Soil extraction results in different material qualities. Some products, like coal, are affiliated with industry and pollution. Others, such as marble, equal to perpetual wealth and aesthetic. In the region of West Macedonia, in the North of Greece, those qualities coexist in the form of mines and quarries, creating a material network. With starting point the difference between marble and coal, the research investigates extraction practices as a multilevel topic, an ever-growing field where artificial and natural landscape blends. In the possibility of extraction sites closure, questions emerges in regards for the impact in city, environment and humanity sites towards a future transition. Those sites wound create a new archaeology, signs of an era of Anthropocene and a wounded nature.

Hence research circulates around three themes. First it examines the Hinterlands as a system of operations carrying industrial production, following by the sites of extraction and the narratives around them, in pursuit of the spirit of place. The third aspect is a cognitive examination of the human position into those practices. A placement of human through craft proposes a rethinking of materiality and nature as active agents. This affiliation with non-human entities underlines a transition of culture into a caring state, creating an ecosystem sympathy. Goal is to find answers about the recovery of post-mining territories, the revival of this inert anthropogenic environment.

This thesis explores ways of architectural production that do not conform to typical representational techniques. It begins with analysing how image production has shaped contemporary architectural labour and explores the networks it is entangled in. This resulted in an online performative repository: https://pkirilov9.github.io/renderillas-and-oraxontans/. The "design" part of this thesis has been approached as a way of figuring out how I want to define myself as a future practitioner. In that sense, it is an exploration of modes of performative production and archiving. I did not focus on end products or final results, instead, I wanted to show that I am capable of doing, of figuring things out on the ground, thinking on my feet, immersed in my environment, rather than detached from it.

Moving Atmospheres explores the intricate relationship between spatial design and human experience, advocating for an embodied approach to architectural practice. Through a phenomenological lens and experimental approach using personal experiences, the study investigates the nexus of emotion, movement, and spatial perception. Utilizing intuitive movement, exemplified by the practice of improvisational dance, the research aims to uncover insights into the creation of atmospheres within architectural settings. Methodologically, the study employs a structured approach termed the Movement Lab, involving five steps how one could observe, document, translate, interpret, analyse and reflect on the relation between spatial atmospheres and its effect on the body through emotion and behaviour, in this case studied through a zoom onto intuitive movement. In this process, architectural research is conducted using filmmaking, photography and (poetic) writing, conveying the relation between body and space.

Analysis of data collected from diverse environments reveals how spatial qualities shape emotional responses and bodily movements. The findings of this study underscore the complex interplay between spatial atmospheres, emotion, and movement characteristics, highlighting the potential of intuitive movement as a tool for architects to understand and manipulate architectural atmospheres, facilitating the design of immersive and emotionally resonant spaces. By emphasizing the importance of bodily experience in architectural design, the study advocates for a paradigm shift towards more responsive built environments.

Overall, this research contributes valuable insights into the embodied dimensions of architectural practice, encouraging architects to engage with the human body as a central tool for creating meaningful spatial experiences.

Engagement with the city in provincial Russia is currently lacking a framework of care for the historical urban fabric. Listed buildings decay with no revitalisation plans made by the municipality or the citizenry. On the other hand, theatre in modern-day Russia is an acknowledged political entity – a pocket of free(er) thinking and civil engagement. This research studies the historical trends in theatre to define the spatial qualities of audience engagement. The goal is to harness such qualities and apply them to a dilapidated building in Rostov-on-Don, reconnecting it with the city and the citizens, and hopefully begin a revival process all over the historic city centre.

As our society has entered the age of the digital, several problems have risen from the unprecedented amount of information circulation. While indeed the benefits of this instant access to information and data cannot be overstated, one cannot ignore problems such as misinformation. With that in mind, comes the problem of how could architecture deal with a society that is ever more dependent on the immaterial world provided by the digital in the context of politics.
This is where the parliament as a building typology factors in. It represents the intersection between political institutions (and by extension the societies they serve) and architecture. As such, the graduation project aims to explore how a parliament would look like in the context of an information society.
In short, the proposed answer of the project is injecting a higher degree of publicness to the parliament typology as stressing the physicality of such a political institution is ever more important. By trying to be more inviting to the public and more hones and transparent in regards to how its institution operates, the architecture of the New European Parliament emphasizes why actively engaging the public is crucial in an information society.

The starting point for this graduation project was a fascination with how architects can design for people who live at the margins of society, people that are invisible to many. The research was an investigation into places of belonging of displaced people in the Netherlands. In this case, the term displaced people was used for refugees, asylum seekers, status holders, etc. During the project's research phase, eight places of residence for displaced people were researched using ethnographical research methods like fieldwork and semi-structured interviews. During the research, I was confronted with how these spaces of residence were designed; it is not easy to get a feeling of belonging in them. The following four conclusions are things that do help people in the sense of belonging to a place; 'Accessibility and Predictability', being able to 'Share Culture and Background', 'Being in Control' and 'Privacy and Intimate spaces'.

These four points were used to create a design for a place of residence and culture centre for status holders in Utrecht. The design is located in 'het Wolvenplein', a former prison in the city centre of Utrecht. The design shows that if you can open a former prison and create a place of home there, it should be possible to create a good place to live for displaced people in any building. The design proposes a paradigm shift in how we design for displaced people.

Kan je architectuur vermenselijken door een gevoel tot ontwerpopgave te maken? Dit is de vraag waarmee ik mijn afstudeerproject startte. Thuis is een begrip dat veel wordt gebruikt en wat sterk gekoppeld is aan de architectonische typologie huis. Zijn deze echter onlosmakelijk met elkaar verbonden en wanneer voel je je thuis? Door middel van film ben ik thuis vanuit een menselijk perspectief gaan onderzoeken. ‘Mijn Afrikaanderwijk’ is de eerste onderzoeksfilm en bevraagt de verhouding van mens en buurt als deze dreigt te veranderen door gentrificatie. De tweede en derde onderzoeksfilm, samengevoegd in de film ’t huis’, analyseren of het begrip hiervan veranderd als je daadwerkelijk je huis hebt moeten verlaten aan de hand van de ervaringen van mensen met een migratieachtergrond. Uit het onderzoek bleek dat de thema’s toe-eigening, ontmoeting en belichaming sterk verbonden zijn met het thuisgevoel. Deze begrippen zijn zo generiek en de individuele invulling hiervan zo specifiek dat ze niet op de volledige groep van mensen met een migratieachtergrond van toepassing zijn of dat ik mijzelf en mijn omgeving in Amsterdam ook kon herkennen in hun zoektocht naar thuis als je huis dit niet is. Met mijn afstudeerproject wil ik het belang van permanente plekken in de stad benadrukken die onafhankelijk van inkomen, weer of tijd toegankelijk zijn. In de laatste film komen daarom de mensen met een migratieachtergrond samen met mensen in mijn directe omgeving in het gebruik van een specifiek ontwerp voor een ankerpunt in Amsterdam. Een ankerpunt is een intieme publieke buitenruimte met binnenruimte die georiënteerd is op de elementen. Door verloederde en vrijkomende kavels als zodanig te transformeren, kan een netwerk van ankerpunten in de stad worden gecreëerd.

The realm of architectural design and conceptualization, despite witnessing advancements in design complexity facilitated by technological tools and fabrication techniques, appears to have experienced limited transformative change over time in the way we begin our design process. But is there an alternative way to look at architecture ? Perhaps a completely different way to begin a project ? Can the age of data abundance cause a shift in the way we look at architectural design ?

The Rhythmic escape propose a retreat in Rotterdam based on environmental features in nature that is of significance in rituals held in nature by people living with nature.

Currently people with physical disabilities do not have the option to be away from home for a short or longer period of time to relieve themselves from the medical situation at home. This creates a feeling that there is currently a building typology missing in society and forms a challenge to be further investigated. The objective is to gather knowledge about how physically disabled adults experience a place and in what way an architectural design can influence this in a positive way.
The focus for this research is on the physically disabled adults who live at home, are dependent on a wheelchair and daily care. The following main research question has been formulated to answer the problem statement above: “In what ways can architecture overcome the limitations that adults with physical disabilities face in daily life?” To be able to answer the main research question literature research was carried out and interviews were conducted among 5 participants. Two physically disabled, one informal caretaker and two medical professionals. All these participants are representative for both the interview as well as physically disabled adults in the home situation. The interview responses showed that there are 4 main important themes: spatial, social, independence and healthcare. This indicates that these themes are important for all participants. To conclude, the current built environment is missing an accessible building typology, a place that provides care without feeling so for both physically disabled adults as for able bodied people to spend time away from home.
Based on this my advice for follow-up research would be how to create awareness among architects about the life of physically disabled adults and how they can design for them?