This is a story about an archive that could sit in the heart of Appingedam, Groningen, commemorating two diasporic cultures which, against all the odds, found refuge in this quiet, mediaeval city.

The first Ashkenazi Jewish population saw its birth in Appingedam, Groningen in the early 17th century. Despite centuries of difficulties the community flourished in this small rural city for centuries until it was all but eliminated in the 1940s, starting with their forceful eviction to the Dutch concentration/transit camp Westerbork. My grandmother is the last survivor of this community.

After the war, Kamp Westerbork - renamed Schattenberg - saw the arrival of a new community, the Moluccans. Intended to be a temporary stay whilst the Dutch negotiated their independence as a state from Indonesia, the years saw little progress as it became evident that this temporary stay was quickly becoming permanent. In 1960 it was proclaimed that the Moluccan community would be rehoused permanently across the province of Groningen, with the first city of permanent dwelling being Appingedam. A city which can be walked across in 25 minutes now bore witness to the birth of two significant communities within the Netherlands, centuries apart. Although there could never have been any crossover (one community terminated prior to the other starting) this is the story of how to analyse the intrinsically spiritual connections between two vastly different communities, and how a new syncretic direction for commemoration - one the focuses on the power of a multiplicity of memory rather than the privacy and exclusivity of a single collective remembrance - can be brought forward.

The proposal, titled “Forum for the Built Environment,” surged in response to the observed deficiency of physical spaces conducive to reflection, gatherings, and citizen participation in the city. It was prompted by Estonia’s post- independence trajectory characterised by a shift towards digitalisation. Its primary aim is to function as a platform for democratic dialogue among Tallinn’s citizens on matters of public interest within the domain of the built environment.

Consisting of four distinct buildings, each distinguished by unique architectural features, the project encapsulates the multifaceted essence of Tallinn. These architectural variances symbolise the diversity of perspectives and identities inherent within societal structures, embodying the principles of democracy. The primary objective of Forum for the Built Environment is to establish a neutral ground for open discourse while facilitating collaboration between the city planning office and citizens, ensuring continuous engagement and dialogue. Furthermore, the project is not only experienced within the buildings but also in its outside environment. The project functions as a pathway, crossing through a city block. People can wander off and walk past different architectures. In addition, the ruinous garden is positioned on the eastern side of the project, which offers a space of tranquillity for reflection.

Functionally, the four buildings serve specific programmatic purposes: a Forum space for exhibitions and discussions, an Office for the City Architect for input and opinion gathering, an Archive housing physical and digital materials for city history research, and a children’s day-care facility to support parental engagement in civic activities.

This is an extension project for the radio building complex (Raadiomaja) in Tallinn as a multimedia studio providing both supplementary facilities for the staff and communal spaces for nearby residents. Through sensitive treatment of material, integrated design of sound, light, and nature, and principles of order and proportion, the project tried to provide an apolitical perspective for people to understand the monumental value in Raadiomaja and thereby Tallinn city. At the same time, it creates a warm and peaceful place where people can enjoy art, music, and social activities.

One of the most important concerns of the design is the T-shaped threshold space in between sheltered by an adapted cassette ceiling structure. It carries multiple climate strategies including acoustic, lighting, and ventilation and guides the circulation of different groups of users, realizing both functional and aesthetic values.

Our notion of the public sphere is inherently tied to Western ideas of democracy, as the domain where political decisions are being debated. However, the implosion of official communism and the consequent neoliberal onslaught have fundamentally altered the conception of public space. The availability of space in which public roles can be performed has been drastically reduced, as large organisations strive for political compromises with the state and with each other excluding the public whenever possible. However, spaces near symbols of national importance are inherently charged with political meaning, allowing citizens to position their claims for or against their symbolic values.

In Tallinn, the castle on Toompea hill still accommodates political power (government offices and the parliament), and the conservational approach at this UNESCO world heritage site preserves the medieval hierarchies. The open spaces surrounding the Old Town – the ring of old fortifications - are allocated for recreational use only, including private, commercialized venues as the result of the privatization process in the 90s. Therefore, politically charged events happen elsewhere, detached from the venues of the formal public sphere which, I argue, constitutes a democratic deficit in spatial terms.

Stages of Democracy explores how the immediate vicinity of the Estonian Parliament can be transformed through architectural interventions to accommodate spaces appropriate for performative representation, proposing a novel approach to design public spaces in historically, culturally, and ecologically important locations.

The proposed design aims to build upon the traditions of the site rather than replacing them; nationalising the private sports fields opens the opportunity to add to its uses by providing an appropriable infrastructure for public events. The main architectural intervention is a new theatre, which provides a protected indoor environment for the square to remain usable all year round. Built along an existing retaining wall and partially carved into the hill, the building’s volume is carefully placed to minimise its impact both on the available space for public gatherings and the ecology of the site. The external appearance of the theatre is defined by a large colonnade, which grants the square its public essence. The retractable seating units of the auditorium can be rearranged for various stage layouts and can be rolled out between the columns onto the square for events. The roughly treated bricks of the facade form an interlocking pattern, as if the monolithic Toompea hill got fragmented to little pieces, which then reassembled to form something greater than the sum of their parts. Atop the building, a tower serves as a beacon for ‘looking the president in the eye’, and as an appropriable infrastructure for the public to present their claims using the castle as a backdrop.

Two basic elements of architecture, the column and the tower characterise the project. At a place which is about the physical presence of humans, about seeing bodies and being seen, these vertical elements are important reference points. As suggested by the etymology of words like ‘capital’ (from late Latin capitellum ‘little head’), their origins lie in comparisons to the human body, and therefore relate the human scale (bodies) to the architectural (column) and the urban (tower).

MarketHouse is a hybrid building in the soviet microrayon of Mustakivi, Lasnamae, that integrates residential and commercial spaces, creating a micro-economy system of production and consumption.
This system elevates individuals, making them dignified and self-sufficient, while also fostering social interactions and a sense of belonging within their local community.
Integrating commercial shops into Mustakivi can significantly contribute to street animation, a quality that is lacking in the streets of the site. These shops attract foot traffic and create a sense of bustling activity. Furthermore, they contribute to the local economy, create job opportunities, and enhance the overall liveliness of the area. By promoting entrepreneurship and local businesses, Mustakivi can develop its unique identity and character, distinguishing it as a vibrant and dynamic neighborhood.
For my urban and architectural configuration, I found inspiration in the mat building typology, particularly drawing from North African cities and traditional patterns, whose forms, geometries, and spatial configurations echo the lively essence of animated cities. The volumes of MarketHouse follow a mat grid, which I’ve carefully manipulated to harmonize with the surrounding perimeter, in a combination of different and pure geometries.

Reshaping the shopping mall into a public space - Over the last century, shopping has been transformed into an urban institution through the shopping mall. Originally designed as a meeting place for the population, it was meant to serve as a multipurpose town center that would enhance the human network of activity in the suburbs, safe from the seasons. However, since its conception, retail spaces have taken precedence over the consumer itself and their use as a ‘public space’. However, with the rise of e-commerce, the typical mall design favoring retail is struggling to compete, resulting in closures and abandonment. It is at this crossroads, that this project reconsiders the structure of the mall as a public space that sets the individual above retail and seeks to answer, ‘How the architecture of consumerism can be reshaped to create public space?’.

This project takes the Nautica Keskus mall by the ferry terminal in Tallinn, Estonia, and deconstructs
the consumerist design factors to reach its underlying presence as a public space. The existing
building is given a new rooting in its surroundings by fragmenting the mass and softening its edges.
Taking precedence from the closure of malls and their abandonment, nature is allowed to take over
and revitalize its interior. The building is transformed into an urban park creating natural wildness in an otherwise organized typology. Rather than destroying the building, a heritage approach is taken, seeing malls as a remnant of their time. Three new functions are specified in the building: public functions (library, workshop, and theater), greenhouses and open nature reflecting the Estonian landscape. The building is reused to show the varying states of possible decay, either through complete reuse of the existing, structural reuse only, or natural decay of the structure.

The goal of this project is to join maker and artisan communities in one place. This location acts as a craftsmanship hub, catering to both artisans who sell their designs, and makers who share their knowledge with the community. Combining these two types of users stems from the idea that they can work as a complimentary unit. The artisans provide a sense of inspiration, demonstrating the beauty that can come from handcraft skills. While the makers provide the knowledge and expertise behind how things are crafted. The value of creating this kind of community is to nurture an environment of knowledge exchange and co-creation. Both program types act as nodes of inspiration for the local community to engage with skillful designers and traditional masters. Furthermore, they help remind people of the value of the handmade, and the beauty that can result from it.

The goal of the project is to be a celebration of craftsmanship in every aspect. The program, the design, the detail, and the construction are all meant to be an architecture that reflects the mastery of craft and the ingenuity of makers.

The project aims to ally with the Rotermann District in re-using parts of existing built mass to create recognizable architecture of a coherent style, contrasting in the way it treats the ruins. Its socio-urban effort is based on the understanding of what is necessary to balance out the dominant paradigm of economic growth in the quarter: Spaces for cultural stimulation that spark curiosity, foster a sense of shared responsibility, and engage locals and visitors. Complementary to the effects of mallification, Unfinishing Spaces aims to bind the fragments of space which have fallen out of time (or use) back into the fabric of contemporary architecture.

In the immersive environments of theme parks nothing is what it appears to be. The architecture of such places relies on architectural manipulation, new technologies and
vibrant scenes to create a pleasurescape that would prolong the visitor’s stay. Reflecting on the touristification and disneyfication of Tallinn’s Medieval city centre, ‘The Quarry Theme Park’ is a theoretical and design exploration of deceit in architecture, questioning normative understandings of value, beauty and honesty.
The project argues for the preservation of the soon-to-be-depleted Vao quarry in the avoided and rather unattractive residential area of Lasnamae and its transformation into a theme park. The theme park, situated in the central area of the quarry, is conceived as a sequence of thresholds in a loop, whose purpose is to immerse people into the world of the quarry.
The project has three main parts: the parking, the main entrance, and a typical attraction entrance.
Taking Estonia’s national material as its theme, the park aims to bring awareness of the properties, uses, value, beauty and temporality of limestone through the architecture
and the landscape of the quarry by transforming it into an imaginative landscape. It argues for the value of deceit in architecture by bringing out the qualities of theme parks to immerse, surprise, make us wonder, instill imagination and make us suspend our habits and beliefs.

Tallinna Arkaad | Project description

Tallinna Arkaad (Tallinn's Arcade) is a project situated in Uus Maailm, a subdistrict of Tallinn characterized by poorly maintained buildings and streets and a lack of commercial activities. Despite these issues, Uus Maailm is poised for redevelopment, featuring good public transport access, nearby public buildings, and an underutilized square. The self-imposed ambitions for Uus Maailm include creating distinctive architecture, high-quality public spaces, and a mixed-use environment encompassing living, working, and recreation.

The proposed development is an arcade hybridized with a courtyard along an axis linking a public square to a train terminal. This design merges two popular public space typologies and integrates commercial functions, residences, offices, an embassy, a library, and classrooms, resulting in a dynamic mixed-use complex. The facade materials—limestone, wood, and glass—highlight Tallinn’s historical context while distinguishing between the inner and outer facades of the hybrid structure.

To manage the approximately 57,600 square meter irregular building, the volume is divided into four regular sections, with the irregular 'in-between' spaces developed as atriums. These atriums serve as distinct entry points, creating autonomous building sections. A general grid of 5.4 meters was applied, with slight variations in the arcade section.

The extraordinary appears as meaningless in the lack of the ordinary. The etymology of ordinary sheds light on the orderly; referring to patterns or traits taken to be typical in the behavior of a social group. Since banality finds its way into every corner and situation using automatization processes and normal making mechanisms; it defines the majorities; nonetheless, it is the backbone that can save the extraordinary from becoming kitsch by rerouting it to the more tangible roots it stemmed from, marking a subtlety that defines the boundary between science fictions, and in-depth surreal practices. Banal Dreamscape; is a reflection, and research into the coexistence of the two contradicting forces, and the subtle combination of them using an architectural language through the exploration of each one and them together. influenced by the cinema of David Lynch, and the Lynchian adjective the project tries to reimagine everyday spaces of Dutch suburbia by the creation of objects as products of a certain space and time among the mass-produced entities with a long-lost aura. Banal Dreamscape is a critical reflection on the homogeneity of space, activity, and users in the defined, and defended mosaics of Dutch suburbia, by introducing subtle out-of-context-ness, and a more sympatric territory in the monotonous, least potent places for wonder, seldom considered as architecture and worthy of scrutiny leftovers of suburbia.

Vinex (the fourth report on spatial planning extra), an infamous, widespread, yet successful housing solution by the Dutch Ministry of Housing in its core is a Dutch suburban solution to the housing crisis. Eight hundred thousand mass-produced housing units built in ten years dislocating middle-income families from the centers to small towns surrounding them, shapes the banal context for this project. The Vinex location Eschmarke in the municipality of Enschede in particular in this case, with its border situation, reinforcing the conflict between its neighbors and German drug tourists, called for an integration of sympatric relations to host both conventional and unconventional activities within a neighborhood and to welcome the otherness and formerly sanctioned activity in such neighborhood. The formerly nuisance became a new meaningful sub-layer for the monotone context of the neighborhood in favor of a more resilient, and robust urbanity. Thus, the garage spaces, leftover spaces, and grey zones of architecture became the host to the new activity within this region. Everyday spaces of these low-importance Sub-urban spaces became the backbone for the architectural investigation that came afterward.

An architecture invested in the uniqueness of space, and the importance of atmospheres regardless of the scale of the intervention when no pre-defined value or sublime quality is present. With an eye for the details and cherishing human tangible desires through a redefinition of architectural agents on such small scales. Banal Dreamscape is a concentrated exploration of micro-adjustments to the architectural element where every line plays a defining role, that not only goes beyond the limit of the mundane but explores limits of architecture in ways that no artificial intelligence nor mass production procedure with a focus on bigger pictures and simplification of perception can create nor value. Focusing on creating subtle, bizarre situations in familiar corners of the built environment.

This research addresses how different ways of making entail different ways of knowing,
exploring how material production and knowledge intersect and inform one another. Specifically,
it investigates the knowledge within crafts — examining how skill is developed in the way
craftspeople work – and hypothesises that the material and social conditions surrounding craft
practice produce a specific rationality: a process-oriented way of knowing. These considerations
are brought together in a theory of knowledge in the material productions – an epistemology of
making – whose tenets are subsequentially tested within the field of architecture. Through this
set of conceptual and theoretical tools, the research thus analyses the dynamics of knowing
and making in architecture. Ultimately, this study reflects on the implications of approaching
architecture from the vantage point of its production, offering valuable insights into the dialectics
of design and construction.@en

The project takes its basis in a concern for the future liveability of European cities in regard to public space, public buildings, and public life, looking specifically at the capital city of Budapest in Hungary. Studying internal migration patterns within Hungary, it is clear that while the Budapest conglomerate region have grown in population over the last 30 years, there has been a negative net migration to the Budapest inner city. The urban population is choosing to a larger degree to move to village suburbs in the conglomerate region, mainly due to the access to nature and recreational space that these places offer, suggesting that the city is failing to supply an attractive alternative for the local living environment of the inner city. Though large efforts and funds are already dedicated to address this, my research and design questions the impact current developments in the city have on the perceived recreational value of the living environment within the local city block. The project investigates the core concept of “publicness” and the separation of public and private realms, aiming to challenge the ways public space and public buildings are configured and realized.

The investigation resulted in a design for a multifunctional building and an urban green strategy which aims at addressing the “everyday” aspects of public space and public lives. The focus lies on ways in which public buildings to a larger degree can offer spaces for everyday activities rather than curated experiences and ways which these spaces can become appropriable for users to utilise as they please and in the ways they see fit. The specific mixite of functions and the configuration of program around loosely programmed “in-between” spaces has been crucial to achieve a degree of ambiguity in terms of use and purpose of space, something which becomes a driver for appropriability and the perception of public space as an extension of the private living sphere.

For millennia, humans have lived, constructed, and cultivated along the banks of rivers. Rivers are the genius loci of these riverside cities, embodying the spirit of the place and its people. Rivers have been the source of life upon which civilization was built: providing water, power, and transport, but are also spiritually deeply meaningful for many cultures and religions around the world. It is within this context that my graduation project focuses on the urban landscape of the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, exploring its spiritual significance.

Despite being a daily presence for the city's inhabitants, the connection between the people and the river has been lost over time due to infrastructure and urbanization. This project aims to relink the people of Budapest to the river, fostering a deeper spiritual awareness, and appreciation for the river as a living, breathing embodiment of Budapest's past, present, and future.

Just as human bodies embody the imprints of traumatic experiences, so does the river retain the memory of the place. By viewing the river as a body of water, like the human body, the river keeps the score of the city, as a repository of collective history.

Religion is understood not only as the institutionalized systems of beliefs that operate in the world today, but also with the origin of the word. Its etymology, derived from the Latin "religare," meaning "to put together what has previously been separated," captures the essence of this project's objective, throughout all scales.

The program consists of a museum and a chapel: the first being a place for the muses, a place of revelation and (re)discovery; the latter as a sanctuary of contemplation. Their purpose is to reveal, to show again, the river's significance from different perspectives.

The museum is situated perpendicular on the riverbank of Óbudai Island, revealing the river flowing alongside the city against a backdrop of the mountains. The chapel, located on the tip of Margaret Island, reveals the diverging river as part of the horizon and the sky. The route from one to the other acts as a filter of the river, alternating between moments of covering and revealing, sharp and subtle contrasts. From the flowing river to the majestic mountains, from the vibrant cityscape to the expansive horizon and vast skies, the journey offers a series of panoramic scenes.

This design proposal aims to be meaningful for the collective of Budapest in re-evaluating our relationship with the nature from which our city originated. Its essence is religious, in the linking of the islands, of two buildings, of materials, and of the humans with the landscape. The project reveals the outward landscape of the city, abstracting it in the architecture; allowing the human to empathize with it, and with our inner selves and place on this earth.

The project takes as a starting point the architectural exploration and revival of the typology of a courtyard block – a type that has a long history in the city of Budapest and yet, is getting abandoned and rejected in the in the last decades – a predicament that surprises as the type has been realised successfully for centuries and even millennia across the world. For that fact, I take a stance that a courtyard is a universal and everlasting type, but in need of adaptation to the changing conditions of current times.
The main flaws of the majority of Budapestian courtyard blocks derive from the very failure to adapt to growing and densifying cities – in pursuit to densify the plots, the courtyards became overly elongated, narrow, dark and uninviting. Another common weakness is the deteriorating state of the courtyards resulting from a complex and inefficient system of ownership in Hungary. As a result, even once beautiful courtyards and facades became neglected and deteriorated as it proved difficult to make the residents look after them on their own account without any system.
The revitalisation of a Budapestian courtyard is then two-fold – systematic and architectural. As part of the design, all properties in the project come partially owned by the municipal/civic body to ensure organised maintenance and enduring quality of the building. The main architectural improvements are opening up the dwellings to at least both sides of the block introducing more light and diverse views, and careful proportioning of the courtyards ensuring sufficient access of light and a more usable space.
The project lies in a in a mainly residential neighbourhood in a place that is historically and morphologically very heterogenous. It aims to give back coherency to the urban tissue that is currently broken, by working with a rectangular perimeter. The buildings use the courtyard system to break down the scale of the block and create multiple different environments and more private spaces within.
The project explores the diversity of the courtyard typology and plays with the juxtaposition of different types, introducing both outdoor and indoor courtyards, large and small ones, public and private, loud and quiet, exposed and secluded, green and paved, colourful and toned, densely and lightly programmed. A vast study of courtyards across the world brought forth the forms and techniques that make them successful, giving inspiration for the design that aims to capture these different qualities and collect them creating a diverse courtyard maze.
The project is of mixed program – housing with retail, restaurants and cafes, and a library. The mixed use, together with a variety of courtyards introduced life into the block and creates an engaging living environment.

This graduation project investigates the potential of a site in the interior of an urban block in the 19th century neighborhood of Újlipótváros in the north of Budapest. The proposal is to convert this previously private and fenced off underused area into a cultural center within a large collective space. An open space divided in public and private naturally coming forth from the shape of the existing buildings. The cultural center is composed of 3 buildings each in a different relationship to the existing, a theatre build against a party wall, a courtyard of multipurpose spaces squeezed in between the existing buildings around a large existing tree and a free standing tower housing a gallery. All buildings are using the same structural logic, in a system of engineered wooden elements which can be installed without damaging the delicate site. The space in between is the connector of these buildings and is the core of the project, the potential of these inner courtyard blocks is to be a space for retreat and create an space away from the harsh and imposing environment that the surrounding city can be.

In a world that is becoming more virtual by the day, there is a longing for physicality that yearns to be fulfilled. This thesis explores the potential of architecture to evoke diverse behaviors and emotions, drawing from the idea that individual perceptions of space are subjective and influenced by the memories and knowledge ours bodies have absorbed from our unique lived experiences. With Budapest as a dynamic testing ground, the thesis focuses on activating the Danube waterfront.

The proposed project consists of a retreat that transitions the people from Budapest to the water fostering a more symbiotic relationship between the urban community and the river.

The project comprises two parts. The first is a private bathhouse facility, nestled within a once-concrete expanse in a park and sheltered within a public layer. The result is a building that outwardly serves the public, while inwardly housing an introvert private bathing facility. The second is a public floating structure, paying homage to the evocative reminiscences of old pontoon pools with a purpose of re-activating the historical legacy of swimming in the river. By sewing these two worlds together in one area, while bridging the community physically to the river, the proposal becomes a revitalisation of the waterfront.

The goal was to craft an architecture that delivers spaces capable of leaving a lasting impression on the mind and bodies of those who engage and experience them. Architecture is the set for life to happen, and we, as set designers, choreograph and orchestrate different scenarios and environments for different users to engage with - and the play plays out.