This research project addresses the urban development issue of fragmentation in Brussels, Belgium, by using a vacant wasteland as a case study. It examines three key phenomena—Bronxification, Disneyfication, and Brusselization—that have contributed to the city's fragmentation into disjointed patches, a condition referred to as Capsular Urbanism. The research uses a patchwork metaphor to explore borders and boundaries through textiles, aiming to redefine elements that mark urban edges and define border zones to reconnect fragmented urban areas.

The methodological approach combines a literature review, site observation, and metaphorical exploration through textiles. A distinction is made between boundaries, which are physical barriers that create separation, and border zones, which are transitional areas where interactions take place. The research unfolds in two primary stages: examining the physical boundaries of the Friche to understand its structural characteristics and spatial relationships, and using textiles metaphorically to explore strategies for reintegrating urban patches. Findings emphasize the importance of overlaps where interactions happen. By strategically positioning public amenities at these edges and fostering multifunctional spaces within buildings, urban fragments can become interconnected, promoting social engagement and reducing physical and social isolation.

This strategy is applied in the design project for revitalizing an old warehouse currently used for hosting EU Parliament events. Positioned on the border between two municipalities, the site offers an ideal opportunity to address fragmentation in Brussels. The proposal involves expanding the event space and transforming the warehouse into a cultural hub that caters to both EU professionals and the local community. This transformation enhances the building's role as an event venue by turning it into a vibrant, inclusive hub that bridges diverse groups, fostering interaction and unity in a previously fragmented urban area.

In a world increasingly under pressure due to housing shortages, urbanization, and climate change, the Friche Josaphat stands as the last green in town in the midst of metropolitan Brussels. However, urban green spaces are usually experienced by distracted urban audiences, preoccupied by day-to-day issues of bills, work, and children, or absorbed in the over-stimulating digital worlds within their smartphone screens. Therefore, it is important to rethink contemporary approaches to nature and urban green space.

The design of my building intertwines memorable and immersive experiences with nature in a cinema and housing tower to allow residents and visitors to discover the special and sublime in our everyday lives. It is rooted in my research into land art projects, which provide great insight into exaggerated constructions of nature and how sequential journeys and vantage points influence their designs. I also looked into drawings and projects of stage set designer/ architect Hans Dieter Schaal who explores in almost endless experimental drawings, different surreal pathways surrounded by a synthesis of natural settings and man-made structures. I created my own drawings that speculate on spatial experiences and journeys for my project. They were done instinctively, with elements recognizable of the Friche occasionally interjected, such as the train tracks and sloped terrain surrounding the edges of the site. They tie in architectural themes I have been addressing such as augmented nature and hyper-nature, immersive experiences, emphasis on journey to create a theatrical staging of spaces and allowed me to speculate on the relationship between my proposed building and the Friche.

By provoking those who experience them into re-encountering their relationship with the natural world, this can lead to new engagement and imaginations, even empowering them to make changes. In doing so, urban green spaces become not just environmentally resilient against the increasing forces of climate change, but also resilient from demolition to meet demands in ever-growing cities.

The research of the relationship between a traveling theatre and it's context on an abandoned rail yard in Brussels, followed by the proposal of an urban plan and new theatre building ensemble at the site entrance.

The 2022 Urban Architecture graduation studio explores urban leftovers of the city of Maastricht, and the studio's anthropological approach finds ways of cherishing and learning from the ambiguous identity of a place. The leftover spaces may not need large-scale planning but more a set of local urban interventions with the multidisciplinary research method. Stitching spaces at first requires the appropriate reading of the site.
Wandering and reflecting through the record of memorable places that once were community builders in Maastricht was used to formulate the architectural brief for the given context – paper fabric located in Sphinxquartier.
The city's memory carries some critical architectural features, and its cherished, especially in public spheres, incubators of people's ideas, needs, and initiatives. Its remarkable qualities fluctuate depending on the needs and characteristics of the communities it gathers.