In the pursuit of creating monumental and desirable cities with a sustainable character, the municipality of Delft has embarked on a journey of integrating sustainability principles into its urban development strategies. This paper traces Delft's evolution in sustainable design practices through a historical lens over the past three decades. While exploring the transition from experimental initiatives to mainstream adoption, it answers the research question ‘What was the municipalities approach that helped the historical houses in the old city center of Delft over the decades in regards of sustainability and what learnings can we take away from this development to complement the currently used sustainability measurements in the built environment?’
Drawing on archival documents, municipal records as well as literature, this thesis examines proactive measures such as financial incentives, strict construction requirements and policies that shaped Delft's identity as a leader in sustainable urban development. Through a comparative analysis of historical and contemporary approaches, the paper identifies key principles and practices that have contributed to Delft's success in balancing heritage preservation, urban livability, and environmental responsibility. Contextualizing Delft's experiences within broader discourses on sustainability offers insights into ecological consciousness, architectural innovation and urban resilience. By aligning local regulations with global sustainability principles, fostering collaboration between government, industry and civil society, and anticipating future challenges such as the EU's directive criminalizing environmental damage, Delft emerges as a model for crafting sustainable architectural legacies.
This research contributes valuable lessons and recommendations for architects, urban planners and policymakers worldwide. Ultimately, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the interplay between heritage conservation, environmental sustainability and urban development, offering insights for shaping the cities of tomorrow.

In line with the rapidly growing role of social media in shaping public perceptions of and attitudes towards heritage sites, this study is timely to scrutinize the influence of social media on how people perceive historical heritage with a special emphasis on Bagnoregio, Italy. Through investigating the interaction between modern values and traditions with the help of archival research and digital ethnography, it shows the expansive gap between community perspectives and institutional norms. The study intends to conduct a media analysis, which comprises of various cultural contexts and cross-checks with UNESCO criteria, in order to suggest an understanding of the current issues in heritage preservation and provide possible ways of bridging the gaps between institutional frameworks and social realities.

While it has been identified as a key architectural marker for the Gothic building style, the flying buttress is not just an ornamental addition in Gothic cathedrals. It was developed initially as a way to divert the horizontal forces produced by the roof vaults to the ground, through the buttresses. However, it is difficult to say with some cathedrals if the flying buttresses are added for the stylistic or for the structural reasons. Research into pre-modernistic architecture is generally lacking and it is important to decipher the building techniques of the past to be able to learn from them in the present. To discover the added value of the flying buttress the St John Cathedral in Den Bosch has been chosen as a case study because it started as a roman church without flying buttresses, but was redesigned into a Gothic cathedral with them. To discover what function this particular element holds for the St John will shed more light on the element in general.
Research has shown the flying buttresses of the St John Cathedral to be structurally necessary, though perhaps a little exaggerated for the height of the roof, by choosing for a double layer of flying buttresses. The choice for this second tier probably lies in the aesthetic of the Gothic style the cathedral is meant to fit into or in the copying of French cathedrals. The figurines on top emphasize the ornamental nature and give a special feature to this particular cathedral.

Have microdistricts changed Chinese people’s living ideologies? The appearance, spatial relationships and community organizations of Chinese Microdistrict have changed dramatically over the decades since the 1950s when the Soviets first introduced this concept. Meanwhile, the rapid urbanization and commercialization of the real estate market made it hard to document and observe. Therefore, limited time and energy were primarily devoted to economic and aesthetics. This essay will use the 1978 Chinese Reformation as the dividing line, comparing the different living ideologies before and after the commercialization of the real estate market. To observe the result of the architectural changes from perspectives of social activities, daily routines and living experiences. The documentation process in this essay is essential, offering an opportunity to compare the same concept’s evolution over decades. This research aims to set a starting point for the acknowledgement and involvement of architects and historians to be aware of the value of microdistricts and how they shape people’s living habits. The potential application can help designers understand the consequences of their decisions to prevent irreversible results.

The Great Fire of Chicago in 1871 destroyed almost the entire city. As a result, the Chicago School of Architecture emerged, which is characterised by high-rise buildings with steel skeleton frames. This architectural movement spread beyond America and influenced cities worldwide. This thesis analyses the impact of the American high-rise movement and its influence on Rotterdam, the Netherlands, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The case study of Het Witte Huis (The White House), designed by Willem Molenbroek in 1898, which is often compared to the American high-rise movement, is used to illustrate this influence, the impact that it had on the city and whether it can truly be seen as an American high-rise building. This thesis aims to conduct a comparative analysis of architectural development in America, drawing insights from various texts written by Gwendolyn Wright and John Zukowsky. A further investigation was done into how the American architectural high-rise movement influenced Dutch architecture, utilising works by Jeffrey W. Cody and Herman van Bergeijk. Insights from this research were used to investigate Het Witte Huis, using texts, historical newspapers and magazines. The investigation covered aspects such as the reasons behind its design, similarities with American structures, public opinion, and its impact on Rotterdam's architectural development. The findings from this research showed how Het Witte Huis serves as an example of the integration of American influences with local context. Although it features American-inspired high-rise design elements, its construction method aligns more closely with traditional Dutch practices. While Het Witte Huis did not directly inspire subsequent high-rise constructions in Rotterdam and faced mixed reactions, it stimulated future experimentation and innovation in Dutch architecture. The city developed its unique architectural identity, exemplified by projects like the Van Nelle Factory.

The Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Building stands as the headquarter of the most powerful bank in Hong Kong. Designed by the renowned architect Sir Norman Foster and celebrated as an icon of High-tech architecture, it holds a significant position among the city's landmarks. In addition to its significance, the HSBC Building has also been involved in numerous major events in Hong Kong, particularly those related to financial and political power. Given the prominent background of HSBC Building, what urban and architectural elements signify financial and political power? How does the perception of power within the building evolve over its forty-year history? This research investigates the two questions by examining HSBC Building's interaction with financial and political power across the urban, architectural exterior, and architectural interior scales. This thesis argues that power, though abstract and multifaceted, manifests in tangible forms within HSBC Building. Significant displays of power are evident in the building's urban setting, architectural style, construction, and spatial arrangement. However, recent architectural alterations and gestures suggest a shift in power dynamics. This change reveals the role of architecture as a tool for showcasing, providing, and retracting power.

The work focuses on three demolished cases within the urban landscape of New York City. The aim is to explore the impact demolished structures have in the field of architecture.

Looking at history through the lens of architecture can tell a lot about the lifestyles, technologies, and ideologies of the past. Looking at the past can create a clear connection to the present. It is for this reason, the researcher, will write about the origins of the courthouse of Sint Maarten, the first government building built on the island in the 1700s (Lesterhuis & Oers, 2001). The overall focus of this paper is concentrating on how a building can grow to express monumentality. This paper will discuss the colonial presence of the island and the resulting influence on the island’s architecture. The researcher tries to uncover the intricate connections between traditional European architectural styles of the past and their manifestation in Dutch colonial architecture within the West Indies (Van Andel, 1985). The dynamic between the courthouse and its immediate surroundings was analysed to offer a better understanding of the symbiotic relationship between architecture, societal evolution, and urban development (Hartog, 1974). It is believed that the Philipsburg courthouse, expresses monumentality. By exploring its influence on society and its surroundings, a deeper understanding of monumentality will unfold, explaining ways in which monuments contribute to the shaping of collective identity and historical continuity. Investigating the influence of the Philipsburg courthouse has the potential to increase the understanding of how it functions as a social space, as well as offer insights into how architectural elements contribute to monumentality and how this influences local perspectives. It can inform decisions related to the design of public spaces, and the integration of cultural landmarks into urban landscapes. Overall, it contributes to a better appreciation of the role monuments play in shaping the fabric of society.

This thesis discusses the heritage approach of adaptive reuse as a way to preserve and protect abandoned churches in Limburg. For this, a discussion is had on the social and cultural dynamic and history of Limburg. This is a province in the Netherlands with a deep historical connection to the Catholic religion. This paper explores the province’s formation under the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1867, and the continuous influence of Catholicism as a unifying force in the region. In recent decades, however, the region has witnessed a great decline in Catholic engagement. This has led to the closure of many historic churches. Adaptive reuse has emerged as a strategy to adapt and repurpose these now abandoned historically important spaces to preserve their architectural, cultural, and social significance, while also meeting the new needs of the community in which these churches are located. This research explores how adaptive reuse can contribute to the social environment and the culture in these communities, offering a practical solution for the preservation of historic church buildings. Through a case study of the reuse of the Dominican Church in Maastricht as a bookshop, this paper shows the use of adaptive reuse as a heritage approach to revitalize historic churches and create a social connection between the inhabitants of the province. Ultimately, adaptive reuse serves as a bridge between past traditions and present realities. Making sure that Limburg’s religious and cultural heritage remains vital and relevant in today’s day and age.

When studying Kowloon Walled City, existing scholarship evaluates its political, architectural, and social aspects separately. This paper aims to synthesize these three aspects and provide a comprehensive understanding to Kowloon Walled City, by examining the impact of British colonial history on the transformation of architecture and living conditions within Kowloon Walled City. It begins with an investigation into the causes that led to the anarchic status of Kowloon Walled City in the 1960s, followed by an evaluation of the architectural transformation with reference to the Building Ordinance 1950 edition. Through a synthesis of historical review and analysis of visual records, this paper validates that the anarchy status attributed to the British colonial history had the major impact on the deterioration of underprivileged living conditions in Kowloon Walled City.

This study specifically examines the Ataturk Cultural Centre, AKM in Istanbul from 1956 until the present by focusing on the issue of reconstruction of the same building by the Tabanlıoğlu father-and-son generation. This examination explores how the design of the Ataturk Cultural Centre evolved from Hayati Tabanlıoğlu's initial concept to Murat Tabanlıoğlu's subsequent contributions. The aim is to explore the dynamic between the original and the new construction of the building and to assess how the redesigned AKM cultivates a socio-economic impact within the culture it serves. At first, at to request of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, French architect Henri Prost proposed an urban plan for Istanbul. This plan included the innovative concept of building an opera house in Taksim Square, known as the 'Istanbul Opera House'. Later it will be known as the ‘Palace of Culture’. The government actively chose to uphold and carry forward the legacy of this design idea, recognizing its significant cultural value. The new AKM particularly emphasizes the importance of preserving key design features of the old AKM. Based on the argument that there is a direct proportion between the old and the new main volume, this study aims to show that the new AKM has enhanced public-related functions instead of creating only one big opera space. AKM was initially thought of only as an opera house but was re-identified as a 'Cultural Lane' in line with the needs of its time. For this reason, the scope of the study consists of analyzing the design evolution between 1956 and the present. It tries to verify that these architects together with their generational background, the education they received, and the quality of the spaces they created. According to the research, it sees that there is a significant connection between old and new AKM. In this context, the hypothesis derives from that the new AKM, preserving key design features, has evolved beyond its initial role as an opera house, transforming into a 'Cultural Lane' with enhanced public-related functions and more accessibility in terms of socio-economic culture.