Now almost 50 years old, the woonerf is challenged with social and technical deterioration, poor energy performance, misalignment of demographics and typology and an overall negative image. Because the housing stock consists of 20% of woonerf residents, there is considerable reason to seek for a solution to make this type of neighbourhood future-proof. In this national task to renovate and adapt entire neighbourhoods, there is another issue to consider: our linear consumption trends. The consequence of the linear economy is a worldwide waste crisis, pollution, and the depletion of finite resource. That is why we need to switch to circular consumption. Which means going from a take-make-dispose system to an economy in which resources are circulated. This project therefore combines the challenge of future-proofing the woonerf and the transition to circular consumption into a test case that aims to experiment with the woonerf as a circular neighbourhood. The final product is a research-informed design for the neighbourhood Goedewerf in Almere Haven.

Inspired by the Existenzminimum movement of the early 20th century, the feasibility of historic efficient housing concepts is studied. The canvas for this is the renovation design of a post-65 housing complex in Amsterdam. Three concepts reinterpreted into a modern context and applied in the design. The first is a sharing concept with smaller individual homes and shared amenities and functions. The second is a flexible plan concept in which the home itself is made as efficient as possible. The final implemented concept is a institutionalized squatting concept with lowest rent possible. The feasibility is assessed through judging the design in 18 categories before and after the renovation.

Problem statement:
To keep good quality housing affordable in the Netherlands we are currently facing two main assignments:
1. Establishment of new homes.
2. The renovation of existing houses to make them more sustainable.
Within the New Heritage studio both issues are addressed together within the context of nineteen-seventies an eighties residential areas. A large part of the Dutch housing stock consists of this type of neighbourhoods, they often have relatively much potential for densification and a their insulation and installations are currently often insufficient or outdated.
In this project adaptability is used as a guiding theme to address these problems. This focus serves both a societal and a scientific purpose. Contemporary ideas about Open Building can be strengthened by reuse of the ideas of architects from the seventies of which the effect is already visible in their buildings. And on the other hand the adaptability of these existing building has to be strengthened to become more sustainable and house new groups of residents.

Research Question:
How can strategies for adaptability and appropriation as used in the experimental housing from the nineteen-seventies be reused in sustainable renovation and densification of neighborhoods from this period?

Subquestions:
- What is adaptable architecture?
- What was the program for experimental housing in the nineteen-seventies?
- Which strategies for adaptable architecture were applied in the projects that were part of the program?
- Why and how is densification and sustainable renovation of nineteen-seventies neighbourhoods required?
- How can the found strategies for adaptable architecture contribute to this?

Structure:
The research and design methodology is subdivided in five steps, of which the first two form the research part and the following three the design (image 3). These steps are:

1. Identify different strategies
2. Investigate how they are applied

In these steps information about the cases is distracted from primary sources and secondary literature using literature study and plan analyses. This information is translated into diagrams that show the different strategies that are found and their application.

3. Evaluate effects on design location
4. Define a brief
5. Design an integrated plan

In the design part the outcomes of the research part are combined with the value assessment that was made using the Kamari model (Kamari, Corrao, & Kirkegaard, 2017) and scenario studies. On the bases of this analysis a brief is defined based on different design scenarios. Hand sketches and physical models are used for both research purposes and as a presentation medium. Especially models are investigated as a way to present the design to residents and involve them in the design of their own houses and neighbourhood.

Suitable housing and its availability: it seems to be a problem within almost every phase of the housing career in the Netherlands, as the housing market is stagnating. Our older generation is held responsible for this national problem, but why? Deliberate occupation of the ‘oversized’ family home would be the easiest conclusion, but puts a heavy weight on this part of society. If these empty-nesters are not relocating, as is apparently expected of them for having an abundance of living space, what does this say about their preferences of the living environment? Listening to this generation for the sake of letting this operation of flow in the housing market succeed, is of utmost importance and priority. Instead of creating living environments focused on one generation or target group, the task within this research is to find a way to design inclusive and accessible living environments. Thereby, stagnation could be avoided in the future by this particular cause. After all, a mixture of different generations in the living environment is preferred both by older residents as by the general population. Within this task for diversification of the living environment for the sake of inclusivity, lies a hidden gem: a catalyst for the renovation task. By 2030, insulation of existing dwellings becomes mandatory in Europe for the sake of a climate-neutral society by 2050. When revitalizing existing living environments by means of inclusivity and quality, the climate task could fit perfectly within this picture. Especially these existing living environments are a very important subject, as with this renovation task the Dutch built environment could and probably will visually change tremendously in the upcoming decades. Therefore, the valuation by stakeholders of the current appearance and functioning of living environments up for renovation, are important in the face of physical and emotional heritage. As a large percentage of the Dutch housing stock will be insulated in the upcoming 30 years, these values are of great importance to prevent any loss of potential heritage. Enlarging the lifespan of these living environments by diversification, inclusivity and a high quality of living can therefore be achieved, as is the case for the renovation design of Bijlmerplein, an urban, residential center in Amsterdam. It turns out that it does pay off to take into account stakeholder valuations instead of wrapping the building in a blanket, because renovation can be revitalization rather than insulation.

This graduation project addresses the societal relevance of the increasingly urgent building envelope renovations of Post 65 suburban housing in the light of the necessary improvement of energy performance. The Post 65 aesthetic and spatial identity stands a good chance of being underexposed in the renovation practice because of the lack of public appreciation of Post 65 architecture and the still developing body of knowledge. This project shows that by strengthening and/or adding Post 65 aesthetic and spatial attributes in renovation design there is a future for the valuable Post 65 aesthetic and spatial identity. Through developing know-how for contextualist renovation design that uses Post 65 aesthetic and spatial vocabulary this projects creates guidance for future-proof renovations for a lower probability of compromised heritage values. The academic relevance of this project is characterised by the critical historiographical perspective on existing literature that discusses Dutch Post 65 architecture. The research output is a contribution to this still developing body of knowledge on Dutch Post 65 architecture.

HOPTILLE 2.0, a project aiming to improve the liveability of the neighbourhood Hoptille in Amsterdam. The research is based on literature study of Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl, as well as, interviews with the residents of the neighbourhood. The main outcomes of the research that were used for the design, focused on the keyword list of Jan Gehl and the three interventions of Jane Jacobs, like ‘eyes on the street’, ‘clear boundaries between public and private land’ and ‘frequently used’. A large number of the buildings Amsterdam south-east are from the 70s/80s/90s and many of these have elements of Postmodernist Architecture. My methodology demonstrates that, however old the building is, it is by no means always necessary to demolish it. As an architect, one can respect the heritage values by maintaining a number of characteristic elements. Despite the problems in Hoptille and the many challenges in terms of living comfort, technical comfort and urban planning issues, it has many architectural qualities that must be seen as New Heritage. The ambition of my project is to value and maintain Hoptille’s architectural qualities. And with that treat the building with respect, treat the residents with respect, treat the neighbourhood with respect, treat the city of Amsterdam with respect and the planet with respect. I believe that value begins with liveability. Once we address this, everything can be built on it. That is why I have started the design based on a theoretical framework on liveability.

Cities are volatile zones that undergo a process of constant change and adaptation. (Wilson, 2020) Like this quote, cities are constantly changing. After development, it declines and regains vitality through urban regeneration. These cities are sometimes likened to living organisms. Cities that have lost their vitality and declined due to these characteristics seek ways to revive the city. After World War II, industrial cities introduced art and culture as catalysts for urban regeneration. Art, which was introduced to revitalize the economy, has expanded its meaning to ideas about community, urban history, artists, and aesthetics. Art is now used as an industrial city and as a means of urban regeneration in various urban contexts. What is art in art-led urban regeneration? Art appears in various forms in the city. It is not limited to visible paintings, performances, or music, but more appearances. The Heesterveld creative community shows that in a nutshell. Here, art sometimes appears as an artist community, a neighborhood party where residents perform together and combined with Suriname culture. There is something here beyond the art of painting and music that we commonly perceive. The project is a new project to portray the various forms of art and the potential of art in the urban area. It is also a project to test what role architecture can play to root those various arts in the community deeply.
Like the project's title, BEYOND ART BEYOND COMMUNITY, the project aims to create a more expanded community by planting various art forms beyond what we commonly think of as paintings and music in the community. After all, it is a project that aims to draw a new value on the canvas of cities beyond art and community.

Clipping Kampung aims to improve the resilience of Hoptille neighbourhood in Amsterdam based on lessons learned from Indonesian Kampung. At least, two main qualities from Kampung that are useful for Hoptille’s resilience problem have been identified: adaptability and transformability. The Kampung has a quality to be more adaptable due to its residents’ bond that encourages them to help and take care of each other and their environment. Moreover, it also has a transformability quality, in which the neighbourhood’s function shifts, enriches and organically grows over time. This project believes that time is the dimension that allows people to add layers of growth to their environment. Understanding the Kampung qualities can help create intervention and framework to tackle Hoptille’s socio-spatial issues, hence improving its resilience. Based on the qualities mentioned above, Clipping Kampung is designed as an intervention that offers flexibility and option towards future needs by accommodating the change of functions or size in the Hoptille neighbourhood more flexibly while also promoting higher adaptability.

This project explores a residential building from 1982 that can be found in Amsterdam. Using several interviews and research into the potential heritage values of the building a transformation is proposed.

"NEW HERITAGE” The studio New Heritage focuses on the existing housing stock within Amsterdam Zuidoost: „Many neighbourhoods face social problems of liveability and demographic changes. Moreover, this housing, like all of our stock, should meet the future standards of energy performance, which leads to an urgent need for energy upgrading. The question arises if keeping this housing is feasible, when taking into account the complexity of technical, social, economic and aesthetic issues.“ (New Heritage, 2020) During this studio the aim has been to develop an answer on the housing stock of H-Buurt, an area within Bijlmermeer, and if it is suitable for further use or not? To make decisions on this, value-based design shall help to extract existing values as well as challenges to get a good understanding of the needs of H-Buurt.   THE PROJECT IDencity is located in Hakfort as part of H-Buurt in Amsterdam Zuidoost. The project addresses the non-used car park Hakfort. The car park has been built as part of the expansion plan of Amsterdam in the mid 70’s and was originally connected to the high-rise dwelling Hakfort. The once facilitating function to society is nowadays not given anymore, since the car park finds itself empty and faces demolition in 2022 in order to make space for a new development driven by the municipality of Amsterdam. As original part of Bijlmer’s master plan, the car park incorporates the characteristics of the functional city approach, which puts the car into the centre of the city and gives Bijlmer part of its identity.  Therefore, IDencity aims to draw an alternative solution to the demolition by analysing its value from an environmental, social and economic perspective. Programmatically, the project proposes an adaptive, low-carbon transformation of the existing structure into a social hub, while offering an answer to the national housing shortage by adding 120 dwellings.  In summary, IDencity aims to push circularity on both a building and a society level by creating places and spaces where the existing is complemented by additions to serve both environment and society.  RESEARCH QUESTION How can the adaptive reuse of car park Hakfort offer solutions to current challenges while strengthen the genius loci? Sub question 1: How can the transformation provide an answer to the national goal of carbon neutrality by 2050? Sub question 2: What possibilities of serving the one million homes challenge can be achieved while keeping the existing car park’s structure?  Sub question 3: How can the adaptive reuse enhance the buildings’ value to society?  CONCLUSION Environmental challenges as well as societal needs have been extracted as key elements of the proposed project. To deal with an existing structure, which is currently not used and to re-dedicate it to society can show value in keeping existing buildings rather than demolishing them. Additionally, environmental goals, like carbon neutrality and circularity can give impulses to confront oneself with the building in depth. In the framework of “New Heritage”, this results in a value based design that extracts values, enhances them and can result in valuable proposals that helps to transition towards a more sustainable built environment. In the case of car park Hakfort, high environmental value of its structure, historical value as part of original Bijlmer, as a functional city, can be used to develop a highly connective building, which interacts with society and surroundings.  With its holistic approach, the project tackles relevant themes while offering flexibility to its solution.

This graduation thesis was executed within the studio New Heritage in which the question was raised whether postmodern architecture can be valued as heritage. Multiple postmodern neighbourhoods suffer from a stigma. Outsiders have a negative image where insiders are much more positive about their neighbourhood. This master thesis focusses on the project site Hoptille, located in the Bijlmermeer, Amsterdam-Southeast. It answers the design question: “How to transform the current neighbourhood in such a way that both insiders and outsiders would live in Hoptille by a neutral or positive choice?”. This transformation balances the interests of insiders and outsiders resulting in image enhancement in combination with the preservation of identity. Finally, densification has been taken into account regarding the topical question of 1 million homes by 2030.

Many apartment buildings built in the 1980’s are now being considered for demolition, because their technical installations are outdated. However, such demolitions would result in the loss of values, such as social value as well as embodied energy. Transformation of the buildings will preserve the values, but in the future further renovations will be needed as unforeseen challenges arise. By also adding adaptability to these buildings, these future renovations will be easier and will result in a lower loss of values. Furthermore, adaptability allows the building to easily adapt to the needs of individual users. This project offers an approach on how to add adaptability to a building, while preserving the values associated to it.

In the interest of the ‘new heritage’, the project explores the greater potential of the existing public spaces in an 80s residential neighborhood, Bijlmerplein. The design speculates how an adaptive reuse of an under-designed shopping mall from the 1980s can stimulate a fair healthy living environment within a broader neighborhood. A series of interventions, which were informed by the stakeholders, aim to improve the quality of public spaces and hence strengthen the heritage value of the site, while providing a vision to create a healthy sustainable public life for the post covid future. The project 1) remodels the existing shopping plinth and the surrounding urban structure to create more healthy and accessible public spaces, 2) integrates a cultural venue within the plinth to bring in more enjoyment and stronger identity of the neighborhood. It proposes a reciprocal activation between a spatial reform of an 80s shopping plinth, and the functional reinforcement of its local cultural activities. Ultimately, the design suggests an alternative viability of those deteriorating privatized shopping malls as a better public venue to strengthen the lifespan of the post-modern architecture.

The building consists of 3 programs mentioned above and each program works as a bridge. The goal of the marketplace is to be a cultural bridge by providing interaction between people including locals and immigrants. To achieve this, a routing system of Katendrecht street was introduced that connects the inside and outside of the building, draws people with diverse background deep into the building, links them to the history of the building and expands their understanding of the multi-cultural world. To make the Fenix ensemble legible as a historic entity again and include street connecting Wilhelmina pier into routing system. Despite the recent changes to the Fenix 1 building, the market place will be extended to lower part of Fenix 1 and become huge cultural area with Deliplein. In addition, the lost part on quay-side will be restored to restore weakened connection between water. Above the marketplace, there is an education center for immigrants and both spaces are interconnected. By doing so, locals and immigrants can communicate in many ways and this space will be social bridge. The migration museum links above two programs as a historic symbol of the building. It also links past and present, users to history and shows the root of the building.

The Maassilo, an enormous concrete creature, a remnant of the prosperous growth of the Rotterdam harbour, lies unmoved and quenching for thirst on the bare and abandoned quay. Its identity intertwined with Rotterdam’s DNA and its presence is a pure display of structural power. As part of the studio Heritage + Architecture the project demonstrates the constant dialogue of industrial buildings in port cities that deal with environmental issues and identity loss. The project follows an expressive journey that revolves around the power of words and experiences that put the new design on display and exhibit the historical and hidden layers of the building to the public. The result is an affirmation that the Maassilo is a site of cultural heritage even though it doesn’t bolster a monumental status. The thesis shows that the building, although originally designed for industrial activities, can embody the human scale and industrial scale to have a symbiotic relation.

This project explores a social housing project from 1979 that is located in the Bijlmer area of Amsterdam and is based upon three main topics; Preservation, Community and Future Proof.
By researching the potential heritage value of the building blocks, conducting specific literature research and by interviewing different stakeholders a transformation is proposed based on the research question; How can the residential area of Hoptille be transformed into sustainable future proof housing complexes, by strengthening the present social community and preserving its architectural values.

The Loss of biodiversity has become a global challenge in recent years, the number and species of bees which are one of the most effective indicators for the bioenvironmental state of an ecosystem have declined in the Netherlands in the past few decades.

As for the case of southeast Amsterdam, bees can only be found in big parks which are planned for regional use, there is a loss of smaller scaled good quality green spaces to make the whole ecosystem more complete.

Bijlmerplein is a well-known shopping district in southeast Amsterdam, Amsterdamse Poort is a landmark of this district. In terms of this social value, Amsterdamse Poort can take the leading role which serves as a ‘stepping stone’ (neighbourhood scale garden) and one important part of the ecosystem framework in Amsterdam Southeast. Meanwhile,it is a testing field for biophilic architecture renovation approaches in urban contexts. The project strengthens the symbiotic relationships between the hub and its environment. For example, the facade buffer zone offers urban habitats for pollinators such as bees and butterflies. The circular ‘green route’ along the facade also provides recreational experience for local residents and other users.

This community garden will also become the green education activator for promoting eco-friendly awareness of the public, disseminating the importance of pollinators to the ecosystem and popularizing a pollinator-friendly agricultural approach which is beneficial to biodiversity. Visitors are encouraged to take the seeds/ seedlings and learnt knowledge from the hub to their clusters and houses, which help to create bio-gardens and pollinator’s habitat in the next level (cluster scales and building scales). Edible plants can be planted in these gardens, then those turn to urban farms which are under the support of the biophilic community hub, and their products can be sold in the hub afterwards. These urban farms also help residents to have economic profits and cultivate community connections, which is a community-reinvigorated proposal taking biodiversity concerns as the pointcut...

Katoenveem is a warehouse which was built specifically for the storage and transshipment of cotton bales. From 1919 to 1964 Katoenveem was used for the storage and transshipment of cotton. Thereby it was related to the water and its surrounding area. Over time the building lost its original function and its connection to the surrounding area. In 2002 the building got listed as a national monument. Although between 1964 and 2002 the building was sometimes occupied it never got a new permanent or long-term function and has been vacant for some years now. This project proposes a design for the adaptive reuse of the old cotton warehouse. The research question of the project is: How can Katoenveem be adapted to accommodate a new cultural function that fits within the context while keeping its historical and cultural values? This research question is answered according to two strategies: contemporary continuation and mixed program. The mixed program ensures a connection to the surrounding area and its (future) needs while the contemporary continuation ensures the preservation of historical and cultural values. The original ideas and design are translated to contemporary needs. By using the original layout and a modular system this project refers to the past while also thinking about the future.

In 1920 the architect J. J. Kanters designed the warehouse ‘the Katoenveem’. The building is situated in the Merwe-Vierhavens of the port delta of Rotterdam. It was constructed as a part of the infrastructure that relied on the import and export of Cotton. The position of the Katoenveem in this transit system divines the character of the building. The way the building used to function determines its architecture with innovative installations. The Katoenveem is an architectural object that contributes to the memory of the historical relationship with the harbor. In the development of the cultural program, they attempted to match the preservation of architectural values and the type of use. In order to preserve its industrial scale, interior expression of the concrete structure, the character of the infill needed to be as temporary as possible. This resulted in a contemporary art space where exhibitions change with a wide range of arts. Approaching the former warehouse spaces as one type of use large open spaces arise to match curatorial ambitions and diverse programs of contemporary culture. The exhibition spaces themselves are unprecedented in the Netherlands in terms of scale and character. This museum concept is a result of an alignment between the ambition of future use and the conclusions of the cultural value assessment. The design proposal can be divided into three main types of architectural methods: preservation, intervention, and addition. Each strategy safeguards different elements of Katoenveem’s cultural significance. The restorative approach to the existing fabric consists of restoration, reconstruction, and preservation of its exterior expression. The interventions provide accessibility to the walkways on the 1st floor while extending its durability and safety with a minimal visual impact. The addition is a continuation of the Katoenveem as an ensemble providing all the spaces a museum function needs without compromising on the industrial scale of the interior. The architecture’s concept of this temporary character is embedded in its adaptability and flexibility considering the new and the old. Minimal interventions in the existing fabric allow improvements to its internal climate and functionality. The new building is conceived as an engine for an unique art space facilitating close collaboration between exhibition, curation, and production. For the exhibition spaces in the Katoenveem, an operational framework limits the options of display. Supportive, electrical boundaries determine the place of display and lighting. The new ensemble can accommodate the whole process of art, generating an infrastructure rather than a museum. Therefore the architecture needs to provide the ability to adapt quickly, resulting in an open architecture.

What would the world look like when we, as people, live more in harmony with our direct natural environment? Living more connected to nature can be beneficial for people as well as the earth itself. The question here is where are we now and how far can we go? De neighbourhood of De Werven, located in Almere-Haven, offers great potential for this vision. This 80’s neighbourhood, inspired by the garden city principle, is one of many in the Netherlands. It offers space, standardization and quality which translates to the appreciation of the residents. The HumaNature concept focusses on supporting values and not harming them. It is inevitable that sustainability will play a bigger role in our society and this should be embraced in the form of a balance between existing and new values. Since nature needs time to grow, the neighbourhood should grow with it. The design supports a transformation into a neighbourhood with harmony between people and nature. This harmony is designed in all layers and is carried by the densification question the Netherlands has to cope with. “Geen verplichting, wel belang” is the ambition for the project, where we have to consider the current residents. Giving people the feeling that when participating in this vision, an enrichment of the daily life can be reached. This will create the feasibility of the project. The HumaNature concept will make the neighbourhood future resilient with the preservation of the character and the ideals of the existing.