The Lightweight Revolution
Reimagining the Kalverpassage’s roof as a Lightweight Residential Microcosm
N.G.D. Smithers (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Loes Thijssen – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Max Salzberger – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
As urban housing demand increases and available land becomes increasingly scarce, vertical densification offers an important strategy for adding dwellings within the existing city. This research investigates how the reduction of building mass can redefine architectural expression in residential timber top-ups, using the Kalverpassage in Amsterdam as a case study.
The project explores lightweighting as both a technical and architectural design method. Through comparative material studies, parametric structural evaluation, building-physics research, and iterative dwelling design, the study examines how mass can be minimized while maintaining spatial, structural, and environmental quality. The research focuses on four interrelated dimensions: load-bearing structure, building physics, dwelling allocation, and interior floor plan optimization.
The design proposes a lightweight timber top-up that responds to the existing structural grid, using optimized floors, columns, beams, and transfer trusses to reduce added load. Collective and private dwelling types are allocated according to structural capacity, while compact floor plans use vertical stacking, multifunctional space, integrated storage, and long sightlines to reduce required floor area. Building-physics performance is achieved through layered façade systems, acoustic decoupling, fire protection, solar shading, ventilation, and localized material mass.
The thesis concludes that lightweight architecture is not defined by thinness alone, but by the strategic organization of structure, space, climate, and detail.
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