Peeling off the surface Sustainable urban design in the TU Delft campus area

Research & Design studio

Spatial Strategies for the Global Metropolis

Institution

Department of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Academic year

2020-2021

Supervisors

Victor Muñoz Sanz

Iren Koomen

1st phase-Group work

Collaborators:

Celeste Richard

Miriam van Eck

2nd phase-Individual work

Location:

Delft TU campus South

The area that our group chose to work on is the one called “Back to Back”, due to its two strong defining borders, the Mekelpark and the Schie river. The interesting aspect of it, is the fact that it is not only consisting of educational facilities, but also some student housing complexes and a lot of industrial territories. This variety of functions is spread without a certain planning system, and the most discouraging fact is that the view to the river is almost completely lost when walking from the main campus. Bike routes seem to end up nowhere, industrial buildings are mostly closed and seem to have no character whatsoever and all of the natural elements of a waterfront are left to luck.

The selected area for the detailed public design is the one near De Nieuwe Haven port, an area described in the strategy phase as a mixture of commercial and housing development.

The concept of dividing the Back to back area in stripes is explored further into the detailed public space design. The area is covered in a fluid porous concrete floor which is produced by recycled demolition waste and glass bottles and is further divided into a grid of marble stripes that are 80cm wide. The grid is dictated by the desired movements between the buildings so as to signal zones of staying or moving. The denser the repetition of the grid, the faster rhythm it gives to the passersby. The emerged in-between surfaces are explored in various ways that can be peeled off or twisted so as to reveal new elements, such as vegetations or street furniture.

Public space typologies diagrams by the author

Communal green roofs serve as a way of treating the UHI effect while at the same time enhancing the relationships of the residents serving as places of interaction.

Inner courtyard of the retail-housing complex. The floor is slightly sunken in some zones with steps surrounding them, in an attempt to create a feeling of enclosure for passersby. This courtyard also functions as a watersquare, concetrating rainwater and pouring it through stainless steel gutters into the bassins.

Individual phase

The stalls of the market consist of light semi-permanent wooden constructions that can be retrieved after the functioning hours of the market so that the space after the steady metal roof is appropriated by the nearby residents in other ways, e.g. for exercise during the evenings.

The zones in front of the shops offer places to sit and rest after hours of walking around.

The reused containers function as cafes, bars or restaurants for healthy fast food and offer both a seating area viewing the river and a take-away side for students or other residents or employees during their lunch time.

Bachelor’s thesis for the Master’s (integrated)/ Diploma Architectural Engineering (MArch, Dipl. Arch. Eng.)

Institution

Department of Architectural Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece (DUTH)

Academic year

2018-2019

Supervisors

G.Papagiannopoulos gpapagno@arch.duth.gr

E.Amerikanou eamerik@arch.duth.gr

P.Exarhopoulos pexarcho@arch.duth.gr

Groupwork with Angeliki Micha

Location: Navarino square, Thessaloniki, Greece

The diploma thesis investigates the coexistence of the archaeological site of the so called “Galerian Complex”, the most important monumental group in Thessaloniki, with today’s urban scenery. The choice of the area was made based on the thought that archaeological sites can be integrated in a system of open public spaces.

The Galerian Complex, was built at the turning-point of two worlds, the Roman and Byzantine. Its erection began when the Caesar Galerius Valerianus Maximianus (293-311 AD) chose Thessaloniki as the seat of the eastern part of the Roman Empire.

Christian times, important emperors occasionally stayed in Thessaloniki due to its significance and geographic location, situated between Rome and the New Rome-Constantinople.

The proposal had as initial intention the investigation of the relationship of the pedestrian street and the square with the wider area. With our main goal being the upgrade of the D. Gounari axis and Navarino Square’s designation, we designed a small-scale museum, dedicated to this historic region of the city, from the 2nd century BC until Late Ancient times, a café and a public reading hall that will host young students. with the closed spaces as well.