How to design a vertical campus that focuses on designing for interaction

The project takes place in the Anna van Buerenplein, The Hague, Netherlands and focuses on the development of a public campus high rise. The proposal explores the transformation of the dense central station area of The Hague, through developing connections between existing infrastructures and the new campus building. The ground floor of the site will become the “plinth” of the campus, and the campus will be open to the city. This gesture will foster the development of the area as the educational core of the CID of The Hague. The new design will become part of this new urban constellation. Knowledge is meant to be discovered and explored by the visitors of the campus, and the city is meant to be part of the student experience.
The first levels of the campus reach out to the existing layers of the city. The key concept is to create shared spaces with Leiden University building, the National Archive and part of the Library. The second cluster houses the studio spaces, the classrooms and other educational facilities. The design features a meandering track through the learning and research spaces. The journey around the cluster allows learning on display. The top cluster is an autonomous office space. Densification equals stacking. The goal is to investigate whether we can create publicly accessible upper floors.
Overall the building is approached as an urban system of interwoven public and collective spaces. In between the squares on the upper levels, the meandering circulation promenade and the prosthetic connecting elements, the program can be adjusted or changed. That system can be applied to different contexts.
The project strategy was shaped by the findings stemming from the contextual investigation, which brought forward the potential the site area has to offer. Through the method of research-by-design, the project proposes an approach to densification by engaging with porosity, permeability, and connectivity.

The project focuses on creating educational, working, and public spaces that promote diversity and sustainability.

With the global population growing, the design emphasizes efficient space utilization and minimal environmental impact through inward densification and overlapping activities. Another key objective is to enhance campus spaces for flexibility and efficiency while maintaining essential elements like social interaction and facilities. The design arranges programs based on qualitative parameters such as the succession of spaces and varying levels of privacy, using architectural means like ramps, stairs, and materials.

Situated in The Hague, part of the Randstad Urban Network, the project aims to minimize space impact while accommodating population influx. The building massing strategy involves sharing spaces and creating new structures to connect different user groups via public pathways and a collective hub. Building systems use recycled steel and timber to reduce CO2 impact, with efficient ventilation and modular facade designs. The main buildings feature fritted ceramic glass for daylight and views, while the collective hub has a metal mesh facade for light and airflow.

The design integrates with its surroundings to ensure smooth flow and connectivity, creating a vertical campus with outdoor green spaces. Overall, the Multiverse Campus optimizes space use, enhances learning efficiency, and fosters a sustainable, diverse environment.

With the shift in pedagogical and technological approaches towards hybrid learning concepts, architectural spaces also need to be adapted to meet the diverse needs of today’s learners. My project investigates how hybrid learning spaces can enhance the creative thinking process of lifelong learners. It explores design strategies to ensure that vertical campus buildings are accessible to various users. A key focus is identifying spatial characteristics that either activate or challenge creativity and using these as design tools. The goal is to design a “Vertical Campus” in The Hague that addresses urban densification and is publicly accessible.

The project aims for sustainable and future-proof designs that meet today’s needs while anticipating future ones. It combines various functions within a campus complex and addresses themes like hybridity and lifelong learning. The project seeks to make existing government institutions accessible to the public and ensure vertical accessibility. It integrates knowledge from architecture, social sciences, technology, and engineering, proposing solutions to align the built environment with recent developments in teaching and learning.

Incorporating hybrid learning spaces not only enhances the creative journey of lifelong learners but also facilitates knowledge sharing and accessibility for different stakeholders and users. This is particularly relevant in The Hague’s Central Innovation District, where a significant amount of knowledge exists within municipal and governmental buildings and numerous educational institutions, but is not accessible to the general public.

M.A.G.N.O.L.I.A. is a proposed future campus located in the heart of the city of The Hague. The proposal stems from an ambition to offer a potential, innovative spatial answer to a demand for higher education, in light of urgent and intensive contemporary issues ranging from soil consumption to long-life learning perspectives, social integration and flexible planning, most relevant among many others. The response is materialized in a vision for a campus deeply integrated into the city fabric, highly connected to the existing network infrastructure and inspired by an ambition to provide functional spaces for people to learn, gather, meet, dialogue, contributing to the building of more than a single spatial entity, a community of individuals and a nest for the fostering of new ideas, promoting the transfer of knowledge to the highest extent.

This research and design project explores the use of the Pattern Language method to transform Moluccan neighbourhoods in the Netherlands into inclusive areas while enhancing their cultural heritage. The study focuses on the Moluccan neighbourhood in Barneveld for renovation and the Lloydkade in Rotterdam as a site for creating new places of heritage. The main question addressed in this study is how Moluccan neighbourhoods can become inclusive areas through urban design while enhancing their cultural heritage.
The first part of the study, "Spatializing Moluccan Heritage," examines the emergence and development of Moluccan neighbourhoods over time. It investigates the unique spatial characteristics of these neighbourhoods and identifies spatial patterns that showcase their identity. The analysis reveals that community facilities play a crucial role in maintaining the unity of the Moluccan community. The desired spatial layout of neighbourhoods reflects the organic and wandering nature found in Moluccan islands. Public spaces are primarily used for ceremonies and brief interactions, while most social activities occur within the private realm. The kitchen, located at the back of the house, serves as an important space for transmitting Moluccan culture. Recognizable elements such as street names and entrance indications contribute to identifying a place as a Moluccan neighbourhood.
The second part, "Forming Scenarios," examines the perceptions of Moluccan neighbourhoods among different generations and non-Moluccan society. It explores the evolution of the Moluccan society and its culture. The study reveals that younger generations exhibit less attachment to these neighbourhoods, preferring larger cities and a more individualistic approach. However, the majority of generations express a desire to preserve the Moluccan neighbourhoods. To ensure their preservation, it is important for these neighbourhoods to evolve and become more diverse, accommodating the changing needs and preferences of younger generations while maintaining their cultural heritage.
The third part, "Designing the Urban Form," proposes strategies for transforming Moluccan neighbourhoods into inclusive and porous areas. Strengthening the network of alleys and creating intimate public spaces can address the desire for informality and reduce social control pressures. Introducing greater housing diversity and types that cater to the preferences of the Moluccan community can make the neighbourhoods more inclusive and attractive to younger generations. The tangible and intangible Moluccan heritage can be preserved through the creation of spaces such as community buildings, flagpoles, paths and alleys, and the integration of water elements.
In conclusion, this research highlights the importance of urban design in transforming Moluccan neighbourhoods in the Netherlands into inclusive areas while enhancing their cultural heritage. It emphasizes the need to not only preserve and celebrate existing cultural heritage but also to create new places for cultural expression and engagement, particularly for younger generations. By incorporating these findings into urban design practices, Moluccan neighbourhoods can thrive as inclusive and vibrant communities that cherish their cultural heritage.

Eventually either the oil and gas supply will be exhausted, or society will develop methods to rely completely on eco-friendly energy sources. What will then happen to the oil industry and their factories and structures? In this hypothetical situation, offshore drilling rigs, structures made of billions of euros worth of steel and concrete, will need to be repurposed. These highly sophisticated platforms and jackets resist storms, frequent waves (resonance), and salt water. These abandoned rigs provide society with the opportunity to repurpose, and even extend the site over and under water.
Humans are facing the dangerous consequences of the climate change. Especially the population of the Netherlands, which has to face rising sea levels. An undesired, nor not impossible scenario, would be the loss of livable land due to flooding. The loss of building and living area would result in drastic changes to the means of life. On the one hand, we need to research possibilities to slow down the process, and also change our way of life. However, on the other hand, we must look for concepts and design proposals to support a lifestyle with radical climate changes.

Our society, human behavior, and cities are changing due to the exponential progress of technology. How are we going to live in a future, and which role will architecture play in an augmented world? It might emerge as a balancing act between utopia and dystopia, between the total dependency and repression of the machines and the freedom to achieve more than we ever imagined. Society’s addiction to technical devices emphasizes the urgency at hand to begin to work with new technologies instead of denying the process categorically.