The Graduation Project is facing the challenge of extension to the historical building of Stockholm City Library. Its main goal was to provide an architectural answer to the political, economic and cultural problems which the institution of public libraries in Stockholm is facing nowadays.

My proposal refers back to the original plan for the site proposed by Erik Gunnar Asplund in 1928 and completing it with the 4th building. Thanks to that I managed to densify and fill the already-used part of the plot with subsequent educational functions. The building is connected to the main library underground which allows to preservation of its monumentality and independent character in the city. In the proposed extension I focus on the functions which can not be placed in the historical building due to its spatial limitation. The new building is a contemporary library incorporating a variety of interactions and ways of sharing knowledge. The structural layout allows for a flexible adaptation and at the same time provides different spatial qualities.

The Netherlands is currently facing an overloaded housing market. This has the consequence that many people cannot find a suitable dwelling. To solve this issue the government made the plan to build one million houses between 2020 and 2030. Apart from the quantitative problem of too little houses what is even more important is to figure out what type of houses to build. Where should the houses be build? For whom should they be build? How do these people want to live? These questions need to be answered to make certain the houses that will be build have the potential to solve the housing shortage.

Demographic data of The Netherlands and the design location the city of Rotterdam shows that most household growth in the coming years will occur among families with children and singles of all age categories with the largest increase in the 65+ age category. Looking at the current housing situation of families and elderly people living in the city it seems like there is already a shortage of suitable housing. With the prognosis pointing out that there will be a growth in these households the shortage will only get worse unless action is taken.

Living environment plays a crucial role in people’s lives especially in the most vulnerable parts when growing up as kids or when nearing the last stage of life. This is because when we are young but also when we grow old we are dependent on caregivers and on what our direct environment can offer to meet our needs.

This thesis therefore looks into an intergenerational housing approach based on the thought that by creating buildings in such a way that they help with bringing people together and by creating inclusive communities many issues concerning families and elderly people living in the city can be alleviated. The building design serves as an example for the many opportunities there are to improve life in the city by keeping people in mind instead of only focusing on creating more houses to solve the housing crisis. By taking this approach it is possible to get to a much more long term sustainable solution for the housing crisis benefitting all the participants and leaving a much larger positive impact on the whole of society.

The number of elderly citizens in the Netherlands is growing, but there is a lack of suitable housing for this population group. Because of this, they occupy larger homes that are more suitable for families with children. Since the average age of no longer having children at home is 55 years in the Netherlands, that is the starting age for this project. A design for an elderly specific housing project in the Merwehavens in Rotterdam tries to provide a possible solution. Since there are different social and economical backgrounds there are several different types of dwellings in the building, ranging from small care units to larger multi-bedroom apartments. To still offer the smaller apartments a space for (grand)children to visit, there are also lodging rooms on each floor. The dwellings themselves are all wheelchair proof. This means that the residents do not need to move again if their physical capabilities decline with age, therefore providing a future proof dwelling for the elderly in the Netherlands. This is the next step in the housing career for the modern elderlies of the Netherlands.