As climate change, housing shortage and prices in the Netherlands are getting out of control, the building industry needs to find new ways of designing high quality neighbourhoods that manage to tackle these issues. This project focusses on developing an energy neutral, high quality, affordable neighbourhood by implementing a modular strategy and a climate strategy at the urban and architectural level.

Solarpolis is a proposed new neighbourhood situated in the Merwedeterrein, Arnhem (NL), where both the urban and architectural situations are influenced by a passive climate design strategy. The proposed modular strategy has the advantage to be resilient enough to cope with future climate changes or changes of layout/destination of the living environments; it employs state of the art sustainable technologies to ensure circular energy exploitation/recovery to the maximum possible extent.

As part of the studio ‘Designing for Care – towards an Inclusive Living Environment’, which focused on the topics of architectural designs for the elderly, this study specifically aimed at building an open and intimate neighbourhood through connections in answer to the elderly’s urgent problems from aged-related social losses.

Low-frequency sound transmission in a cross-laminated timber apartment building can result in annoyance, even if the acoustic requirements of the building code are fulfilled. Cross-laminated timber is an upcoming material in the building industry. But there are also problems arising when building with this relatively new material. CLT is a lightweight building material, which means that the mass itself is insufficient for meeting the acoustical requirements. The total sound transmission depends on the amount of direct sound and flanking sound transmission. The ISO 12354 standard used to determine the amount of sound transmission between rooms does not include frequencies below 100 Hz. Even though these low-frequency sounds are the main cause of annoyance in lightweight construction buildings. The low-frequency sound transmission is hard to measure because of the long wavelength. In this research, a numerical model was developed and used to determine the low-frequency sound transmission in CLT apartment buildings.


The effect of the following sound-reducing measures are studied: the material properties of the material CLT, additional linings on the room separating elements, use of elastic interlayers between CLT panels and the type and number of connectors connecting the CLT panels. These are all common sound-reducing measures for lightweight constructions. The effect of the material properties of the CLT and the effect of additional linings are computed by a numerical direct sound transmission model. The effects of elastic interlayer and connectors between the CLT panels are computed with a numerical vibration reduction index model. The results of the numerical models are compared to measurements found in literature and the sound transmission according to the ISO standard.

The results showed the importance of Young’s modulus in the y and z-direction, these influence the location of the resonance induced dips in the sound insulation. The internal loss factor of the CLT panels influenced the height of the dips. A loss factor of 20 % resulted in results most similar to the measurements. The direct sound transmission through a bare CLT panel can be predicted within a range of 3 dB difference with measurements. The prediction of the ISO standard is within a range of 5 dB with the measured values.

The vibration reduction index between panels without interlayers is modelled with frictional contact regions between the panels. The numerical results showed similarities with the measurement results for the vibration reduction index of panels with screwed connectors. The ISO standard significantly overpredicts the vibration reduction index of CLT junctions. The effect of the elastic interlayer showed insignificant improvements in the frequency range 50-500 Hz, the additional reduction stays below 3 dB. The ISO standard does not include a method to determine the effect of elastic interlayers or connectors between CLT panels.


The numerical models prove that is possible to predict the low-frequency sound transmission in CLT apartments. Important notes are that the CLT lamellas need to be modelled separately. Only in this way the model is able to capture the sound that goes through a structure within a range of 3 dB. In order to test the effect of additional lining, the material properties need to be known.
The vibration transmission between panels in the junctions is more complex, as it depends on more design parameters. A frictionally bonded contact region between the panels results in vibration reduction indices that are in line with measurement results of panels with several connectors. The effect of the elastic interlayer is minimal in the low-frequency range, but the results are similar to measurement results. Both the direct sound transmission model and the vibration reduction model were influenced by the boundary conditions.

For centuries timber has been the most commonly used material for constructions. All over the world examples of timber structures that date back from a few centuries are still standing today. The Netherlands feature about 60,000 national monuments with internally timber structures. These timber structures often need strengthening due to increasing loads that are applied. The strengthening techniques are narrowed down to a few options whenever historical ceiling designs, such as ceiling paintings, plaster works or timber beams need to remain intact.

Timber floors encounter two major challenges: low stiffness which leads to limited load-bearing capacity and low surface mass which leads to poor acoustic sound insulation. This research seeks to provide structural engineers to make a factual choice in an early design stage for using a reversible strengthening technique on a monumental timber floor preserving original appearance. This strengthening technique is verified for strength, stiffness and acoustics, both airborne and structure-borne sound transmission. To this end, the following research question was formulated: "What is the influence on the strength, stiffness and acoustic properties of monumental timber floors by strengthening them with multiple layers of plates fastened on top of the existing floor?"

To answer the research question, a case study was performed on two monumental floors of the Prinsenhof Museum in Delft. These floors were investigated for their current strength, stiffness and acoustic properties. Then, equations were derived which considered the separate timber plates in the reinforcement technique as an equivalent layer. This equivalent layer is used to determine the effective stiffness for mechanically connected girders by the gamma-method. These equations were validated using software for 2D frameworks. Subsequently, a parameter study was used to determine the influence of the parameters on the strength, stiffness and acoustic properties. Finally, by applying the reinforcement technique to the case study based on the results of the parameter study, the strengthening technique was assessed more in detail by taking into account the influence of the non-cooperating intermediate layer.

The results of the parameter study and the case study demonstrated that the strengthening technique increase the strength and stiffness of the floor considerably. However, by increasing the stiffness, the connections between the additional timber plates and the reinforced component becomes governing. Furthermore, the increase in stiffness does not significantly improve the acoustic sound insulation, as this is mainly governed by the surface mass of the timber floor.

It is therefore concluded that strengthening of monumental timber floors, by means of several layers of separate timber plates fastened on top of the floor, is an effective way to achieve the desired strength and stiffness. Thick plates, small spacing between fasteners and inclined fasteners are a requirement to achieve higher strength and stiffness. However, additional measures must be taken to meet the sound transmission requirements. For the original perseverance of the monumental timber floor and reversibility, these measures would be dry floating floors. A significant fact is that dry floating floors only add mass and do not increase stiffness, which lowers the maximum allowable load on the floor.

A major limitation of this thesis is the consideration of the non-cooperating intermediate layer between the additional timber layers and the reinforced component. This intermediate layer results in multiple shear planes between the reinforced component and the additional timber plates. This thesis suggested to use a factor, determined from Roensmaens et al. (2020) research, to convert the multiple shear planes into a single shear plane. It is therefore important that further research investigates the influence of these multiple shear planes that do not contribute to the bending stiffness of the reinforced component.

The population of the world is increasing at a rapid rate and is expected to reach 9.7billion by 2050. Out of this, around 6.3billion people will be living in urban areas. With an ever increasing population, the demand for energy and resources is also increasing. It is becoming difficult to meet these demands with the existing supply conditions. With this research, the aim is to develop a symbiotic energy and resource relationship between residential buildings and modular greenhouses. By doing so, it could help in reducing the primary demands of the buildings while meeting the demands by utilizing the waste flows of the building.

New Media has brought about a change in our lifestyles, a change in how we do our work, the possibility of working more flexibly, but also the creation of new jobs. Nowadays New Media can’t be separated anymore from the way that we do our work. New Media workers specifically are largely reliant on New Media, in this case seen as technological advancements of a given time in this case internet, smartphones, laptop etc. Because of New Media these people are able to work more flexible, differently (to the point of the creation of new jobs) and most importantly from anywhere. Most of these people however work from home and it is here that the problem that these people deal with is found. Most of the homes that they currently have are adapted to this new way of working, meaning that they are in need for dwellings that can provide the necessary space for them to work and live. It is expected that a lot of people will continue to work more from home even companies are thinking of implementing standard days on which their employees work from home, meaning that the issue will persist and even expand to more than just the New Media workers. With the building presented in this project I hope to participate in finding a solution for this problem, which not only New Media workers have to deal with, but others soon as well.

The Ecuadorian construction sector lacks thermal comfort standards, causing building’s design to disregard the existing variations between the climatic regions in the country. Indoor comfort levels are generally poor, encouraging the use of unsustainable cooling and heating systems. A building´s envelope plays an important role in the energy and environmental performance of a building. This research investigates whether indoor comfort can be improved by renovating existing facades with a prefabricated facade system that can be mass-customized to respond to different types of climate conditions. A project that uses state-of-the-art technologies, such as CNC milling, to mass-customize construction elements is the WikiHouse. It provides construction solutions with multiple variations, easy assembly processes and the demountability of its components. It guarantees its reusability and reduces the high demand for resources in the construction industry. This research focuses on the design of a facade system that can be mass-customized by combining the construction system of the WikiHouse project and multiple layers with different properties to build one modular and symmetric component with several variations. The replication of the components variants on an existing building´s facades should improve the indoor comfort by responding to the localtions weather. During this research, components variants are developed, by using computational prototyping and simulations. The most suitable components combinations for each facade orientation are selected. This study highlights the influence of climate factors in all its design steps, as well as setting a circular workflow throughout the manufacture, use and return processes. The final outcome of this study is a prefabricated facade system that can be mass-customized to respond to different types of Ecuadorian climate conditions to improve the current indoor comfort levels and allows its demountability and reusability.

Secularisation is leading to an increasing amount of obsolete churches in the Netherlands. There is a need for decision making on which churches to preserve and how to deal with the preserved churches. Adaptively reusing these buildings can safeguard them from demolition. Adaptively reusing churches is a matter of making concessions. Every stakeholder has its interest. These interests are interrelated, and it is almost impossible to meet every stakeholders’ goal to the maximum. Therefore, one should strive to find the optimal solution. Finding this optimal balance is the task of the decision maker. Theory shows that aligning the following four goals can help: physical, functional, financial and organisational goals. These are based on the CREM perspectives. This is tested by interviewing several decisionmakers and by comparing this qualitative data and the additional literature research with the theory. The aim is to strengthen the position of the decision maker with this new information and tools. Equally important as finding the optimal solution, is making supported decisions. The use of the DAS-frame guides this. Comparing the four steps derived from the literature with the steps decision makers take leads to the findings. This information is derived from interviews. A step-by-step plan for future decision makers helps making substantiated decisions, and a database and reference booklet, compiled in this thesis, help broadening the solution framework for adaptively reusing churches. This step-by-step plan is compiled based on the DAS-frame and the information for the interviews. Tips from finding the optimal solution merge into this step-by-step plan. The step-by-step plan, database and reference booklet form a toolbox to support private and public decision makers in fulfilling their task.

Desigrate’ is designed to serve as a façade component of office buildings. Therefore, the building technology aspect of climate, façade detailing, and façade assembly is thoroughly discussed, optimized and evaluated to provide a product which acts efficiently as a cooling system and enhances the insulation of the building. Hence serving as a cooling strategy both actively and passively. Furthermore, as the façade system is specifically designed for the hot and humid climate of Bangkok, both climate and cultural context are crucial aspects in designing the system. The design concept of the façade system is based on a vernacular approach to enhance the cultural value of the product which aims to reflects the “Thainess” identity to the built environment.

This research will examine a design for an off-grid safari park in Iran. During this research different passive techniques from the vernacular architecture will be discussed. These principles will be used to reduce the energy demand of the safari park, since it should be an off-grid park, in order to deliver a design proposal with an achievable energy balance. One of the buildings, the entrance building, will be used as a case study to test the design principles. The courtyard, the increase of mass and the windcatcher are the most important principles to be implemented in the building. The energy reduction achievable with these techniques is weighted against the increase in cost of the building. In the design of the entrance building, a combination of windcatchers and underground ducts is used to cool the building, reducing the energy demand for cooling with 90%. Other principles, like an increase in mass and a courtyard also reduce the energy demand of the building significantly. The use of vernacular principles in the design will increase the cost of the building. However, it will decrease the cost needed for generating energy on site and, therefore, it is still beneficial. Future research, should focus on the exact amount of energy needed compared to the additional cost for the construction of the buildings. However, this research concludes that the use of vernacular principles in the park is beneficial.