy label C while the ambition in 2030 is to have energy label A and in 2050 zero energy buildings. It is estimated that currently more than half of the office buildings in the Netherlands must take measures to meet this upcoming obligation before 2023. This research helps the building owner with the decision making in which measures they should invest. Office building owners want to know whether investments can be made from a broader sustainability perspective within the value areas People, Planet and Profit that are also financially justified. Therefore a model is designed which will help the building owners in the decision making process. The objective of the model is to enable mathematical operations on different elements. By using the model, office building owners consider their own organizational interests and objectives within the dimensions People, Planet & Profit. This is done in a so-called weighting process of the different dimensions and their criteria. This will lead that informed decisions can be made on the sustainable development of the building which fits the best between the value areas People, Planet and Profit given the objectives of the organization or client. ... Read more