This research explores the lost architectural approach of how to design and construct a large number of standardised homes, focusing on the appearance of facades and urban space. The combination of the large building blocks of Berlage’s ‘Plan Zuid’ and the highly concentrated architectural style of the Amsterdam School with its many ornaments and facade elements makes it a suitable location to examine case studies. Consequently redefining the role of ornaments and other facade elements, offering new design principles to revive the grandeur back to residential housing and answering the main research question: How does the Amsterdam School use ornaments and other facade elements to partition dwelling blocks in ‘Plan Zuid’?
Before analysing the case studies, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the circumstances in which both ‘Plan Zuid’ and the Amsterdam School were created, as well as the factors that influenced their outcomes. The broader social and architectural context of the early 20th century played a significant role in shaping both ‘Plan Zuid’ and the Amsterdam School. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation of cities created an urgent demand for affordable housing, leading architects, like Berlage, along with critics and social reformists, to advocate for fast and efficient construction, often at the expense of ornamental design. However, the monotonous and utilitarian nature of such developments sparked a reactionary movement, embodied by the Amsterdam School, which sought to give the rationalism of Berlage a more vibrant, exuberant and sensitive aesthetic. This tension between functionality and ornamentation reflected the competing priorities within architecture at the time. As the 20th century progressed, the architectural discourse shifted towards functionalism and minimalism, prioritising efficiency and standardisation while rejecting said ‘unnecessary’ decoration, which aligned with the needs of industrialisation and economic constraints.
The different elements of two building blocks, chosen for their significant size and amount of different elements, are examined on their use and effect on the facade and urban appearance. Derived from this catalogue of elements and their analyses 12 principles are given in a toolbox, which plead for the reintroduction of several elements particularly in the design of multistoried dwelling blocks. This implies redefining ornaments as more than mere decorative elements; they become integral components of architectural design that can help define and organise facades, enhance engaging features, and contribute to the overall appeal of urban spaces. The toolbox balances standardisation with individuality, providing techniques to create distinctive sections within building blocks, giving each section unique elements while maintaining overall cohesion with the surrounding urban fabric.
Further research could consider the economic implications or potential cost associated with implementing these elements and could address how these tools can be adapted to other architectural styles or regions with different historical, cultural, or environmental contexts. It could also address how modern issues like sustainability, environmental impact, or current construction methods might integrate with the principles outlined in the toolbox. Since the diversity of elements within the Amsterdam School is guided by individual architects, further studies on buildings would expand the catalogue of elements and could add more principles and different techniques.
In conclusion, the Amsterdam School represents a lost approach to architectural design, one that combined standardisation with a particular focus on the appearance of facades, using various ornaments and other facade elements. Through research and the development of defining design principles, it is possible to revive this approach and create future ‘palaces’ that enhance the urban environment, restoring a sense of recognition and character to modern housing.

In Moerwijk, a post-war-neighbourhood of The Hague, a large regional distribution pipe for a heat network is being constructed. This proposal aims to provide for a local heat network considering community needs, urban potential and technological requirements to create multilayered value for the neighbourhood and its residents. By constructing the pipeline above ground, costs and effort on construction and maintenance are reduced, trees can be spared, while spatial and social interventions and routing along the line become possible. By using empathy in design and community immersion as a research tool, needs, challenges and points of interest are identified and enhanced with spatial additions. These points of interest lie at the ends of the pipelines, where existing programs are made visible and opened up to the diverse users of the neighbourhood. The result is a strategy with generic and context-specific elements for the post-war neighbourhood. It can be used to design sustainable infrastructure that is intertwined with public space, local community and social activities, creating functional, urban and community by turning industrial heat to social warmth.

This research preliminarily develops a framework based on the existing discourses on the theme of identity in architecture. This framework serves as a tool for analysing the “identity” of existing sites for which restoration is deemed necessary, as is the case for many post-war housing estates. The analysis results indicate areas of improvement, which then guide the redesign of a post-war apartment block. We demonstrate the framework’s application in a case study of a typical late post-war neighbourhood in the suburbs of Haarlem, Netherlands.

This project explores the application of 3D prefabrication (prefab) methods to address urban densification challenges. The research is anchored in the analysis of corner buildings from 1900 to 1913, which were constructed in complex urban contexts using traditional methods. These buildings provide valuable insights into design flexibility and sustainability, free from the constraints of modern industrial techniques. The study investigates how 3D prefab can replicate and enhance these qualities to create adaptable, high-quality urban spaces.

The initial focus was on identifying and overcoming the bottlenecks associated with prefab construction, particularly in corner buildings, which are crucial for urban layouts. Through extensive research and iterative design processes, various prefab methods were evaluated, including 1D, 2D, and 3D approaches. The findings highlight that 3D prefab offers significant advantages in speed, quality, and integration of building systems compared to its counterparts. This method allows for greater design flexibility and spatial efficiency, essential for modern urban environments.

A case study involving the Esch neighborhood in Rotterdam demonstrates the practical application of these findings. By integrating 3D prefab modules, the project aims to enhance urban density while maintaining aesthetic and functional integrity. The design leverages the strengths of 3D prefab to create dynamic and sustainable urban corners that contribute to the overall urban network.

This research underscores the potential of 3D prefab as a transformative approach for urban densification, offering a balance between rapid construction, high quality, and architectural flexibility. The project sets a precedent for future developments, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions in contemporary urban planning.

Steel production stands out as one of the most energy-intensive industries globally. Shifting towards a more circular system could be achieved by component reuse. Unfortunately, there is lack of information on how to assess the reuse potential of diverse steel components. This research paper focuses on developing an assessment method for the reuse potential of thirteen common steel product groups. Components found in three case-study buildings on the TU Delft Campus are categorized into these product groups and assessed for their reuse potential. The research process includes: compiling an inventory of components, identifying factors impacting the reuse process and conducting a value assessment. A design for a new circular campus building was made with the suitable components. The goal of this design project was gaining more knowledge on how to implement reused steel components into a design, experience the complications involved, but also explore the possibilities it could offer.

This thesis explores the integration of kinetic and media features from facades to create architectural narratives, focusing on how facades can serve not just the occupants within but also engage and captivate passersby from the outside. The primary research question investigates whether it’s feasible to employ media and kinetic tools to craft facades that not only fulfill functional requirements like shading and thermal comfort but also function as dynamic mediums of aesthetic expression and storytelling.
The answer, as detailed in this report, is affirmative. The document is structured to guide you through the development process of the thesis’s two main parts. A facade piece capable of being parametrized in bulk to create various architectural forms, and its application in designing a visually striking pavilion for the TU Delft Bio-Based Lab. The lab’s requirement for an engaging and visually appealing structure underpins the motivation for this thesis.
This report chronicles a lengthy design journey beginning with an initial preview of the final pavilion design and the articulation of the research question. It proceeds with a summary of the pertinent literature review, followed by the evolution of design concepts—starting from the Maze, progressing through the Wave and the Flora, and culminating in the Urchin, which represents the synthesis of the explored design principles.
The document concludes with personal reflections on the project and an appendix containing extensive illustrations and sketches, which were too voluminous to include within the main body of the report.

Culturally diverse communities often struggle with prejudice and division among the member groups. Considering the current positive trend in globalization, and thus, also migration, the cultural diversity of communities is on the rise. As a result, The World Economic Forum assessed the erosion of social cohesion to be the 4th most dangerous risk on a global scale within the next decade (WEF, 2022).

Beyond Divisions is a proposal aimed at addressing this problem. Located in Lublin (Poland), which nowadays struggles with hostility and xenophobia, the building draws from the site's past cultural diversity to bring back the social cohesion lost during the WWII era.

The universal research and symbolism of the proposal ensure the transferability of the solution to other sites that also struggle with the deterioration of social cohesion to create a community beyond divisions.

This research addresses the pressing need for adaptable architecture in rapidly urbanizing societies, focusing on the transformation of underutilized urban industrial buildings into adaptable student housing. Recognizing the challenges of modern urbanization, such as increasing single-person households and the resultant demand for individualized dwellings, the study explores adaptive reuse as a sustainable solution. It emphasizes preserving the historical and cultural significance of existing structures while infusing them with new life to meet contemporary and future demands. The methodological approach integrates a thorough literature review on adaptability in architecture, and timber construction, translating constraints into mathematical parameters suitable for informing a parametric model. The study concludes by establishing a comprehensive framework for designers using adaptable architecture principles and timber construction constraints to inform the development of a parametric model. It involves a strategic assessment of design possibilities within these constraints, aiming to balance aesthetic innovation with practical limitations

How to adapt the Polish Large Panel concrete system housing to increase the living diversity with modular architecture? This graduation topic aligns with the Architectural Engineering studio approach and the master track's emphasis on integrating technology and exploring circular adaptation strategies. The design of Plug & Live: Modular Adaptation of Polish Large Panel Concrete Housing is linked to the foundational concept of adaptable and flexible architecture, incorporating a user-based selection principle and activating roofscapes by greenery enhancement, energy production and water harvesting. Given the multi-layered nature of this approach, the primary challenge in the design study was distilling the minimum viable approach while still showcasing the potential for diverse architectural outcomes and evolution over time. This design philosophy represents a notable departure from conventional building practices, emphasizing a shift away from static structures towards designs capable of evolution led by dynamic change of the residents’ living needs.

Academically, this research adds the Polish perspective to the adaptive reuse discourse by exploring how architectural interventions can preserve the heritage from the 60s and 70s cultural, social and spatial significance while meeting future needs and improving the spatial, energetical and aesthetical values. By examining the exemplary W-70 system from Poland, which shares historical and architectural similarities to the prefab systems from other countries, this research provides valuable insights and recommendations that can inform the debate on future-proof adaptation strategies addressing the pressing need for affordable social housing in these regions. As a result, the neglected yet ubiquitous post-Soviet housing stock can become architecture beyond political ideologies, trends or profit-driven market.

The design proposal incorporates research findings while delineating between individual and community-based choices across various architectural tiers. Commencing at the smallest scale, XS (façade), where each panel offers customization options, it progresses to the S scale (apartment), enabling residents to expand their living spaces with winter gardens and green terraces. Transitioning to the M scale (cluster), new rooftop additions are introduced, followed by the L scale (block), where buildings are distinguished by unique color and material identities. This progression culminates at the XL scale (neighborhood), where each subsequent estate obtains its distinct identity through diverse façade compositions and elements, while adhering to the overarching design strategy.Ultimately, the establishment of the design minimum provides a starting point for subsequent extensions that contribute additional values across social, economic, and environmental dimensions, all while preserving the unique identity and individuality of buildings at various scales. 

There is a significant problem with how we conceive our built environment, the traditional nature of the construction industry lags in innovation compared to nearly every other industry. As a result, the industry is unable to quickly respond to changing social, environmental and economic contexts. Requiring new methods of construction and ways of design thinking in order to meet the demands of the present and anticipate change in the future. Within the context of TU Delft Campus, there is a great need to accommodate an increasing student population and subsequently need to maximize the use of space throughout campus. The research paper aims to explore what combination of prefabricated 1D, 2D and 3D engineered timber systems generates the most optimized use of engineered timber for a hybrid building. Essentially creating a timber kit of parts system based on the proportions of the parking lot to be able to generate site specific responses throughout Delft Campus. With the ease of assembly and disassembly of prefabricated timber systems, a designed kit of parts can transform the underused parking lot locations throughout Delft Campus.

Increasing density of housing in postwar neighbourhoods can simultaneously help in reducing housing shortages, address social-economic issues and enable a 2000-watt-society. Shifting household compositions have seen household sizes reduced and floor space usage increase, which corresponds to higher energy and material use. Reducing floor space usage per capita is a prerequisite for enabling sustainable housing. Usage of efficient principles from cooperative housing, such as sharing functions and spaces can allow for greatly reduced floor space usage per capita, without reducing quality of dwellings. The application of these principles in the postwar neighbourhood through transformation of existing buildings can be key in ensuring that they become suitable for a circular economy by 2050.

This Master Thesis is an attempt to address the lack of a sufficient number of affordable and qualitative student housing by creating an experimental, universal design strategy called MODULE+, combining computational design and modular architecture. The strategy consists of three main elements - individually designed flexible timber modules, an algorithm that generates the functional layout of the building based on them and optimizes it in relation to selected objectives, as well as carefully selected further design directions that allow the transformation of the generated solutions into a qualitative living environment. The developed strategy became the basis for the design of a complex of residential buildings for students within the TU Delft Campus.

With the worldwide biodiversity decline and cities that should adapt to climate change, rewilding the built environment to restore biodiversity and increase the degree of natural areas is necessary. Yet, there is currently no established overview of potential rewilding strategies for urban environments. This study explores various opportunities for rewilding the built environment through nature-inclusive design and presents a toolbox that architects and urban planners can implement in the design process to create opportunities for biodiversity and make cities greener and more resilient. Furthermore, the suggested framework can be used to create strategies on the larger scale. Rewilding strategies, however, are highly dependent on the characteristics of a specific environment and thorough site research is necessary to come up with suitable strategies. The typical Dutch post-war neighbourhood Boerhaavewijk in Haarlem is taken as a case study to demonstrate the application of these strategies.

The Hofbogen has already undergone significant redevelopment after being out of service since 2002. This includes the establishment of the Luchtsingel roof park in 2015 and the ongoing construction until 2024 to transform the empty roof of the Hofbogen line into a nature-inclusive park. Within this existing masterplan, the project seeks to add value by proposing a building addition to the Hofbogen infrastructure at the Bergweg station. One of the key challenges in designing a biodiverse park on a rooftop is water management. The engineering aspect of the project is crucial for working with the existing structure to create architecture that generates positive output for the park, the area, and its users. The project gives emphasis on the conscious choice of materials and is attentive to their lifecycle implications. In the context of the contemporary building industry, it is necessary to support the principles of reuse and demountability and the use of existing structures. Consequently, the project is designed to be constructed on top of an existing structure within the urban fabric, and represents a demountable building approach that utilizes highly adaptable building pieces capable of accommodating change. Overall, this graduation project aligns with the architectural engineering studio's focus on designing ecological and socially responsible architecture while contributing to a sustainable development of Rotterdam's urban landscape.

Due to global warming causing climate change, extreme conditions like droughts and floods are increasingly happening. Currently buildings in the Netherlands are experiencing the consequences of these extreme conditions, which they are not build for. Especially the foundations are a big problem. Therefore this paper is aiming to find a foundation typology for a family home in a flood prone area which is able to resist the dynamics of this location. Interviewing experts about foundation typologies and floodplain dynamics, analyzing data about the river and soil compositions and using literature to put the paper in context with existing information and academic content, provided information as to what type of foundation this problem needed. Though it would be logical, the technical solution is not the best when also taking into account the social, political and environmental factors. Therefore a combination of typologies is proposed.

Urban farming can help in many ways in creating public spaces with an engaging environment. Restaurants and shops can be opened that sell the locally grown crops, tours and workshops can be given through the urban farms and Other products like compost, DIY kits and biodegradable materials can also be sold. To enhance the individual urban farming functions, in- and outputs from each farm can be connected to create circular flows within the system. These flows ensure that less outside materials are needed in the farm, and improve efficiency and cost effectiveness in certain circumstances. Table 6.2 in the appendix gives a rough estimation on how big the flows need to be in order to sustain the urban farm. Based on the findings we can conclude that different function clusters like, a production centered function, a social interactivity centered function and a public farming centered function can be created and that existing restaurants and canteens can be integrated within the system.

According to the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM), there will be more focus on tackling the unhealthy effects of urbanization in the near future. This together with the presence of a large stock of vacant buildings and other developments within these urban areas and the challenges which are formed by the developments in healthcare brings up the potential to create so-called healing environments. Although, mostly situated within a natural context, the question could be how to implement the design approach of a healing environment into an existing building within an urban context and what values it could bring to the surrounding neighborhood. Especially when given an user-centered (holistic) approach. This graduation design project explores in which way this user-centered design approach can be optimised by implementing certain 'atmospheres' within an existing context of a building in the station area of Leiden.

On the basis of Konstantinou's research, it has been determined that there are three strategies for the retrofitting of external walls, the Add-in, Wrap-it and Add-on strategy. With the Add-in strategy, something is isolated from the inside, with the Wrap-it strategy from the outside and with the Add-on strategy something is added to the existing. With the Add-in strategy, it is important that the material is somewhat resistant to moisture because of possible moisture accumulation. To promote the use of biobased materials, a set of examples will be developed showing the application of these materials in these three different strategies. However, the choice of a material application depends on a number of factors. During this research, the CO2 sequestration through fast growing materials, CO2 footprint, cost, thickness, weight, lifespan and source location are investigated. The results of this research are shown in Appendix 1. From the research it can be concluded that fast growing materials have a great potential with regard to CO2 sequestration. For example, grass insulation appears to be able to store the most CO2 per year per hectare of land compared to other insulation materials. Other findings are that I-joist constructions create fewer cold bridges, which can have a positive effect on the Rc value, decreasing the total width of a panel. Research also shows that straw scores different areas, namely lowest CO2 emissions, longest lifespan and most affordable. All the knowledge gained from the research comes together in the set of examples (Appendix 3). Here the different materials are combined with each other, whereby elements of the three strategies for retrofitting external walls are sorted according to the various testing factors. The different material combinations give an idea of how these elements can be built up. However, these can still be varied and further developed, and are intended to help the user in the initiation phase of choosing a building method for a building.

My graduation project seeks to create a community marketplace and elderly co-housing complex for Houthaven and Spaarndammer neighbourhood in Amsterdam that strengthen their connections with urban greenery and local hinterland.
The design focus on implementing local biodegradable material and resource in architecture and programme.