Dit onderzoek richt zich op de ontwikkeling van een integrale ruimtelijke strategie voor bouwen en wonen op veengronden in Nederland, als antwoord op de woningcrisis en de gevolgen van klimaatverandering. Een amfibische woonvorm van wonen op palen wordt onderzocht, waarmee verschillende grondwaterstanden in het gebied mogelijk worden als uitgangspunt voor ruimtelijke inrichting. De strategie is uitgewerkt op drie schaalniveaus: stedenbouwkundig, cluster- en woningniveau, en onderzoekt hoe bouwen op veen mogelijk wordt gemaakt door middel van lichte, flexibele bouwmethoden, innovatieve funderingstechnieken en adaptief waterbeheer. Hierbij speelt het APSSI-systeem (Aquifer Pressured SubSoil Infiltration) een centrale rol in het reguleren van waterstanden en het tegengaan van bodemdaling. Het onderzoek combineert ecologische, technische en maatschappelijke inzichten tot een toekomstvisie waarin water en bodem sturend zijn voor de inrichting van het land, in lijn met de uitgangspunten van het Nationaal Deltaprogramma 2025. Hiermee wordt een nieuwe amfibische cultuur voorgesteld waarin wonen op veen niet langer uitzondering, maar norm kan worden. ... Read more

This paper explores the densification of nontraditional post-war staircase entrance apartments in the Netherlands as a potential solution to the housing shortage. It examines the characteristics of nontraditional construction systems and their load-bearing capacities. The study employs methods such as literature review, research by design, and calculations. The results identify various densification strategies such as changing accessing, repurposing storage spaces, adding stories, and other extensions. The challenges associated with each strategy are analyzed. Calculations and literature research reveal that the foundation's capacity typically limits vertical extensions, recommending a maximum additional weight of 10-12%. Additionally, the inclusion of galleries is essential for certain densification types, with a maximum depth requirement of approximately 2000mm to comply with Dutch building regulations. The design project is about expanding and enhancing post-war staircase entrance buildings on urban and building scale, combined with a lightweight SIP construction method. ... Read more

Dutch resettlement housing for refugees is stressed due to the ongoing refugee crisis. As a result, the quality of housing cannot always be guaranteed, with negative consequences in terms of wellbeing. Architects, therefore, need tools to better integrate well-being into resettlement housing. Biophilic design offers a solution to combine wellbeing and dwelling. However, the suitability of this design approach has not previously been tested for resettlement housing and its target group. By compiling a pattern language from literature and testing it with both case studies and the Dutch regulation framework, a toolkit has been created for architects. The suitability of applying biophilic design in Dutch resettlement housing has been shown. The toolkit contains principles for the different patterns as well as generic principles. To translate these principles into practical tools, they are supported by various tools. This way, the architect has the opportunity to properly integrate biophilic design for well-being into the design, raising the quality of resettlement housing. ... Read more

This thesis explores the relationship between architecture and water in the Netherlands, focusing on how architecture can enhance the sublime experience of water in the Biesbosch. The concluding words of H. Marsman’s poem “Memory of Holland” – "And in all the regions, the voice of the water is dreaded and heard" – express the Dutch mentality towards water as a continuous battle. While the construction of the Deltaworks and the transformation of wetlands into polders may seem to show the victory of this battle, it raises the question: should we continue to adopt such a violent attitude towards water? Throughout history, water has been depicted in literature, art, and folklore not only as a destructive force but also as a source of life, imagination, and renewal. This duality aligns with the experience of the Sublime: a powerful tension Between awe and fear, urging reflection on our place within the greater natural world, while offering the possibility of spiritual engagement beyond institutionalized religion. This research addresses how architecture can create a meaningful relationship with water by examining Dutch attitudes towards water, exploring artworks and literature, and analysing the physical experience of water through fieldwork, mapping, and the study of natural processes. It also investigates water-related architectural case studies to understand how built environments can reflect and enhance the sublime qualities of water. The findings suggest that sublime architecture should embrace natural processes, acknowledging the frightening and discomforting aspects they may evoke. To deeply engage visitors, architecture should both harmonize with and challenge existing perceptions of self and place. By doing so, the dual nature of water can shift from a source of fear to one of sublime reflection. ... Read more

The currently mostly inefficient resource management neglects valuable existing stocks, and grey
energy and emissions contribute to a building sector misaligned with climate goals. Amid these
challenges, rammed earth, an ancient material, is experiencing a sustainable construction resurgence by transforming under-utilized non-hazardous soil excavations into a building material. However, traditional on-site fabrication is expensive and labor-intensive. The investigation of four already existing methods of prefabrication combined with requirements in sub-urban residential housing generates a strategy of how the use of the material can be scaled up considering aspects of efficiency, circularity, and aesthetics. ... Read more

"What if the dikes were to break? How can we then live with the water in the most beautiful way?" The Netherlands has a long history of battling against the water. It is high time to embrace the water in a new vision for the Netherlands called "PLAN B: Future waterscapes."

“PLAN B: Future waterscapes” is a utopian vision, building upon the agenda of LOLA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, where we expand the city beyond the dikes. A central tower is introduced, intended for use as both a water reservoir and for residential purposes, inspired by the Indus civilization. Thanks to the flexible and sustainable structure of this building, it can expand along the dike, adding a new urban fabric to the historical city of Delft.
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This research aims to encourage healthy behaviour within the built environment using a technique called nudging. Mostly used outside of the field of architecture, nudging aims to improve health by presenting options in such a way people a more likely to choose one option (a healthier alternative), without losing any freedom of choice.

To allow architects and urban designers to improve user health a framework was developed that proposes design elements. These elements aim to improve health by promoting healthy social, mental and physical behaviour. Examples are healthy food options, signage towards staircases instead of elevators, communal spaces, materiality and much more.

The graduation design explored how user health within architecture can be promoted using the proposed framework. The design project itself focuses not only on improving mental, social and physical health for the inhabitants but also on how a building can be valuable as a health centre in it's neighborhood. This is done whitin an existing context of a rehabilitation clinic in Amsterdam West.
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Out of a fascination for building with wood straw and clay a design for a workshop for teaching to build with natural materials has been made. Research has been done on traditional Dutch wood frames and the building skin out of wood, reed and straw.
The design outcome is a complex of buildings in the Brettenzone, that is built from materials of the local forest only. ... Read more

The Dutch coast is facing many changes shortly to keep up with the increase in tourism, wind farms, housing, and sea-level rise. To preserve the coastal place-identity under these changes, it is important to research what elements constitute the place-identity of the Holland Coast. Place-Identity, in this paper, is defned as a combination of landscape features, build features and the space these feature result in. The history of the landscape is described. The history of coastal settlements is explored along defning moments that impact how these places look today and the type of buildings that came to be. Through
analysis of historic and present-day photos, the architectural identity is formulated, based on three themes. Firstly, the positioning in the landscape, secondly an elaboration on the transition between inside and outside, and thirdly a focus on materials that come from nature, like wood and brick, materials that show natural forces, like textiles, and bright colours and reflect the abundance of sunlight associated with the coast. This theory is validated by seeing these elements protected by the aesthetics regulations (Welstands normen) of several municipalities. ... Read more

This graduation arises from the urgent need to revitalize a problematic post-war neighbourhood in Amsterdam-West. There is a lack of places for residents to connect with each other and with their built environment. The zones between the private and public domain, the transition zones of the ‘General Expansion Plan’ aren’t enabling or encouraging residents to appropriate, modify or participate in them. This graduation focusses on finding out what conditions enable the use of and give quality to the transition zones and will be the starting point for revitalizing a neighbourhood. The design question was: ‘How could the design of new transitional zones between the private and public domain of the infill, support and tissue level, enable and encourage appropriation, modification and participation in the Lodewijk van Deysselbuurt, in order to improve the solidarity between current and new residents and their attachment with the built environment?’ The research was oriented towards Open Building projects. The focus was on the participation of residents on various levels of the design process and the measures that are integrated to enable residents to change parts of the building to their preferences and also the process of enabling this and processing it up till today. How were the residents involved in the design process and after the completion? Did the residents make use of this possibility to change? And how was this managed? The research question was: ‘How is the Open Building concept over time enabling and encouraging residents to appropriate, modify and participate in the transition zones of the support and tissue level?’ The result of the research paper together with a project site analyses created conditions for the design phase. The relation between research and design can be found in the physical and non-physical elaboration of the project. The outcome of the research created both physical and non-physical conditions to use in future Open Building projects, of which this project is one. The translation was done by relating it to the specific site. The conditions for transition zones of future Open Building projects are: 1. Create predestined transition zones with pre-designed frameworks that are subject to policy. 2. Early involvement and participation on multiple levels will clarify ones responsibilities and possibilities within that framework. 3. Communication between owners, users and committees lead to a shared valuation and affinity of collectiveness. This will result in a balance between privacy and interaction that origins from the users themselves. My role as an architect was to create a framework with boundaries and regulations in which users can participate, appropriate and modify. A framework is, a space or zone, in which regulations, rules for certain actors and factors apply. At the same time it is important to give freedom to the users, but also create a coherency for the building and its community. Four different zones can be distinguished: the collective, circulation, entrance and outdoor spaces. These spaces are housed in a basic wooden construction. To visualize the responsibilities and possibilities of the various actors related to the various phases of a project, from the pre-design up to the future, a scheme was created. ... Read more

Today, our world is in crisis. No single part of the world can withstand the destructive effects of climate change. So it’s time for action! Rethinking the future presents a blueprint for a new way of life that maximizes the density of a city while creating the highest quality of life for it’s citizens. A new way of life with the smallest carbon footprint possible; that improves mental health; that is affordable for all; and that offers ultimate freedom. By envisioning the world as a network of interconnected communities, the inhabitants are encouraged to travel around the world and to explore the beauty of our planet. In order to realize these communities, Rethinking the Future proposes both a timetable and a toolkit - the latter consisting of dwellings, shared facilities and elements for self-sufficiency. ... Read more

Classical music oftenly is associated as boring, muddy; as an activity for the older people. Eventually this older generation will be gone for good, leaving even less pubic than it now has. As this problem grows the relationship between classical music and the public shifts. The lack of connection becomes more obvious, making it more and more distant. Through the case study of the concert building De Doelen in Rotterdam, a design study with the concept of the "promenade architecturale" is held to explore the insights on how to revitalize this subculture by making connection with the public on many different levels. In order to also design an acoustic well-functioning concert hall, a research paper is written about the architectural interventions in optimizing the acoustic aspects of a concert hall. ... Read more

Since the dawn of the early twentieth century, there has been a strong emphasis in the architectural discourse on defining an idea of how a building is intended to be used. This has resulted in a tendency in contemporary architectural practice of capturing the use of a building in a strictly defined programme. This programme is an illusion however: the ‘use’ of a building is not something which is definitive, but instead organic. In modern society, demands of users and owners constantly change. A building defined by its programme will lose its raison d’etre and in some cases ends up being demolished. This practice is not by any means sustainable, as it is a waste of resources and capital. Moreover, these continuous acts of building and demolishing also negatively impact the development of a consistent urban form: if architectural elements survive a few generations, they become more organic and picturesque. The architecture becomes embedded in the context and defines its identity.
The project questions the relation between the building and its use. The research investigates a series of buildings which have accommodated multiple functions throughout their existence. The findings of this research were implemented and tested in an architectural project in the Vierhavens-area in Rotterdam. The main objective of the project was to produce a building that can accommodate a range of uses: a framework which offers possibility for adjustments and which can be reinterpreted by its users. A structure changing over time, embedded in its context, lived instead of consumed. Sustainable by its longevity.
The project questions the relation between the building and its use. The research investigates a series of buildings which have accommodated multiple functions throughout their existence. The findings of this research were implemented and tested in an architectural project in the Vierhavens-area in Rotterdam. The main objective of the project was to produce a building that can accommodate a range of uses: a framework which offers possibility for adjustments and which can be reinterpreted by its users. A structure changing over time, embedded in its context, lived instead of consumed. Sustainable by its longevity. ... Read more

People share a deep-seated need for a 'sense of home'. It is an intangible, psychological and sociological need that is projected on, and connected to the Built Environment (Rennels & Purnell, 2017; Dovey, 1985). Many people in western societies meet their 'sense of home' through traditional housing. Yet, there is a small marginalized group of homeless people whom are unable to do so. Many suffer from severe physical and mental health diseases, which makes it even more challenging to maintain a stable life. Dutch policymakers provide shelters to assist those in need, but these accommodations do not positively affect the well-being of the homeless. In addition, many shelters fail to facilitate the wish of homeless people of dying in the shelter (Klop et al., 2018).

Therefore, the aim of this research is to redefine shelter design so to improve the mental well-being of homeless people. This, by learning lessons from psycho-supportive design approaches in the healthcare environment. Hence, the main question in this research is: ‘Which architectural elements in the care environment have a positive effect on the (mental) well-being of homeless (terminal) people with chronic mental health problems?’.
The above question is answered by means of literature studies, case study analysis and fieldwork. From the results, several spatial-design components have been extracted and categorized into problems and solutions concerning the theoretical themes of: stigma; security; sensorial stimulation and environmental experience.

The results showed that privacy, daylight entrance, access to nature and social integration are the four main elements that positively improve one’s (mental or physical) well-being. Additional spatial-design components have been summarized into four conclusive Evidence-Based-Design guidelines and crucial design factors which may be applied on both urban and building scale. When all four guidelines are considered in the architectural design of shelters, the best mental health outcomes are achieved.
As the issue of homelessness is not yet solved and the number of people with complex care needs increase, the Netherlands is in desperate need of more assisted and affordable housing. With this research architects, urban planners and developers are encouraged to enter the discourse of homelessness. Moreover, they are stimulated to use the Evidence-Based Toolkit into the design process of new homeless shelters. ... Read more

This master graduation project presents an exciting vision of a better built environment for affordable housing in The Netherlands and abroad for many generations to come.

Established industrial manufacturing methods combined with parametric design have the potential to disrupt the conventional design-to-manufacturing processes in the building industry. Currently factors such as increasing cost of labor, stagnated productivity per employee and highly fragmented design-to-manufacturing processes in the building industry have not proved to be fruitful influences for the mass production of customizable buildings. Moreover, in order to become sustainable the building industry has to make a drastic shift towards renewable materials and integrate a high level of modularity.

With market fit solutions by product thinking a wide variety of parametrically engineered housing options can be offered to the customer without having to enter the entire iterative process of design and engineering. This strategy also allows to finally integrate a high level of robotization in off-site manufacturing facilities. ... Read more

In 2017 the island Sint Maarten was hit by hurricane Irma. Approximately ninety-one per cent of the build environment was damaged. This made the existing housing shortage, caused by a growing population, even more significant. Now, three years later, the residential area of Philipsburg is mostly deserted. With the departure of its residents, the sense of community in the neighbourhood also vanished. Throughout history the island is connected to natural disasters. To rebuild after a natural disaster, self-building was commonly used within the local building culture. However, this tradition disappeared in the last three decades. This research is looking into opportunities to reintroduce a form of organized self-help housing (OSHH), to contribute to the answer against the housing shortage and turn this district of Philipsburg into a lively neighbourhood again. Within OSHH the community have to build themselves, so residents need to have time to realize the project. Unfortunately, this is not the way things are done on the island, so the project will not be accomplished. A possible solution is found in the bottom-up approach of a Collective Private Commissioning (CPO). The design objective during this project is to examine whether urban densification is an opportunity to meet the demand for extra housing. This is often accompanied by extra paved surface which can provoke the heat island effect. Due to the hot climate and the urbanization, residents prefer to stay in their homes with the air-conditioning on. Within this project the goal is to reduce heat accumulation and stimulate the outdoor life. This combination can reintroduce and encourage the social interaction and strengthen the sense of community on Philipsburg. ... Read more

Despite the museum playing a central role in society as public centre of collective memory, artefacts are dogmatically presented in highly introverted "white cubes". In response, the Leiden Civic Museum relies on a strong relationship between "content" and "context" in order to both reassure its collection of societal relevance, as well as to offer visitors a more stimulating museum experience. ... Read more