This thesis explores the potential of seaweed cultivation as a nature-based solution (NbS) for achieving sustainability goals in the Port of Rotterdam. By integrating the ecosystem services framework and the Building with Nature (BwN) concept, the study investigates the enabling and constraining factors for implementing seaweed farming in an industrial port context. The Port of Rotterdam, Europe's largest port, is striving to become climate-neutral by 2050, aligning with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, despite its ongoing sustainability initiatives, the port has yet to incorporate NbS into its strategy.

Through a combination of literature review and semi-structured interviews with experts, this research identifies the potential benefits of seaweed cultivation through ecosystem services, focusing on provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. The findings suggest that seaweed cultivation could contribute significantly to the port’s environmental and economic objectives by providing ecosystem services and supporting the port's transition towards a circular and sustainable economy. However, some challenges need to be addressed before implementing seaweed cultivation, such as regulatory and policy barriers, spatial constraints, and stakeholder conflicts.

The findings suggest that seaweed cultivation in the Port of Rotterdam should primarily be pursued for research purposes at this stage. Stakeholders should be encouraged to form innovation clusters, which could serve as the starting point for integrating seaweed cultivation into the port’s sustainability strategy and achieving broader SDGs. As knowledge and expertise in seaweed cultivation grow, these innovation clusters could help establish the necessary permits and frameworks and potentially identify a test site. By sharing knowledge on seaweed cultivation practices, the Port of Rotterdam can enhance its global position as a leader in sustainable port development.

The study concludes with recommendations for integrating seaweed cultivation into the Port of Rotterdam’s sustainability vision, highlighting the importance of collaboration between industry, government, and academia to overcome existing barriers and maximize the ecological and economic potential of seaweed as a sustainable resource.

In Februari of 2023, The south of Turkiye was struck by a devastating earthquake, taking the life of thousands and dispossessing the homes of millions. After having spent three months in Hatay in the wake of the earthquake I have seen how by means of their culture and getting together, the people are able to find comfort. The attention towards public spaces which could provide in this is however nihil, where the focus is mainly oriented towards housing. Moreover do many architects, NGOs and other aid organizations in similar postdisaster situations, offer solutions which do not meet the demand of the users. Lastly, is there in Türkiye a ‘Culture of forgetting’, which disables them from being shielded from future adversaries. All of these issues have led to the exploration on how Spaces of Gathering (S.o.G) can be produced, which offer relief on the short term but also generate more resilience on the long term. Within this research, this has been sought for through a combined methodology of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Research through Design (RtD). This took the shape of establishing a List of Requirements (L.o.R.), of which the ambiguous parts in that list have been defined through a Participatory Design (P.D.) strategy. This resulted in a preliminary attempt towards a checklist for the production of such Spaces of Gathering, in order for them to provide in providing relief and generating resilience. The final result is succoured with an advice for the improvement of the methodology and strategy to be adapted in future endeavours. The final checklist is furthermore provided. The idea however is that this will be revised and bettered continuously.

The project exmines the impacts of Water Culture in the Modern Period in Mexico City and aims to establish an alternate pathway in wake of socio-environmental pressures.

The thesis explores Ahwaz's transformation throughout the 20th century, emphasizing the profound impact of the oil industry on the city's architectural and urban development. From its emergence in obscurity to its prominence before the Iran-Iraq war, Ahwaz's journey mirrors the far-reaching influence of oil on urban modernity. The narrative weaves a complex tapestry of global dynamics and local distinctiveness, detailing how oil shaped not only the city's landscape but also its identity. The research underscores the intricate interplay between global forces and local characteristics, showcasing Ahwaz as a resilient blend of history, culture, and urban development. It highlights the city's defiance of simplistic categorizations, celebrating its diverse industries and the convergence of global influences. The study concludes by positioning Ahwaz as a living testament to the enduring legacy of the past, an ever-evolving urban canvas that reflects the complex interplay of architecture, culture, and power, perpetuated by the transformative force of petroleum. @en

How can the Global North oriented and welfare state rooted Sustainability Transitions theories be enriched with the Chinese and communist state rooted Ecological Civilization thinking that has been included in the Chinese constitution since 2007, to make it able to evaluate the making of the direct-controlled municipality Shanghai into an institutional frontrunner of sustainable transitions in urban planning and design with its prime waterfront as exemplary ‘urban lab’? Around this central question, this dissertation examines how Shanghai's coastal and waterfront developments have changed over the past two decades under the influence of shifts in Chinese state capitalism towards what is called an Ecological Civilization. Two cases along the waterfronts of Shanghai – one on former docklands in Shanghai’s Central City, and one on peri-urban Chongming Island ¬– have been examined to test how both lines of thinking can enrich each other, and if a sustainable transition can be done more efficiently and convincingly in a centrally controlled society than in a non-autocratic (liberal) society. What lessons does the Chinese approach in Shanghai offer for elsewhere, and how can different approaches and practices reinforce each other in spatial planning and strategies for a sustainable transition? This dissertation emphasizes that ecological civilization thinking can offer hopeful starting points for sustainable transitions but can only work well if sufficient 'checks and balances’ are included. It gives suggestions to improve the accessibility, inclusivity, and vibrancy of Shanghai’s waterfronts, and to mitigate ecological degradation in the context of an urban delta.@en

The municipality of Stockholm is currently working on one of Stockholm’s most extensive and complex urban areas: The Stockholm Royal Seaport (se: Norra Djurgårdsstaden). The area is an example of how a former industrial port area is being transformed into a sustainable urban district. Because of the transformation of the area, the identity of the place is slowly changing to something different. Place identity is a two-way relationship in which a place influences people and where people tend to change and create the place in a way that represents them. This research wants to get insights on the place identities of the municipality of Stockholm and the residents of the Stockholm Royal Seaport, to see how synergies can be created between them. The four elements of Amundsen (2001) are used to assess and define the place identities and allow to understand what makes the areas distinctive compared to other places. With these insights, the aim of the research is to provide the municipality with recommendations for the further place branding and development of the Stockholm Royal Seaport, as many scholars argue that the identity of a place should be the base of a place branding strategy. This is important to consider as the place brand should be representative to all segments of the area, especially as it has the potential to affect the place identity over time.

The results of the interviews with the residents of the Stockholm Royal Seaport imply that they mainly define their place identities on spatial qualities that distinguish the place from others. Also, the characteristics or qualities of the inhabitants indicated to be important, as most responses were about the many children in the area. This element also raised awareness on the inclusivity of areas such as the Stockholm Royal Seaport. The comparison of the place identities of the municipality of Stockholm and the residents of the Stockholm Royal Seaport led to the insights that the social needs of residents without children should be considered, more efforts should be made on the socio-economic level of the area, there should be more attention to the unique location of the area and the knowledge on the sustainability of the residents needs to be improved. The element of culture and history is underrepresented in the place identities of the residents, but both the municipality and residents expect that the further development of the area might bring more awareness to this. This shows that it is important to keep monitoring and managing the place identities in transformative port-city areas. It also implies that the local unique elements are defining for the area and should be the driver of the place branding strategies of the municipality, especially as more cities are developing their former industrial port areas into urban districts.

Following an in-depth investigation into contemporary heritage practice, the project intervenes on the Parc Chanot which hosted Marseille’s two colonial exhibitions. The design seeks to resurface taboo histories to enable history to be learned from. Through this project, I have queried the role of architects as curators of history and sought to provoke a reflection on the hierarchies made between hegemonic and shady histories. The written research is provided in Act I- Investigation. In Act II- Translation, the research is made specific and tested in Marseille. In Act II- Generation, I make the research productive by proposing an alternative architecture to a site that has enforced forgetfulness until present.

This research and planning project explores the influence of spatial planning in facilitating the process of energy transition within the context of Dubai. Energy use within the built environment is closely related to the organization of urban form and functions. Spatial planning can influence diverse sectors in urban areas including the energy sector. The role of spatial planning in the energy transition is a crucial one since it can challenge fundamental norms that don’t promote energy efficiency. Planning processes and systems can pave the way for a collective investment in public goods that can help to promote long term environmental benefits. The results of this research illustrate the impact of spatial planning to change the relationship of space to energy. Energy strategies need to start having a stronger link with urban development plans to be able to effectively change the ‘decision rules’ that can lead to an improved energy performance. Through this research I want to contribute to this question and explore the parameters of planning that can impact energy use in Dubai. The intention of this research and design project is to begin a discussion about the role of spatial planning in the energy transition in cities. My assumed role in this project is of an urban planner to inform Dubai government on how to facilitate a process for developers, urban designers and architects to work within. This project has a strong research base which will guide the redesigning of the planning process in Dubai to better balance competing interests and engage with all stakeholders. This research attempts to bridge the gap between energy strategies and urban development policies.

Water scarcity and unequal distribution of water to different social groups is a problem around the world - mostly in arid and dry climatological conditions. In Israel and the Palestinian Territories water is used as a territorial tool in what I call 'spaces of conflict and opposition'. What could the role of e.g. an architect be in spaces of conflict and opposition through the spatial embodiment of water? This master thesis elaborates on the relevancy of the relation between water and architecture; the architectural embodiment of water systems in coherence with the creation of spaces for mixed flows of people from different social groups.
The building design - the Temple of Water - tries to find an architectural expression in the provision of sufficient water to the city of Hebron, while being a place for all different people to enter, meet, gather, and understand the importance of water as the source for life. The Temple of Water aims for the generation of curiosity and unpredictability in order to be a continuous source of fascination and mysteriousness. Water is the key element and is embodied in different ways, as it also expresses itself through different media e.g. sound and air humidity.
The Temple of water dresses the problems of territorial water management while providing the city of Hebron of water and being the platform for social cohesion and de-segragation through architecture of water.

The Italian fashion brand Fendi moved their headquarters to the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in the end of 2015. This iconic building, also known as the square Colosseum, is not only famous for its frequent appearance in movies, but also as one of the most important examples of architecture during the Italian fascist regime. The building was designed to host a museum during the World Expo of 1942, but was never used as such because of the Second World War. This original function and its recognizable design makes it contested heritage.
This graduation project aims to show an alternative approach to contested heritage by making a redesign for the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, for another, non-existing fashion brand.