Architecture and Dwelling

With an ever-increasing urban population, the need for adequate and affordable housing is as pressing as ever. This is a truly global phenomenon, affecting all regions of the world irrespective of social, economic and technological development. The group Architecture & Dwelling investigates the past, present and future of housing design worldwide, looking for sustainable design solutions, focusing on new ways to promote social and environmental justice, and developing and performing novel research, design and education methods.

Image 1: Zhuo-ming Shia, An Architecture of Enablement (2021)

Focus and approach

Architecture and Dwelling focuses on global challenges such as affordable housing, sustainable development, social and environmental justice. The educational programmes developed by this group deal with the complexity of the urban condition at different scales, with the relationship to the living environment in general and with the individual dwelling in particular. The educational program of this group involves the reciprocal relation of the part (the dwelling unit) to the whole (the residential building). In a process of stacking and linking, repetition and variation, one forms the other. Functional demands like daylight, ventilation and accessibility vie for prominence with social inclusion, aesthetic considerations, economic efficiency, public health and sustainability. All the while the design needs to mediate between the purely private and the completely public.

Programme

MSc1 design studios
The MSc1 design studio “Fundamentals of Housing Design” deals with some of the key themes of housing design: stacking & linking, repetition & exception, access & circulation, dwelling typology, construction methods, climate control and sustainability.

MSc2 design studios
MSc2 design studios are more experimental in nature and topics may vary from one instalment to the other. Longstanding studios are the “Global Housing” and the “Towards an Inclusive Living Environment” studios, dealing with the acute housing need of growing cities in countries undergoing a process of rapid urbanization and the ageing population respectively. Additionally, the “High-Rise Culture” studio – a collaboration of Architecture & Dwelling, Public Building and Form Studies – investigates the possibilities for mixed program high-rise buildings that invigorate the city and provide a suitable dwelling environment for future urbanites.

MSc3/4 design studios
In our MSc3/4 studios, students embark on a comprehensive research and design assignment into a specific topic. Studios address affordable housing in countries like India, Ethiopia and Brazil, and new housing concepts for inclusive cities in the European context. In all graduation studios, students get assigned to a specific site and are expected to develop contextual (socio-spatial) analysis, and literature review.

Please note: The graduation studios ‘Global Housing’ and 'Designing for care in an Inclusive Environment' are only offered in the fall semester (MSc3).

Staff

Ir. Frederique van Andel, prof.ir. Dick van Gameren, dr. Vanessa Grossman, dr.ir. Dirk van den Heuvel, dr.ir. Birgit JĂźrgenhake, ir. Olv Klijn, dr. Anne Kockelkorn, ir. Theo Kupers, ir. Harald Mooij, dr. Nelson Mota, ir. Pierijn van der Putt.

Jonny Connerney, Maxers Mix Workhome (2021)

Additional information

Additional information about the projects and student work can be found here.

For detailed course descriptions, please visit the study guide:
MSc 1 (only in fall semester)
MSc 2* (only in spring semester)
MSc 3

* The MSc2 semester of the Architecture track consists of 5 credits of compulsory courses and 25 credits of electives, of which an Architecture approved MSc2 elective design studio. See also the Elective Design Studios page for a full overview of MSc2 Architecture design projects. 

 

 

Contact

Dr. Nelson Mota