In the heart of The Hague, a city known for its blend of political significance and cultural diversity, lies a paradox wrapped in its urban fabric. The Central Station District, bustling with a melange of government employees, academics, and a vibrant student population, ironically plays host to a silent narrative of isolation amidst its diversity. This research peeks behind the urban curtains of this district, revealing how its inhabitants, despite their proximity, dwell in social silos, disconnected from the pulse of their community.
The project focuses on reimagining the Green Border area, stretching from the Bellevue complex to the UNICEF building on Bezuidenhoutseweg Street as a canvas for urban reinvention. Drawing inspiration from the enlightening works of Richard Sennett and Stavros Stavrides, the design proposal aims to create of ‘threshold spaces’ - dynamic arenas that defy conventional social hierarchies and ignite the spark of human connection within the Green Border. These spaces are not just physical locales, but melting pots of interaction, where the daily grind gives way to the magic of spontaneous encounters.
The methodological heartbeat of this venture is a fusion of qualitative insights, gleaned from interviews and observations, with the empirical rigor of quantitative data. This dual approach forges a path towards a vertical public hub that is more than just a structure; it’s a living, breathing embodiment of Herman Hertzberger’s vision of adaptive, evolving spaces. The design narrative is aiming to stitch together the urban tapestry of The Hague into a more inclusive, engaging, and connected community fabric.
In essence, this project is not just a blueprint for urban design; it’s a manifesto for social transformation. It’s an invitation to the residents of The Hague to step out of their bubbles, to explore, to engage, and to construct a richer, more vibrant urban life. This is a vision of a city where the architecture speaks not just to the skyline, but to the soul of its community.

The current Dutch building sector is heavily dependent on natural gas for its energy consumption, of which a very significant part is used to meet the space heating demand. To mitigate the climate crisis, a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies has to be made. However, renewable energy sources are usually low-temperature heating sources, prompting the need for renovation. There are often multiple renovation solutions per project, with each their unique effect. Determining the optimal solution out of those renovation concepts that enable low-temperature heating (LTH) is challenging due to the varying performance of the renovation scenarios, multi-stakeholder involvement with each their own preferences and the lack of a clear decision-making process.
This research aims to provide holistic decision-support and aid in the identification of the most suitable renovation alternative. The research question central to this study is: ‘How can the decision-making process of selecting an energy renovation concept be supported that aims to make existing residential buildings compatible with low-temperature heating?’. This research focuses on multi-family buildings in the Netherlands and considers a temperature range of 30-55 °C to be LT.
To answer the research question, an extensive literature research is conducted on the topics of LTH and decision-support in energy renovations. Based on the results from the literature study, a LTH decision-support framework and tool is developed. The MCDM TOPSIS method is used to evaluate the performance of the renovation alternatives and is combined with the pairwise comparison method to capture the stakeholders preferences. The framework and tool is validated on its function and usability through a case study application on a 1979 apartment building and a workshop with 4 expert stakeholders. In addition to the evaluation of the 4 renovation scenarios from the case study, 9 additional renovation scenarios are developed and compared. A LTH-Rhino/grasshopper tool is used to simulate the heating demand and thermal comfort for all 13 scenarios to evaluate the LT-readiness of the alternatives.
One of the key findings of this research is that the developed framework and tool can support the decision-making process on LT-renovation scenarios. This support is provided by structuring the decision-making process through aiding in the identification of decision parameters, making the stakeholders’ preferences explicit through pairwise comparison and ranking the renovation alternatives based on quantified performance values and criteria weights representing the stakeholders’ preferences through TOPSIS. The framework evaluates LT-readiness to identify if there is a need for renovation, and filters non-suitable scenarios based on the LTH-grasshopper simulation results.
The framework ensures that all relevant decision-making aspects are considered systematically, and the tool facilitates a transparent and data-driven selection process. Together, they provide holistic decision-support, leading to better-informed decisions. This research motivates to enable LTH, thereby mitigating climate change and ensuring a sustainable future.

This thesis researches the gap between technical innovation and practical application with regards to 3D printing in the construction sector. It first identifies the importance of adopting a holistic approach to product design as to optimally exploit the advantages of 3D printing and meet immediate needs in the built environment. Thereafter, it evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of additive manufacturing, explores its potential large-scale adoption in construction, and defines the criteria for feasible 3D-printed solutions. In the second part of the thesis, the Tesla valve is researched as a case study to research how the strengths and weaknesses of 3D printing might be overcome in product design. In doing so, it also evaluates the effectiveness of Tesla valves in the regulation of natural ventilation and explores how 3D printing might compensate for the shortcomings of this concept.

In light of the current environmental crisis, we are faced with the responsibility to drastically change our anthropogenic impact.
We humans often view ourselves as superior to nature. We have developed a dualistic view of our existence on this planet – one that blinds us to our interconnectedness with the environment.
We must shift the way we relate to this earth and understand that it is a single living organism which is inextricably interconnected. We must place value and importance on the entire environment and all life in it, not just the parts that are useful for humans.
In ‘Back to the roots’ the residential building standard on Aruba is reconsidered according to this ecocentric philosophy. The design proposal introduces a nature inclusive urban development strategy, a passive, climate responsive housing typology with locally harvested materials and floorplans based on participatory design to easily customize, evolve and adapt to changing cycles of use and facilitate a circular way of building.

To prepare the housing stock for the transition to collective, low-temperature heating, minimal renovation strategies for the integration of low-temperature heating and optimal comfort are studied within this research for various single-family housing typologies. Renovation measures on the building and installation scale were considered for the different typologies, which vary in terms of the construction period and building type. The simulations are performed in the software DesignBuilder, on a case study dwelling located in the Netherlands. The low-temperature readiness is assessed based on heat balance and air temperature simulations. Computational Fluid Design within the software is used to determine the effect of the renovation measures on the draught rate and radiant temperature, as these aspects are critically affected by the lowering of the radiator's supply temperature. Additionally, the effect on radiant asymmetry is measured in the software program Stralingsverloop. The outcomes of the study regarding low-temperature readiness indicate the differences in effectiveness of the measures for the different typologies. The study on thermal comfort shows the posibilities for optimizing the thermal comfort through the integration of renovation measures, in particular through the installation of balance ventilation and high performance glazing. Based on the outcomes of both the studies, a individual recommendation is given for each typology.

In a future scenario where nuclear energy has been the globally accepted solution to solve the energy crisis, an accident happening in the year 2056 obliterates any hopes for humanity's future on the surface of the Earth.
This graduation project narrates an evolutionary exploration of unconventional ways of living in a post-apocalyptic scenario in which architecture becomes the central element that creates a bond between the radioactive environment and the living systems.
The architectural intervention is defined by three main intentions: the first one is the solver of conflicts between the radioactive context and the villagers. The second one is the inducer of environmental self-sufficient practices as a more sustainable approach to the use of the resources of our planet. And finally, the third intention is to give continuity to the communal and territorial systems existing in the area before the accident, creating a dialogue between pre-nuclear and post-nuclear Cofrentes.

In this architectural narrative, the project builds on an evolutionary process that grows organically answering to the societal needs and resources available in the radioactive context. From the moment of the accident until the present day, the project evolves from a post-apocalyptic phase characterized by the use of scavenged materials and rudimentary constructions to a self-organizative phase, which applies the research findings explored during the first period of the graduation studio, initiating a more technological design.

Post-nuclear Cofrentes exposes through the power of architectural
imagination, the ever-present potentiality of a nuclear-dystopic event, a reality we might live to see.

The concrete bridges constructed in the 1960s and 1970s lack shear reinforcement, rendering them non-compliant with current design regulations. To potentially enhance their shear capacity, the proposed approach involves applying a layer of ultrahigh-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) on both sides of the normal strength concrete (NSC) beams supporting the bridge deck. A crucial aspect of this method is ensuring a high-quality connection between the UHPFRC layer and the NSC beam to transfer shear stresses effectively. Therefore, the report explores the feasibility of employing active infrared thermography (IRT) as a non-destructive testing (NDT) method to identify delaminated areas within this interface.
The primary objective of this report is to answer the question: "Is it possible to detect and quantify delaminated areas, within the connection between a NSC beam and a layer of UHPFRC of a certain thickness in an objective way, with data gathered by an infrared camera in a lab environment?"
The report outlines the chosen approach for detecting delaminated areas, establishes a standardized testing methodology, and formulates an analytical model to process the data gathered during experiments conducted based on the established standards. The data collection process involves utilizing an infrared camera to measure the temperature of every pixel in each frame of a recording.
From literature review and a qualitative comparison of different methods to detect delaminated areas, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) method is chosen in this report. The SNR method compares the temperature in a specific area to that of a sound area while considering the standard deviation of temperature in sound areas, accounting for environmental factors.
The analytical model developed in the report identifies delaminated areas when infrared camera recordings are available. To ensure objectivity, a standardized approach for heating and cooling the specimens is established. Heating is achieved with a heat flux of 1750 W/m² on the UHPFRC layer's surface for 1500 seconds, followed by recording the cooling process with an infrared camera. The analytical model selects the optimal frame for analysis based on this data together with data gathered from a finite element analysis performed in the software COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6.
The report distinguishes between two situations: one where the location of a sound area is known, and another where it is not. The analytical model produces promising results for both scenarios, with simulated delaminated areas visible in the test samples. However, in cases where the location of sound areas is unknown, the model may underestimate the size or extent of delamination, especially in nearly fully delaminated structures. Further research is recommended to assess the accuracy and applicability of the method in situations where sound area locations are unknown and to determine the model's minimum detectable delaminated area.

This graduation project focuses on the architectural design of a passive and nature inclusive housing complex in the Lange Bretten, a natural area in Amsterdam-West. The complex offers a temporary home for the growing group of economic homeless of Amsterdam. The design goals for this type of housing include the symbiosis between these residents and the natural environment of the Lange Bretten, the use of nature’s elements (the air, earth, water and light) in passive techniques and the improvement of the natural and recreational quality of the Lange Bretten. The research paper focuses on the last two goals in particular.

Recent studies show an increase in energy use on buildings due to higher cooling demands, constituting an increase of 17% of the global energy consumption by 2050. Tendencies also show that cooling degree days around the globe will also increase and this will display a greater impact on developing countries with warm climates. Subsequently, this gives interest in reducing energy demands on buildings through both innovative passive and active design strategies that can convert these buildings into energy efficient buildings whilst reaching their desired comfort values. The potential to integrate these strategies for cooling system into a building façade has been looked into by recent research. As is the case of the thermoelectric technology, which is a promising cooling technology that has gained interest from architects in the past few years, and it has a great potential for integration. This device has the advantage of generating a temperature difference between the device’s two sides when direct current is applied it and so it has been widely studied and used as coolers at small scale. There are not enough studies and experimentation of integration at façade level has been conducted with this technology, and those that exists show that the system’s performance is still much lower than traditional air-conditioning systems. Thus, this graduation project focuses on a performance-based design, where the heat dissipation system’s design and its integration with the TE is explored and investigated, what parameters affects its performance, and, subsequently, their effect on the façade and the architecture of the building within a hot-arid climate in Mexico. For this, a combination of experiments and simulations were used to determine the effect certain design parameters have on the thermal performance of the heat dissipation system. Parallel to this, an office case study was selected, and simulations performed to determine the ideal passive strategies for reduction cooling load in a hot-arid climate. A stepped methodology was used for the experiments and simulations for the heat dissipation system and a comparative evaluation on different passive design strategies for the office design was applied. A simplified heat transfer model for the heat dissipation of the thermoelectrical technology was developed, where a series of design strategies were possible to be tested. Analysing the results determined which parameters had a greater impact on the design, for the heat dissipation system its performance was evaluated through its COP, and for the office design lower cooling loads were the defining parameter. General trends were identified on both evaluated levels and each show their potential. These were then translated into design guidelines for the heat dissipation system and office building design and then visualized as a final thermoelectrical facade design. The final COP of the cooling system based on the heat dissipation designed was 1.40. An evaluation on the designed TE façade was done, its limitations and potentials stated, as well as future possibilities that be further developed with this technology.

This graduation project has the goal to improve the living conditions of rural African communities by showing them how to construct off-grid, self-sufficient, and what is most important affordable clean water, energy, and sanitation system. I believe it can be easily adapted by communities of poor regions. Those communities struggle with poor quality water for living which is the cause of many deaths. To change it, a solar-based system is proposed to purify any kind of input water. Widely known simple solar stills are typically designed as single units serving only individuals, moreover, its efficiency is usually low. Therefore, an improved solar still concept is adapted in this research, and its principles are used in the roof system to produce water for the basic living needs of 50 people daily. Providing clean water to rural communities without access to the national grid is crucial and the most important aspect of this project. Based on the research elaborated in Phase I of this report, the most adequate to both climate and the economic-social situation prevailing in Beira, way to provide water is to purify raw water on-site using the energy of the sun. This solution not only does not require the construction of additional infrastructure outside the site but has a chance to be developed and multiplied in the least urbanized areas - often inhabited by a significant part of the region’s population. Due to the situation in the region, the use of only low-tech solutions and very cheap materials for the entire project is very important. This report aims to draw attention to two faces of disaster in Mozambique: consequences of climate change and poor living conditions.

Semarang is one of the large historical harbour cities on Java, Indonesia. The historical centre of the city is characteristic for its colonial set-up. During the last few decades the city of Semarang has been expanding rapidly. Nowadays, the historical centre of the city is not central anymore. In Semarang, the functions which require a lot of space such as health care facilities are likely to be located in the peripheral, newer neighbourhoods, where space is still available. And so, the dense historical cores of these cities lack medical functions. During more certain times, Indonesia’s health care system already has to deal with challenging circumstances. As the scarcely distributed and non-inclusive character of the Indonesian health care system has to deal with one of the biggest crises in medical history, opportunities arise as people are forced to focus on the distribution of health care services. As Dutch-colonial buildings are available in the historical centres of large Javanese coastal cities, transformation could provide a solution to the lack of appropriate places for the establishment of health care institutions. In this graduation project, a possible role for Dutch-colonial architecture as host for medical applications is explored. The technical possibilities of Dutch-colonial buildings, regarding their ability to adapt to the Javanese climatic circumstances and their structural integrity have an important role in the project. How can centrally located Dutch-colonial architecture serve as a foundation for the development of a socio-cultural and socio-economical based health care facility, in order develop a more inclusive medical system in Indonesia? The design which is developed in this graduation project is a modular system which is easy to replicate in segments. In this way, the new medical function can be tailored to fit the existing structures. The use of the modular systems in this design proposal is demonstrated by showing the effect they have on two historical structures in various circumstances.

Building industry consumes around 50% of the world’s electricity consumption and space heating and cooling plays an important role in ozone depletion and global warming potential. Solar cooling technologies promise more sustainable approaches with reliance on solar energy as a renewable energy source. Thermoelectric technology is a promising solar cooling technology that is powered by electricity from PV panels and has been researched in recent years for investigation of potentials for building and façade integration. These small devices create a temperature difference between the two sides when applied to electricity and therefore, can be used in generating both cold and heat for conditioning of spaces. As an example of arid to semi-arid climates, Tehran has been selected as the context of this project. This graduation project focuses on designing an integrated façade product that uses thermoelectric technology for providing cooling and heating demands of an office building in Tehran. One of the main challenges of this design was the low performance of the TE system that could be increased in a few ways among which decreasing the temperature difference created at the two sides is the most crucial. An office building was initially selected to represent typical offices in Tehran and a few passive strategies including reductions in WWR, changing glazing type, applying insulation and reducing infiltration rate as well as using natural ventilation were implemented on this office model. The implementation of these passive measures leads to a decrease of 55 percent in the annual heating and cooling loads and 39 and 49 percent in the heating and cooling design capacity, respectively. Having this passive model, a ventilation integrated active cooling and heating system was developed that functions like a heat recovery system and uses extracted ventilation air to cool down the temperature of the hot side in summer. Fresh conditioned air is provided in this system through the cold side of the façade via an underfloor air distribution system. A unitized façade product was then developed to accommodate this integrated concept and it this TE system was proved to be flexible in terms of design and integration. To evaluate the performance of this façade, a comprehensive model was developed, and a code was written in EES to solve the equations simultaneously. A baseline model was set to simulate a summer peak situation and as a result, COP, electricity consumption, and temperature difference values were obtained. Next, all the variables in the model were studied and optimized to obtain the best results for every time step of the year. The annual simulations showed that average COP of 1 to 1.3 and 2.1 to 3.0 could be obtained for summer and winter conditions. Feasibility aspects of this façade unitized system were then studied and compared to other solar cooling technologies to obtain a better understanding of limitations and promises of this façade. It was found out that although in terms of performance and cost the TE façade can compete with other solar cooling technologies, issues such as weight, size requirements, and noise might affect its application in some cases.

To provide the current population of Bospolder - Tussendijken with a future perspective that tackles socio-demographic issues, they create Phase Change Material (PCM) Modules of waste products Frying oil and Mg2+ in the cooperative factory: 'Frituurfabriek' in the M4H. They have the opportunity to participate in society, to become owner of a factory, to earn salary and to bring back home the modules to sustain their homes. The accessible production process for this circular passive cooling element for housing renovations allows great crafts and educational development for the people. It attracts a wider public than pure the workers, since there is also a community centre, additional workshops and an extension of the BoTu neighbourhood, located on top of the factory. As a showcase this is designed as a full PCM building; no insulation but PCM ensures consistent interior climate. All together, this social concept of emancipating the population is tohave social impact by low-tech innovation, it relinks the historic M4H and BoTu relation and offers an alternative concept for architecture an (conservative) use of finite material use as sand.

We, humans, spend 80-90% of our lives indoors. Thereby the building has two main functions, namely: protect their occupants and provide the occupants a comfortable indoor environment. However, the last one seems a big challenge, since every individual is different from each other, based on the factors as age, gender, clothing, activity, positioning within the building or body mass. At the current situation, building service systems in most buildings are maintained at a steady level based on fixed schedules and average values. As a result, the thermal comfort of building occupants are hardly met. In the meantime, the same building service systems account for up to 50% of the energy consumption in the commercial sector. A response to this challenge is started with the introduction of personal comfort systems, which focuses on the individual occupants instead of average values of a large group of people. However, we are not there yet. This thesis is contributing to the response by focusing on efficient usage of personal comfort systems and tries to close the loop between the building service system and building occupants by finding a proper balance between providing thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption.

The refurbishment of the Dutch post- war residential building stock provides a great potential for energy and CO2 emissions savings, since a large number of buildings were built before 1975 and under low or no energy standards. However, their refurbishment and especially zero-on-the-meter, is too expensive and it is not possible to find the required funding. Following the guidelines of the Project MVI-Energie, which proposes disconnecting from the gas and decreasing the heating demand (that can reach up to 70% of energy demand) by insulating as such to be able to change to low temperature heating. This study focused on portiekapartments and proposed a refurbishment strategy to achieve LT-ready, while lowering the costs, time and nuisance to the residents. The facade criteria regarding the energy efficiency are the results of a parametric simulation, which includes every significant facade variable and the innovative process of applying external insulation at the optimal percentage to achieve LT-ready. The results of this simulation - diagram of solutions- can be used to upscale the research and as a guideline to quickly and easily understand if this strategy can be applied to other buildings and what it will need, based on their facade characteristics. For the technical solution a prefabricated small size insulating panel is used, that reinforces the economically feasible and fast refurbishment idea. An important aspect of the solution is to be adaptive (for example provide different cladding options) and can be part of a two-step refurbishment by providing the opportunity in the future to be continued to deeper refurbishment if needed.

FabField is a building system that borrows most of its basic principles from more evolved and flexible industries, making use of digital fabrication methods (CNC milling) to produce all components that constitute a building. However, not all aspects have been fully thought of in the system: the integration of building services for FabField is needed in order to perpetuate the core aspects of the building system: pre-fabrication, low-costs, high accuracy, light weight components and short construction times.