This thesis states the current urgent problem in the global context where the prevalence of depression among university students is increasing. Most of the university students who suffer from depression due to peer competition, high demands on themselves, inability to handle relationships well and other problems leading them to feel helpless, upset and anxious. In the Netherlands, even with a complete psychiatric care system, depressed patients still have to face a lot of problems in terms of treatment, such as long waiting lists and expensive treatment. Therefore, an increasing number of people are motivated to concentrate on depression prevention.

About depression prevention, there have been some research and measures at the social level and psychological level. At the architectural level, most of the mental-related research has focused on medical buildings, with limited research on daily living environments. It is relevant
to combine depression prevention measures and architectural design measures for university students to research and design their daily living environment to positively support depression prevention. The targeted group is healthy university students. For these university students living in student residences on campus, campus and residence are the places that they spend much time. In order to investigate how the design of campus and residential spaces can support depression prevention, the design guidelines are generated through four research methods: literature research, observation, interview and case studies. The design guidelines are categorised into three levels of importance and two scales. Based on the design guidelines, the design (including campus scale and residence scale) will be done.

Overall, through the research process, the design guidelines relate to the three aspects of physical, social and mental health. This research argues that promoting these three aspects of healthy lifestyles among university students can contribute to depression prevention for them.

The Dutch elderly housing system has a gap for vulnerable elderly. The Dutch policy on elderly care is to continue living at home for as long as possible and moving into a nursing home with 24h care when living at home is not possible anymore. However, a large group of elderly is not served by this policy. This group is the group of so called vulnerable elderly. Living at home might be tough for them because of the incidental care they need, but moving into a nursing home is unnecessary. For these groups of elderly a new housing form is needed. In order to create this new housing types, transformation of existing vacant buildings could be a solution. Empty plots to build on are become increasingly more scarce and with the climate crisis the existing building in The Netherlands should be renovated in order to improve their sustainability. In this thesis research was done on what design guidelines would be needed in order to create a new social housing complex out of an existing building. The results show that a form of co-housing with mixed living for elderly could be a solution. In these co-housing complexes the emphasis lies on creating social connections through shared spaces. These social connections improve both mental and physical health, whilst at the same time relieving pressure on the Dutch care system by increasing informal care between resident. The results of this investigation are a number of design guidelines which need to be implemented in an existing utility building for transforming this building into a succesfull co-housing for elderly. These desgin guidelines are combined into a building concept showing the basic design ideas for creating a senior co-housing complex with mixed living.

When children are admitted to the hospital because of a severe illness, as whole new chapter in life starts for the children and the parents. Several researches emphasize the stress children and parents experience during hospitalisation. However, life becomes even more distressing when the child is allowed to go home and it becomes the parents’ responsibility to take care of the child. Nowadays when a child is too well to stay in the hospital, however, too sick to stay at home, the child is sent home anyway. The reason behind this is that a stay in the hospital is expensive.

Research has been conducted on how the healthcare system is shaped now and how architecture can contribute to an optimisation of healthcare facilities for children who require long-term care. By using multiple research methods like interviewing, fieldwork, documentaries, case studies and a literature study, the aim was to answer the main question.

Healing environment was introduced as a technique to be able to conduct the research. Since research on healing environment is most of the time only for adults, a new framework has been compiled especially for children.

It can be concluded that by implementing the design guidelines, that are compiled, as requirements for an healthy healthcare facility, that architecture can contribute to an optimisation of healthcare facilities.

The ageing population in the Netherlands presents challenges in elderly care, including rising health issues, a shortage of healthcare staff, and escalating costs. This study explores the association between healthy ageing and Blue Zones, regions in the world where long and healthy lives are common. Genetic factors contribute to 25% of lifespan variations, while non-genetic elements, such as unhealthy habits and social conditions, play significant roles. Environmental factors also impact the ageing process. The research aims to create a healthy urban living environment in the Netherlands, drawing inspiration from the lifestyle lessons in the Blue Zones. The main research question delves into how Dutch living environments can promote healthy ageing and assist the elderly in maintaining vitality. Sub-questions explore the key elements contributing to healthy ageing, the implementation of the Blue Zone concept in the living environment on the scale of the neighbourhood, street and building, and how the concept can be applied within Dutch urban living environments. Building on the principles of Blue Zones, the study focuses on three key spatial domains within the living environment: Physical Activity, Green/Blue Spaces, and Social Connection. The research goal is to provide practical design guidelines for architects and urban planners, aiming to reduce healthcare costs and chronic diseases in the ageing population. Implementing these guidelines in Dutch urban environments enhance the overall health of the elderly, maintaining their vitality and independence for as long as possible. To achieve the best health benefits, a societal shift towards proactive engagement and inhabitants’ responsibility for their living environment and health is needed to create a healthy living environment.

With a growing elderly population in the Netherlands, this also challenges our existing housing options and the care system. In particular, the risk of dementia significantly increases with age. About 68 percent of people with dementia in the Netherlands live at home and get care from their family or close social network; often their partner. When an informal caregiver can no longer manage the care of someone with dementia, it becomes a significant reason for considering admission to a nursing home or an assisted living facility. There are currently few options for both partners to continue living together when they wish to do so.
To explore the collective requirements of both partners, the following research question was answered; ‘What living environmental features can support elderly couples who wish to live together while one of them experiences dementia, to maintain their shared living arrangements?’.
Literature research, fieldwork, interviews and case studies show several design guidelines that can be considered when designing for people with dementia, as well as their unaffected partner. For the partner with dementia, ‘wayfinding’, ‘accessibility’, and creating a ‘home-like small-scale environment’ were found to be important to consider while designing for them. For the ‘healthy’ partner, it was found that it is important for them to be able to ‘live a normal life’, to ‘take some pressure off’ of them, to ‘ensure the safety of their partner with dementia’, and to ‘be able to do things together with their partner and separately’.
As the elderly population continues to expand, it is crucial to explore innovative living alternatives to ease the strain on informal caregivers and the healthcare system.

This research is about designing for people with dementia. The Dutch population is aging and
double aging, causing an increase of people with dementia. This also causes a growing imbalance between people who need care and people who can provide care. Adding to this are the current living arrangements for people with dementia not sufficient. Therefore the central question in this research is: what living environment features can contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia, and provide them with the care they need.

The aim of this research is to define design guidelines that provide people with dementia with sufficient housing and a qualitative living environment through all stages of dementia. And to see if this can contribute to the efficiency in care, so that people with dementia can still get the care they need.

This research obtains information through literature study, case studies and a fieldwork in an elderly care home to provide an answer to the main question. This research defines four main topics that contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia: distinctiveness, familiarity, independence and biophilic. This research investigates these topics on different scales. First the scale of the dwelling, than the building, and at last the near surroundings. Finally, this research has a chapter from the perspective of the caregiver on the living environment for people with dementia. This results in design guidelines.

It can be concluded from this research that by bringing together the fields of dementia,
dementia care and architecture, a qualitative living environment can be created for people
with dementia with a high quality of life. A higher quality of life will contribute to the efficiency of care and a decrease in the demand for care.

Under the influence of negative experiences, childbirth can be harmful and have negative effects on women’s (mental) health. One of the factors affecting women’s experience of childbirth is the physical environment. Unfortunately, contemporary maternal healthcare facilities are often designed from a highly-regulated and medicalized maternity care perspective, instead of a woman-centered design approach. In order to comply with women’s (environmental) needs and to create a more women-centered design approach, design guidelines have been formed based on literature study, fieldwork including semistructured interviews, and case studies. Using these guidelines, the architectural environment could contribute to a positive experience, improving health & well-being, for women during the stage of LDRP* in a maternal healthcare facility.

*an acronym for labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum

A person with a physical disability often has no choice but to rely on their families. Between the physically disabled and the family caregiver, there is a co-dependence which affects both sides and how they live their individual daily lives. It is reported that this co-dependence creates feelings of burden and stress, social isolation and emotional loneliness for both the people with disabilities and their family caregivers.

There has been a good number of policies issued in the Netherlands with the aim of allowing as many people as possible to participate fully in society. The main aim is to help people with disabilities to live as they wish through changes in the social domain that will lead to noticeably fewer barriers. However, when it comes to participation and “barriers”, the first thing that comes to mind is the physical barriers that make access challenging. But accessibility and participation are also about the experiences people have once they access a particular environment. In other words, accessible and inclusive spaces are spaces that not only people can get into, but that they also feel welcome to be into. In the end, when we talk about an accessible society, we are talking about more than just the physical or practical barriers - the social barriers that are part of the social structure and the way the society and living environments are organized.

In this research, the question "What kind of architectural and urban living environments can be integrated in the daily lives of the physically disabled adults (PDA) and their family caregivers (FC) to reduce their social isolation?" is explored through interviews, observations and literature study. The findings are then organized into a set of design guidelines and design applications in an effort to create an inclusive living environment.

The main design concept as a result of the research suggests the design of an “Incluive Living Environment“ which offers public functions, social amenities and housing which are all available for everyone - regardless of their age, ability or family configuration - where a healthy environment of interaction and understanding can be created. A living environment where a strong community and social network can be formed where disabilities and care is not a burden or something to be ashamed of, but it is accepted, understood, and shared. A living environment where the care is shared by forming healthy communities where social bonds are formed between individuals that live in proximity to one another, light care can easily become a “shared value“. This helps to release the pressure, burden and shame that is primarily experienced by physically disabled adults and their families, and reduce their social isolation.

There exists today, a major discrepancy in care provision for youth suffering from, or beginning to experience, behavioural and medical health issues (BMH) at an age that is too young to self-advocate, too old for traditional social service infrastructure, but just right to intervene upon if properly recognized. What if human connection and the deliberate use of public space could provide additional built-in community-based support for our neurodivergent peers – what would this look like for a small urban city?

This study aims to investigate practical and minimally-invasive urban solutions for tackling the high care demand imposed on the psychiatric medical care community today. With a focus on decentralization, the burden of care might be alleviated and dispersed from a strictly clinical to a community setting, thus improving access for all.

About 90% of our lives are spend indoors. For many of the buildings we stay in, standards and design guidelines have been set up, but educational buildings are often left out. Around 2009 the project the “Frisse Scholen” was set up in the Netherlands. This project aims to create better indoor climates at primary, secondary, and vocational schools. Universities have not been considered, while university students also need healthy environments. These students also suffer from stress. This can severely impact the academic performance. Healing elements in the design of university buildings could decrease the stress. This research aims to create design guidelines for a new general university education building that improves the physical and mental well-being of students. The research will be anthropological for the most part with interviews, questionnaires, and observation. This will be supported by literature research.

By 2040 a quarter of the Dutch population consists of elderly people. This increasing number of elderly will lead to a higher demand for healthcare, but the healthcare sector is already overburdened by the high demand and shortages of professionals. Therefore, elderly have to live independently for as long as possible and enough suitable ageing-friendly housing is necessary. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many seniors find themselves residing in homes designed for families. Especially when living alone, these houses are often excessively spacious and unsuitable for ageing in place. However, alternatives to move to are not available or do not suit their needs, because they are for example not in their current neighbourhood or not affordable. At the moment the housing construction is stalled and housing plans can take many years, so it is necessary to focus on opportunities. This study focuses on addressing this issue by exploring the potential of transforming postwar neighbourhoods into ageing-friendly living environments, because research shows that solutions can be found in the existing urban context of the postwar neighbourhood.

The research investigates the architectural and spatial elements necessary for creating ageing-friendly environments through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, case study and by going on a fieldwork week to an real-life example of a residential facility where elderly people live together as a community. The results about housing preferences and needs of elderly people are translated into design guidelines for an elderly-friendly living environment divided into three scales: neighbourhood, building block and dwelling. The characteristics of and problems in the Dutch postwar neighbourhood and the possibilities for transformation are described through analysed literature. The research identifies strategies for renovating and repurposing existing housing stock, as well as incorporating new construction to meet the housing needs of the elderly population.

Overall, this research contributes to the construction of ageing-friendly living environments, improves housing conditions for the elderly in the Netherlands and offers insights into the transformation of the postwar neighbourhoods. To create an ageing-friendly living environment in postwar neighbourhoods, the most important topics need to be addressed on the basis of implementing the guidelines and therefore transformation in the postwar neighbourhood is necessary. Many homes, especially those designed for families, lack wheelchair accessibility and elevators. The green surroundings of postwar neighbourhoods can encourage elderly to spend time outdoors. So, making better use of this rich green and water structure is recommended. For the transformation of postwar neighbourhoods four categories of interventions are possible: splitting and expanding of existing dwellings, surgical interventions to make use of unused space, restructuring by demolishing and building new and building at the edges of the neighbourhoods where infrastructure becomes available due to the expecting reducing use of cars. Family houses and apartments can be split into multiple houses and residential buildings could be renovated, to expand, improve the look, improve sustainability, upgrade the plinth by adding other functions and make houses ageing-friendly by adding for example elevator access and renovating bathrooms. Hereby, the guidelines for an ageing-friendly living environment have to be implemented. Considering the shrinking households and the prevalence of elderly individuals living alone, transformation strategies should focus on densification with diversity in housing types, diverse residents, mixed-use and the creation of a sense of community.

Mental health patients often get taken out of their social network when going into intensive care or temporary Supportive Housing (SH). However, social network has a positive effect on the recovery and quality of life of patients with mental health illness (Rössler, 2006). Although mental health care policies are changing in the Netherlands, supportive housing remains needed - albeit in smaller amounts - for a specific group. This group often is not integrated into society. Using the neighbourhood as the community inhabitants integrate into (Perry, 1929) and a systemic review by Jovanović et al. (2019) on how architecture can positively influence social interaction in psychiatric hospitals, this research tries to find design guidelines for SH which increases social integration into neighbourhoods.
Through a literature study and case studies, several themes are established. These are tested with field research at a Dutch SH facility, where six staff members are formally interviewed and around eight inhabitants were informally interviewed. Additionally, observations were done on social interactions. Finally, experts are interviewed on the topic.
The results show that the inhabitants of SH are divers, but can be classified in two groups: 1. Heavy cases who need intensive, long-term care and 2. Short-term cases who do not have housing (Planije et al., 2017). Through the different scales, four main themes which can enhance social interaction could be established: Interaction with the neighbourhood, activating inhabitants, fitting different needs of inhabitants and finally, contact with nature.
In conclusion, architecture & the built environment and location conditions can have influence the social network of inhabitants of SH by providing opportunities for social interaction, while also enabling inhabitants to retreat.

This thesis explores architectural interventions to de-stigmatize psychiatric hospitals in Albania. Through research grounded in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and fieldwork in local psychiatric facilities, the study identifies key design principles such as greenery, privacy, autonomy, and community integration. The design proposal, Fshati i Mendjes (Village of the Mind), is a psychiatric care hospital in Tirana that challenges traditional institutional models, drawing inspiration from the traditional villages. It features therapeutic courtyards, natural light, and adaptive spaces tailored to patient needs. The project also aims to engage the community through educational programs and environmental sustainability, promoting mental health awareness and fostering a culture of acceptance.

Caring for the elderly has always been a topic of great discussion. Demographic changes in an aging society have resulted in the growing phenomenon of the Sandwich Generation. The middle-aged generation cares for their aging parents and children and is usually one of the groups providing informal care. The burden of caregiving gradually harms their health and eventually leads to a decline in the quality of care and life for both the caregiver and the elderly. In order to realize aging in place and solve the problem of insufficient nursing homes in Dutch society due to the shortage of healthcare professionals and the reduction of healthcare budgets by the government, it is necessary to focus on the needs of these informal caregivers, who are sandwiched between two generations, in addition to the elderly. Furthermore, to solve the problem of housing for the elderly, apart from intergenerational cohabitation (for people without blood ties), retirement housing, and kangaroo houses, which have been highly discussed in recent years, research has found that living together with family members who are related by blood may be one of the options.

This thesis aims to develop housing design principles that can meet the needs of caregiving and sandwich generation living together. Based on the spatial and neighborhood context of the home, the study investigates how to support the quality of life of the caregiver and the care recipient to achieve the possibility of aging in place. The research method comprises fieldwork, interviews, literature research, and case studies. The fieldwork and interviews are conducted to understand the needs of the elderly, literature research is done to obtain further objective knowledge, and case studies are used to analyze the spatial configurations, dimensions, and areas. From the results of the research methods described above, the findings show that for caregivers, adequate operating space and assistive aid help reduce the risk of injury, spatial proximity minimizes moving distances, sufficient light contributes to caregiving and health, reduced noise disturbance helps the quality of caregiver’s sleep, and good ventilation prevents deterioration of indoor air quality. The most important thing for seniors is preventing falls from prolonging mobility. Toilets must be visible and easily accessible, the threshold on the floor and the intersection of different floor materials must be no high difference, and adequate lighting and easy-to-reach light switches can reduce the risk of falls.

The study of neighborhood facilities found that easily accessible facilities (e.g., public transportation, supermarkets, a library, a community center), friendly walking spaces, and adequate seating along walking routes can increase the willingness and opportunities for seniors to socialize and thus maintain mobility. Furthermore, social interaction can improve the mental health of both target groups. In terms of facilitating social interaction, increasing the number of route intersections, atrium spaces, and communal spaces in the neighborhood is possible. Lastly, for families to live together while maintaining their independence and privacy, each person must have their room, and separate entrances and adjacent kitchens and doors can mitigate disruptions due to different routines. Apart from that, the vertical and horizontal spatial arrangement can also achieve spatial independence. Furthermore, in order to avoid being forced to move out from the original home because the space cannot meet the needs of the stage of aging, the generality of spatial adaptability provides the freedom to arrange the functions of the rooms, the flexibility can change the way the space is used through simple movable partitions and moving furniture, and finally, the elasticity can expand the size of the original dwelling unit.

Psychiatric clinics where patients live are only used when the patient cannot
live on their own anymore. Stays are kept as short as possible and patients are
stimulated to reintegrate and live on their own again (GGZ Noord-Holland-
Noord, n.d.). For patients with the prospect of moving out again, this now often
fails, because the difference between living in a clinic and living in your own
home is too big. The architecture does not fully support aspects of giving and
taking autonomy, which can result in patients feeling helpless (Evans, 2003).
This research aims to make it easier for patients admitted to psychiatric clinics
to reintegrate into out-patient care and their own home, by finding ways in
which architecture can increase the autonomy that patients in clinics have.
For this research, the subject of feeling at home is taken from J. Habraken
(1961), who says that a place can only feel like a home when you are able to
build, to change it to your preferences. The paper by Golembiewski (2010) is
used as it directly posed architectural guidelines. There is no research yet that
combines elements of architecture and the built environment into guidelines
to increase the feeling of autonomy for patients admitted to psychiatric clinics.
Part of the research is done by a case study analysis, in which 5 psychiatric
clinics in The Netherlands will be ranked points in five different categories,
with a maximum of five points. The categories are: Room for activity within,
Activities in surroundings, Possibility to choose your whereabouts, Possibility
to personalize and Stigmatization. Another part of the research is done by by
interviews and observations in a Field Work. Three interviews were done with
members of staff and there have also been observations directed to finding
out people’s needs, wishes and relationship with the building.
The research resulted in 17 architectural guidelines that architects can use
in order to design psychiatric clinics and increase the amount of autonomy
patients have. Within the guidelines, there is a clash between those that make
sure safety and privacy is provided within the building and thosethat stimulate
social contact and activities. It is both important to comfort patients as well
as prepare them to live on their own.

Key words: Autonomy, personalization, temporary co-living, psychiatric clinics,
inpatient healthcare facilities, patient-centred healthcare.

Youth care has undergone a significant transformation in 2015. Secure residential youth care is one of the areas that is currently experiencing difficulties as a result. Research has shown that the conditions in secure facilities often negatively affect the residents. Furthermore, young adults often find it difficult to adjust to independence once they leave the facility. Youth care organisations are currently closing these large secure institutions, and creating small, more customized alternatives called small-scale residential youth care. This type of care accommodates minors who are unable to make use of lighter types of care due to their complex problems and behaviour.

Many have studied the design of healthcare environments. Others have concentrated on the design of mental healthcare facilities or healthcare environments for children and young adults. However, the majority of research still appears to be focused on the design of hospitals and other formal healthcare settings, such as psychiatric facilities. Research on the design of residential care for young adults with mental and behavioural disorders is scarce. There is a need for more specific research and knowledge on this topic. Therefore, this research aims to discover: What location conditions and architectural and built environment features can support the design of open and secure small-scale residential facilities for youth care and increase user autonomy and social interaction? During this research, the following themes will be discussed: location conditions, architectural features, level of autonomy and social interaction.

Four small-scale youth care homes were visited. Analysis of the buildings, semi-structured interviews with caretakers and conversations with residents were conducted. The research showed that users preferred a neighbourhood setting close to public transport and general amenities. Architectural features included spaces that are flexible and adaptable to different users, a domestic and normalised setting, the right balance between privacy and security, sufficient facilities for leisure and materials that are low maintenance. The research showed that autonomy could be enhanced by including safety measures to prevent (self-)injury, as few security measures as possible, security measures as invisible as possible, adaptable and customisable security and safety levels and easily personalisable spaces. Social interaction could be improved by providing opportunities to meet with neighbours and to interact with the social network and other users.

Many people with an addiction do not receive the care they need. Addiction carries a negative stigma, admitting to addiction is seen as a sign of weakness. Especially among adolescents, who would benefit the most from early treatment. If they are treated, they end up in outdated facilities isolated from society. Hence the following research question: How can building design support adolescents with addiction problems with recovery and re-socialisation in the Netherlands? This research question will be answered using literature research and architectural research with the aim of formulating architectural guide lines that can be applied to a design for addicted adolescents.

This master thesis is about health in the build environment focused on the occupant’s health in their own home. Dou to the increasing research about physical health and mental well-being it is getting clearer what is needed to create a healthy home. However, our homes are not becoming healthier. This is mainly because people do not know or understand how to regulate their indoor climate system to create a healthy indoor living environment. Based on the passive house concept and the growing understanding of health this thesis resulted in healthy design guidelines.

With the growing pressure on the Dutch health care sector, growing climate problems and pressure on the Dutch housing market more should be done to resolve this. Therefore, a project statement has been made of what is technically possible resulting in the use carbon fibre as building material for this project. On a location that because of shortage of space in the Netherlands has been reconsidered and now is approved for residential development. Giving a possibility to deal with the problems of today while incorporating the solution of the future into a new healthy home design.

People with Down Syndrome are growing older but, at the same time, are still disconnected from the world. Their needs change as they age, which is researched in this thesis. Can the design of their living environment simplify their daily activities? Guidelines are conducted from different fieldwork observations and interviews in which multiple aspects come across. These guidelines give a general overview of the requirements on two scales; the location and the building. Using these guidelines, people with Down Syndrome get a home within society for the rest of their lives.

The growing number of dementia patients in the Netherlands has many consequences. Many people with early stage dementia live at home and are cared for by relatives. This creates a lot of pressure and stress for both the patient and the informal caregiver. A well-known and popular solution to this problem is farm-based day care, which is unfortunately not yet applied in the urban fabric, despite its many spatial and functional advantages. In order to integrate this succesful typology in the urban fabric, the following research question was answered: ‘Can the successful characteristics of farm-based day care be implemented in the green-blue landscape of Dutch cities in order to support the spatial and architectural needs of people with early-stage dementia?’. Literature research and fieldwork shows that eight qualities make farm-based day care succesfull for people with early stage dementia: stimulating connection with nature, creating purpose in life, offering meaningful activities, supporting social interaction, supporting physical activity, focussing on healthy nutrition and offering a domestic atmosphere and offering daily structure. Using results from fieldwork and case studies, the eight themes have been made generically applicable in the form of design guidelines, to which the themes 'clear wayfinding' and 'balance in sensory stimuli' have been added. In order to make these features applicable in the urban fabric, they must fit in the Urban Green-Blue grid of the city, therefore the themes 'biodiversity', 'quality of life' and food 'production', from the theory on 'Urban Green-Blue Grids' by Pötz (2016), must be respected or strengthened while designing an urban care building. Locational guidelines resulted from this. These architectural and locational design guidelines are used to create an urban version of a care farm in the urban green-blue grid of the Hague.