Circularity in the Built Environment Graduation Award 2022: Meet the Winners

Read more Circularity in the Built Environment Graduation Award 2022: Meet the Winners

Designing in extremes: sustainable for users, educational for students

Read more Designing in extremes: sustainable for users, educational for students

Sneak peek BK Bouwkunde

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Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment

VR increases confidence in renovations

Taking weighty decisions for a safe and liveable country

Bieke Cattoor new member for The Young Academy

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Architects should take the lead in applying solar systems

Solar energy is the fastest growing alternative method of electricity generation worldwide, but it is still not an integral part of architecture. Architects must take the lead in integrating PV panels into building designs, argues Zoheir Haghighi in his doctoral thesis. ‘The technical means are there, it's time to apply them,’ he says.

The architect as a social connector

Jacopo Zani, who graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment in March 2022 with a master’s in Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences, came up with a unique vision on the redevelopment of the dilapidated mining town of Waterschei in the Belgian municipality of Genk. His vision revolves around social cohesion and space for nature, and it gives architects a new role. It earned him the title Best Graduate 2022 of his Faculty.

Building blocks of recycled cast glass: strong and with a unique beauty

Much of the high-quality waste glass still ends up in landfills because contamination would make it unsuitable for recycling. According to researcher Telesilla Bristogianni, that’s a shame and also unnecessary as it’s perfect for making excellent cast glass building blocks. ‘The glass industry should simply forget its obsession with perfection’.

Designing in extremes: sustainable for users, educational for students

Creating a design for a location in extreme conditions is not only challenging, it's also hugely educational. By having students do designs in places that are incredibly hot and dry or where there are frequent hurricanes, lecturer and architect Job Schroën encourages them to think outside the box and explore sustainable solutions. “Giving students freedom and having faith in them is all the motivation they need.”

Provinces must take the lead in regional area development

The stagnating collaboration between municipalities in recent years has left regional area development without a helmsman to some extent. Major plans have often run aground due to a lack of direction, states Guus van Steenbergen in his PhD dissertation. According to him, provinces must therefore take the helm more often in regional area planning.

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