This paper explores the dual challenge of vacancy in post-war shopping malls and the lack of green spaces in urban areas. It proposes biophilic design as a solution to revitalize malls and address environmental issues. The paper emphasizes the importance of preserving the unique identity or 'spirit of place' while implementing biophilic transformations. The central question is: ‘How can biophilic design enhance the value and spirit of place in a post-war shopping mall?’. Through a comprehensive methodology, including literature reviews and a case study of Winkelcentrum Leyweg, the paper highlights the potential of biophilic design to enrich heritage, well-being, and sustainability. The results emphasize the importance of adopting a well-balanced approach that takes into account the unique Spirit of place of each shopping mall.

With the rapid development of the Internet and the gradual penetration of online shopping into people's lives, COVID has accelerated the popularity of online shopping. People have found that it is convenient and varied, and traditional shopping centres are facing the impact of these e-commerce companies. This study explores the characteristics of brick-and-mortar shopping centres that cannot be replaced by online shopping from the perspective of perception. It selects Bogaard Shopping Centre and the Mall of the Netherlands as case studies to investigate the association between perception and architectural social space.

In the Netherlands, shopping centres are abun¬dant. Whether they are large-scale malls or small neighbourhood centres, they are woven into the fabric of Dutch society. But recently and in the future many malls will be facing the prospect of vacancy. A response therefore is needed. This design was created for the Leyweg in the Hague, and exemplary neighbourhood mall of the Netherlands. The design is focused on the social sustainability of a mall, a future proof design that could be applied to the many small scale shopping malls in the Netherlands. It is designed as a centre in the neighbourhood for people to come together, to meet each other, not solely as an incentive to seduce people to buy as much as possible. By bringing multiple functions in the mix, such as dance, study, work and community spaces, the mall becomes an centre point for the vicinity and attracts a large, diverse audience. It is made for people to just simply be there, to explore, to bring an incentive to wander.

This thesis consists of a paper about spatial quality in neo gothic churches and a design project about transforming the St. Barbarachurch in Culemborg. The paper explores the effects of different spatial solutions that can be used for transforming neo gothic churches on the spatial quality to draw learning for future design assignments involving churches. This is done by analyzing 9 different neo gothic churches that are transformed and have been given a new function. To start, the attributes that define the spatial quality and characteristics of the neo Gothic were determined. Different spatial solutions were also determined whereupon the different case studies were selected. These cases were examined using analytical diagrams and photo analysis. The research resulted in an overview of all the effects of different spatial solutions on the predetermined spatial aspects. The results showed that certain spatial solutions affect the spatial quality more than others as well as that there is a big difference in which attributes are affected by each spatial solution. As part of a graduation project the knowledge gained by the research is implemented in a redesign of the St. Barbarachurch in Culemborg. A church going vacant and therefore is being transformed into a hotel/ eventspace and restaurant while still preserving this spatial quality of the interior.

This project explores the utilisation of the collective memory of vacant churches and the architectural elements within them as incentives for their transformation and reuse. The number of decommissioned churches in the Netherlands is increasing with rapid secularisation, and many churches remain empty. The purpose of this paper is to find a method to connect the collective memory within elements in a church and utilise them for the church’s redesign. This study will focus on one such church for theoretical application of the methodology, the Saint Augustinus church in Amsterdam Noord, which has been empty since 2014. Finding a way to reconnect the church to its neighbourhood using the collective memory of the neighbourhood around this church, could be a way to socially sustain the church and prevent it from going into disuse. The individual memory of the churchgoers is rather subjective, but as churches have been a part of the landscape of the cities of the Netherlands for long periods, they also have shared memories. The way to investigate the collective memory of the church is to collect individual stories and find common strings among them. A phenomenological study of these architectural elements provides the way they are experienced and how this can be enhanced for the community to feel connected to them again. This paper thus answers the question of how the collective memory of the church can set in motion the transformation and conservation of vacant churches.

In Europe Christianity faces steady decline, causing dwindling attendance at
churches. As a result congregations are no longer able to afford the upkeep for their churches, forcing them to end services in these buildings. This caused many grand and historic church buildings to become vacant, and means that many will follow in the near future. Because many of these churches have deep ties to the local community and historically served a very public role, fitting new functions are needed to keep these building sustainable and part of their community. To find an answer to this question, specifically relating to 19th century neogothic churches of the catholic counter reform, the following paper will research the basic principles of (Neo)Gothicism and the methods and process behind the creation of such a church and its furnishings. The aim of the research is to establish the relation between the interior, the symbols and the architecture itself to understand how they together conveyed the story of Christianity, and how this could possibly be adapted for a use after Christianity or how this can be used to establish a fitting new purpose for these churches. As part of a graduation project this research will put the main focus on the RK Barbarakerk, a church going vacant in Culemborg in the Netherlands. By diving in to the construction history and theory of the time the main principles of Gothicism will be established and an understanding of the relation between the architecture, furnishings and symbols will be gained. Then by observing the features of the Barbarakerk, these principles can be contextualized. Finally by comparing existing converted churches to see how they reacted to existing history, symbolism and iconography, illustrate their methods of storytelling through architecture. Finally showing the integral narrative nature of the (Neo)Gothic architecture being able to indicate their own most fitting future.

Churches have always been the centre of Dutch society to gather under one roof (De Kruijf & De Roest, 2010). Due to the secularization of the Netherlands, church vacancy is increasing. Currently, churches still fulfill a central function within a city, village or neighborhood (Kerkmagazine, 2022). The Grote- of Mariakerk is one of them, and the vacancy of buildings in such prominent areas of the city will detract from social and physical quality of these areas (De Kruijf & De Roest, 2010). The church should not withdraw from the public domain (Kennedy, J. C. K., 2010). A transformation towards a public interior could avoid this. Kloos (1993) describes public interiors as buildings in which the city’s public space is continued. The social and functional diversity of urban buildings is reflected in their façades (Jürgenhake, 2014), especially around their interior and exterior; the ‘transition zone’ (Gehl, 2011). Therefore this paper focuses on the role of the transition zone when transforming the Grote- of Mariakerk towards a public interior, whilst maintaining its heritage values. By combining literature research , case studies, and field research, the role of the transition zone in public interiors is clarified. By analysing the existing transition zones of the Grote- of Mariakerk and linking them with the criteria of a public interior, opportunities and challenges for the transformation towards a public interior result in design approaches regarding the transition zone.

More and more churches are closing, facing vacancy, or even being demolished at an alarming rate, as a result of the declining amount of ecclesiastical in the Netherlands. While many churches are being repurposed, this isn’t always easy, as repurposing is an extremely emotional process for the local community. The locals hope to maintain their Sense of Place towards the church buildings and when this is endangered, they go as far as placing restrictions on business dealings. One of these churches is the Grote- of Mariakerk in Meppel. Instead of the local’s Sense of Place being a roadblock, this paper aims to find a way of working with their emotional bond. By measuring the residents of Meppel’s Sense of Place towards the church, and defining the limits to which the form and function of the building can be changed, without diminishing or damaging the local’s Sense of Place. By doing so, hopefully finding a way of repurposing the Grote- of Mariakerk with their Sense of Place instead of against it.

This thesis explores the use of the palimpsest as a theoretical framework for adapting a heritage building. The research studies the former Maranatherkerk in Castricum, Noord-Holland. Set against a backdrop of ever-increasing secularisation in the Netherlands, the former Maranathakerk characterises the struggle faced by many decommissioned churches today - that of a tendency for stakeholders to choose demolition over adaptation. Despite the successful establishment of an upstart school community within the former church in recent years, the site nonetheless faces imminent demolition and redevelopment by the municipality. The focus of the thesis is thus twofold: to propose an extension to the former church and champion it as a permanent home for the school community; and to position the palimpsest as a theoretical framework in guiding the architectural design. The latter builds upon previous discourse on the palimpsest in linguistics, postcolonial theory, archaeology, and drawing theory, and applies this to architectural design in a novel manner. In a palimpsest, the interplay of successive layers transforms the collective into a new whole. The retention of imperfect erasures of past layers forms a crucial part of this transformation. The thesis posits that the valuation of heritage is a subjective process. Rather than attempting to establish 'limits of change' or merely preserving past traces, the existing is taken as is and as a whole and used to study ways in which past layers of the building have influenced the present usage of the site. By investigating and cataloguing the ways the different time layers interact with the life within the building: its phenomenological meanings, characteristics, usage, and everyday rituals, a toolbox for palimpsestuous adaption is formulated. In the final extension proposal, these palimpsestuous fragments are developed and architecturally highlighted in both spatial layout and material detail, encouraging future users and visitors to experience the many past lives of the site and add their own traces onto the tapestry.

During adaptive re-use of heritage obejcts, experiential value of characteristics is often overlooked. This project highlights the importance of the effect of architecture on the psyche and how integrating this into the value assessment, a more holistic heritage approach can be realised. Religious heritage often has the capacity to astonish, overwhelm and inspire the visitor. This experience can be linked to the sublime, a philosophical concept which rose to fame in the 18th and 19th century. It describes how wilderness, vast landscapes, impactful structures, art and even music can elevate the mind, leaving a positive influence on mental well-being. The sublime experience is where the individual feels small or insignificant, but in a comforting way and where they are in an environment that goes beyond their imagination, evoking the realisation of the higher powers of their own mind. During adaptive-reuse of vacant churches, this experiential value is often overlooked, resulting in interventions that destroy the sublimity of the object. The research aims to identify the specific architectural characteristics and requirements within religious structure, so they can be preserved during transformation. This would ensure that the valuable experience is not lost, and can continue to positively impact society. A program which is suited to the existing architecture, a mental health & community centre, creates a beneficial relationship between function and structure where, both work towards the same goal: better mental well-being. Interaction between target groups reduces stigma on mental health issues and keep the church a public facility. Preserving the aesthetics and impactfullness of the structure, enhances sustainability and longevity, due to the ability of the structure to garner greater public support. The transformation was done with a zero was approach, meaning that materials that were demolished were re-used and future waste-streams greatly diminished through design. The project highlights how more research on wellness-architecture, or experiential qualities is needed to optimize the potential of heritage transformation.

Society conveys values to cities and their buildings, the key to sustainability, only in part recognized as heritage values, when protected by urban and/or heritage planning. There is a growing recognition of the importance of acknowledging the values conveyed by locals and tourists in heritage management and urban planning. However, the knowledge and tools available today remain predominantly expert-based. Their contribution to heritage listings and conservation plans is therefore limited. Moreover, some cities tend to unbalance locals and tourists’ needs, leading to overly touristic areas, gentrification and communities’ exodus. Although research on the values conveyed to cities and buildings is growing, there is seldom research comparing them. Hence, how do the attributes and values of Faro’s heritage conveyed by locals and tourists set the frame for transformation? This research aims to reveal the cultural significance (values and attributes) conveyed by locals and tourists, taking the neighborhood São Francisco (included in an Urban Rehabilitation Area) in Faro, Portugal, as case study. And will provide a masterplan as a visualisation of the results gathered by this research. The guidelines provided by the masterplan address the current challenges of the neighbourhood further than the actual policies in place. By using multiple methods to perform spatial analysis, which includes (1) photographing, mapping and categorization of the facades and their attributes in São Francisco, and, (2) social media analysis, where hundred Instagram posts were manually collected following strict guidelines, heritage attributes could be identified. (3) Public engagement was used in the site survey game in which pictures of the attributes would be shown to locals and tourists who would connect predefined words to them in order to collect the heritage values. By following these methods, this research aims at revealing patterns and relations between: a) attributes, in particular, buildings’ facades and their characteristics and b) values (distinguishing local and tourists). After the fieldwork, results showed clear concurrences and contradictions between both communities. Results revealed low values for contemporary apartment complexes and higher values for pre-existing typologies in both groups. Furthermore, attributes such as the street art, the materialisation of facades, and the authenticity of attributes developed into design guidelines for a masterplan in which these relations are portrayed. By understanding these relations, the Municipality of Faro can improve their awareness of who values what, and why, in order to support their strategies about how to accommodate new functions in historic buildings while respecting the limits of acceptable change of built heritage according to these stakeholders. Hence, the expected impact is to raise awareness about the cultural significance of both societal groups in order to better inform heritage management and urban sustainable planning.

Keywords | cultural significance, urban rehabilitation, building attributes, tourism, São Francisco - Faro

The deficit of suitable housing in the Netherlands is increasing, while the vacancy rate of office buildings and other non-residential buildings is high.
Transforming these vacant buildings is a sustainable and smart method to meet the housing demand. In order to transform buildings properly, their values need to be taken into account. In heritage preservation, a continuous and recurring question is how to determine values worth preserving. This paper focusses specifically on the valuation of layering of time and the importance of this valuation related to the preservation of heritage. Using the police headquarters in Rotterdam as a case study to provide a framework for future use to value the layering of time in heritage buildings. Answering the research question: How does the layering of time express itself in the facades of the police headquarters in Rotterdam, and how does it influence the perception of the building?
The tangible layering of time from the van der Steur period is only still visible in the proportions of the facades. The tangible layering of time of the redesign from Struijs are mostly valued by their concepts. The intangible layering of time is only made tangible in the current building in the memorial points. There is an opportunity to make the intangible layering of time more tangible in a new intervention to the building, using the valuation of this paper.

Inspired by the Existenzminimum movement of the early 20th century, the feasibility of historic efficient housing concepts is studied. The canvas for this is the renovation design of a post-65 housing complex in Amsterdam. Three concepts reinterpreted into a modern context and applied in the design. The first is a sharing concept with smaller individual homes and shared amenities and functions. The second is a flexible plan concept in which the home itself is made as efficient as possible. The final implemented concept is a institutionalized squatting concept with lowest rent possible. The feasibility is assessed through judging the design in 18 categories before and after the renovation.

Suitable housing and its availability: it seems to be a problem within almost every phase of the housing career in the Netherlands, as the housing market is stagnating. Our older generation is held responsible for this national problem, but why? Deliberate occupation of the ‘oversized’ family home would be the easiest conclusion, but puts a heavy weight on this part of society. If these empty-nesters are not relocating, as is apparently expected of them for having an abundance of living space, what does this say about their preferences of the living environment? Listening to this generation for the sake of letting this operation of flow in the housing market succeed, is of utmost importance and priority. Instead of creating living environments focused on one generation or target group, the task within this research is to find a way to design inclusive and accessible living environments. Thereby, stagnation could be avoided in the future by this particular cause. After all, a mixture of different generations in the living environment is preferred both by older residents as by the general population. Within this task for diversification of the living environment for the sake of inclusivity, lies a hidden gem: a catalyst for the renovation task. By 2030, insulation of existing dwellings becomes mandatory in Europe for the sake of a climate-neutral society by 2050. When revitalizing existing living environments by means of inclusivity and quality, the climate task could fit perfectly within this picture. Especially these existing living environments are a very important subject, as with this renovation task the Dutch built environment could and probably will visually change tremendously in the upcoming decades. Therefore, the valuation by stakeholders of the current appearance and functioning of living environments up for renovation, are important in the face of physical and emotional heritage. As a large percentage of the Dutch housing stock will be insulated in the upcoming 30 years, these values are of great importance to prevent any loss of potential heritage. Enlarging the lifespan of these living environments by diversification, inclusivity and a high quality of living can therefore be achieved, as is the case for the renovation design of Bijlmerplein, an urban, residential center in Amsterdam. It turns out that it does pay off to take into account stakeholder valuations instead of wrapping the building in a blanket, because renovation can be revitalization rather than insulation.

Our knowledge of precast concrete facades is becoming more relevant each day.
Buildings with precast concrete façades are relatively new in relation to monument listing, due to architectural and constructive innovations being related to these façades. However, these buildings are also next in line for demolition due to their age and Brutalist architectural expression. These precast concrete façades were commonly used after World War II due to their quick and easy assembly, together with the material being easy to obtain. From the 1960s and onwards, advancements in technology resulted in a combination of aesthetics, structure and function for these façades. This research aims to create a better understanding as to why precast buildings of the post-WWII period are in many cases physical evidence of a construction history that was innovative and revolutionary, by showing the development of building and material technology in case-studies with precast concrete façades. The results reveal that Schokbeton played an important transformational and transitional factor in the history of precast concrete, which led to advancements in technology, such as the creation of the loadbearing precast concrete façade. These results lead to a stronger determination of the values connected to precast concrete façades, which are essential in order to come up with a good redesign strategy. The main case-study for this research is the police headquarters in The Hague, due to the presence of two different types of precast concrete façades: a Schokbeton façade and a later built loadbearing precast concrete façade. Historic research together with case-study research was used to collect information on these different types of façades.

The current food system is increasingly revealing its detrimental to people and the planet and thrives on an economic system that exacerbates these grievances. In the face of this, alternatives are arising in the hopes of showcasing what a better food sys-tem may look like—the Alternative Food Movement (AFM). This speculative nature of the AFM is one rife with visions of a better future, and efforts at enacting them. This thesis looked to answer the following research question: How do the visions of the Alternative Food Movement (aim to) contribute to transformative change in the food system? The answer to this question was built on an exploration of the AFM in Utrecht as a niche, followed by the description and evaluation of the visions that different Al-ternative Food Initiatives (AFIs) voiced. This evaluation consisted in approached the visions as social innovations and subsequently establish the transformative intent un-derlying them and their prefiguration.....

The topic of the graduation project is the transformation of the former V&D department store in the city of Leiden. The aim of the project is to re-design the building in order to house a series of new uses which include public facilities (such as an urban park and a public interior space), retail shops and two hotels (one student hotel and a boutique hotel). All of these functions respond to the qualities and needs of the area and the people of Leiden. The main architectural interventions that are carried out in order to make the old department store suitable for the new programme are the creation of a courtyard in the centre of the building, the design of the facades surrounding this courtyard as well as the reshaping of one of the exterior facades of the building. The new facades in the courtyard are cladded with prefabricated steel panels which are filled with bricks. This is a contemporary form of craftsmanship in brick facades, which ultimately aims to add a sustainable character to the new interventions as these panels can easily be disassembled and re-used in other projects. The new facades refer through their composition to historic buildings and facades that used to exist on the site but were demolished with the expansion of the V&D in the 1960’s. The interventions in the exterior façade also partly aim to refer to older architectural objects that used to exist before the expansion. The design principles of craftsmanship and reference which were fundamental in the original composition of Van der Laan became the main starting points for the new design through their re-interpretation and transposition in our time. For example, the principle of reference which was used by van der Laan in order to connect his building to the surrounding architecture, was used in the new design to refer to demolished historical buildings, in order to shape a historic consciousness to the people of Leiden about the transformation of the site throughout the 20th century. The principle of applying craftsmanship in brick facades, which was pursued by Van der Laan in order to make the building appealing to the upper classes of the city, was reintroduced in the new interventions but with the aim of making these sustainable, one of the most important issues that architecture faces today. Two basic principles, craftsmanship and reference, were transposed and looked upon from a different angle in the new interventions with the aim of creating an architectural outcome where old and new harmoniously co-exist as well as giving a new meaning for the whole composition relevant to our own unique time. Throughout his MSc studies at Delft University of Technology, Pieter van der Weele was supported by a scholarship from the Nikos & Lydia Tricha Foundation for Education and European Culture.

As part of the Heritage and Architecture studio, the Vacant Heritage project was offered. An adaptive re-use assignment in which a former Vroom & Dreesmann department store is researched and then designed with. In a broader context, this graduation studio is aimed at finding ways to redevelop the existing stock of architecture, while keeping in mind a large variety of social, practical and sustainable aspects in mind. It asks the student to think about how they can be part of a change, both in the architectural object itself as the way designers approach the ever limited supply of resources available. For this graduation project, the former Vroom & Dreesmann in Maastricht was first researched andthen designed with. A former department store that has grown and shrunk throughout its existence. In 1932 the first part of the store was built. A building with a monumental façade designed by Dutch architect Jan Kuijt. In its presence at the Grote Staat in the historic city its center, the building has expanded twice (in the 1960’s and the 1970’s) and was divided into two department stores in 2002. Within the research approach of the ‘Touch and Feel’ under supervision of Wido Quist, a research was conducted examining the façade its materiality and its relation to the surroundings. By researching how the façade becomes part of the relation between the public, semi-public and private space, a better understanding of the possibilities for the redesign of the building was created.The proposed design and program is aimed at a broad target audience, including tourists and local residents. The new program of the building offers the public leisure activities while simultaneously serving an educational purpose. With its mixture of different functions (a wine experience center, a museum and a cooking workshop space), the local traditions and heritage of the city of Maastricht and its surroundings are presented to the public in an interactive way. The architecture of the building itself contributes to this interactive learning experience by being an integral part of the story that is told within the building.

In the city centre of Almere Haven almost 40% of the public space consists out of unattended backside areas with no spatial quality. With an increasing vacancy in the plinth, the dark unattended corners and parking dominate the street view. It is the place where the bedroom windows meet the noisy delivery vans, with in between the back-doors leading to homes. Do these spaces need a redevelopment? If so, how?

Besides that, cities are getting bigger and bigger, in height and hectare. Eventually, there is a limited possible grow and there is a need to look for other solutions to densify. In times where the demand for new homes is reminiscent of the ‘Volkshuisvesting’ of the 70’s and 80’s, we are obliged to look creatively at our current housing stock and urban infill. Our stock exists for 33% (CBS 2016) out of houses built between the 70’s and the 80’s. Which consists mainly out of family homes. In the building complex, the family homes can easily be divided into studios or two-room apartments to increase the density and variation of housing in the building. Could these backside a possible location for densification.

These less-favoured areas in other cities face the same problems. The elements of Almere Haven and Rotterdam that cause an unpleasant feeling in these areas have been compared with each other. Such as cars, hard materials, no need to stay a long time, no greenery and blind facades. The elements are not directly the problem, but the high amount of occurrence is. The transition from building to urban needs to be softened by creating a buffer zone by adding soft materials and rearrangement of the program. The strategies have each a different approach for creating softness, keeping the existing situation, the addition of green or the densification of the areas.

Strategies

01. Opening up the plinth by transforming the retail into homes with across new infill for the back area
02. Densification as a new infill for the back areas.
03. Opening up by placing a function before the storage space, such as office space with across a new green area
04. Opening up the plinth and keep the current urban infill

The project shows that with different eyes for the backside areas, these unpleasant spaces in the middle of the centre can be changed with minor, intermediate and major interventions. At the same time, densification of 60% more homes can be realized within the same building envelope. In a new area with spatial quality for new residents and the current residents. For cities with similar back areas, changing these areas will ask a lot of effort of multiple stakeholders. And yes, cities need back area’s like this, it is also a way of life. But ask yourself: Do we need so many in our direct living environment or can some of them be changed in a pleasant environment?