Gianna Bottema

Gianna is alumna of the Faculty of Architecture. She received her MSc Architecture with an honourable distinction. Directly after graduating she started to work as an architect at various architectural firms.

Academic research
However, last year, Gianna decided to quit her job as a practicing architect and to focus completely on academic research instead. She started a new master (MPhil) at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. She plans to do research on new residential concepts for elderly.

The role of the architect
Construction is picking up and, after the economic crisis, a lot of building is happening again. But for who do we actually built? Or rather, for whom not? Reflecting on the twentieth century, Gianna wonders what role the architect anno 2018 should have. ‘I think that we, as young architects, must question the existing and challenge the established order. How can we design differently?’

Marina van Damme scholarship as support for her research
An aging population requires new living concepts for hybrid households in which the sharing of space and care should be key. Which challenges come along with an aging population and how can architecture play a connecting role between the social, financial and spatial requirements of different generations? Gianna hopes to find an answer to all these questions in her research. The financial support of the Marina van Damme scholarship can help Gianna to conduct this research.