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Non lonely architecture; an alternative approach for resilience to loneliness
(2025) Källander, Tove
The growing prominence of loneliness in public discourse underscores the need for environments fostering social interaction. Stemming from unmet needs for social connection, loneliness prompts questions about how relationships are formed and the role of everyday spaces in building social networks. This thesis thus investigates architecture’s potential to address this challenge by facilitating relationship-building opportunities in local contexts. Specifically, in Hammarkullen, Gothenburg. Adopting a pragmatic context-sensitive approach, mappings of existing conditions in the locality informed gaps to in social opportunities. Leading to the proposed intervention; a third place in the form of a resident centred café, complementing the existing local social fabric. The methodology is built on human-centered practices. Recognizing that social engagement is subjective and dependent on human perceptions and socio-spatial relationships. This led to a mixed-methods approach adopting from discourses on loneliness and co-creation architecture. Key methods applied cover; Relational mapping of social systems informing the project positioning, involving traditional architectural methods, interviews and the use of relationscapes. Relationscapes were also applied in thematic mappings of system dynamics. Further, destinations were identified and evaluated to their social quality towards loneliness using qualitative and quantitative methods concluding a mapping of social opportunities in the locality. In the design process, a participatory process was conducted with a focus group, co-creating the café. Overall, the methodology and theoretical framing are influenced by fields of human geography, gerontology, and relational architecture. The results shaped a conceptual narrative of a resident-centered café. Developed through civil, public, and grassroots collaboration. Wherein process, the architect takes on a role of facilitating relationships in addition to the traditional role of spatial expertise. This thesis concludes that co-creation processes can produce social values relevant to mitigating loneliness while also fostering shared ownership of urban spaces and strengthening local agency. Furthermore, it infers that relational mappings of dynamic social systems can serve as tools to decipher where and how interventions can be most effective. Thus, contributing to the broader discourse on loneliness, participatory architecture, and citizens’ rights to shape their built environment
Flora funga fauna reclaiming; residents of the fallow land
(2025) Günther, Nina Leona
The building sector and its highly invasive practices pose a general threat to ecosystems and biodiversity all over our planet, the earth. Therefore, the architectural field has to find alternative approaches next to the current harmful status quo. With the goal to design and build equitable for all species, a shift from human-centered decision making towards adopting a more-than-human perspective in design processes might offer a solution. To test this approach, a former industrial site in rural, central Germany acts as an experimental field. Central to this work is to understand the reclaim of this site by flora, funga and fauna as a form of reconciliation between humans and more-than-humans. Exploring the existing relationships between the species found on site was essential to this work‘s research approach. The following goals were explored by adopting a more-than-human perspective: Understanding and challenging human and more-than-human appropriation of former industrial sites in rural areas, and finding strategies to integrate more-than-humans into human design processes, while making their entanglement and relationships visible. Also, communicating and discussing the value of more-than-human species at former industrial sites. And finally, to contribute to change the understanding of ‘revitalizing‘, of ‘ruined‘ buildings, of ‘lost places‘ and ‘wilderness‘. The key theories this project is based on are connected to the more-than-human approach, post anthropocentrism, agency, entanglement, citizenship and representation of more-than-human species and interspecies relationships. Donna Haraway, Sue Donaldson, Will Kymlicka, Bruno Latour and Friedensreich Hundertwasser provided the theoretical base here. The work is divided in three main parts: firstly, field research to observe, document and collect data, secondly short design exercises to understand the relationships of the species in their ecosystem and propose an equitable design, and lastly, creating a design strategy to communicate the found results and strategies. Mainly qualitative methods such as consultations, mapping, photography, drawing, species facts sheets, relationscapes, collaging and reflecting were the tools. By using an abductive approach, meaning to simultaneously look at literature and the specific site, the strategy on how to respond to this thesis’ question was produced.
A softer Skutskär; a design methodology on developing public life in a small town centre
(2025) Gordon Hultsjö, Ebba
Skutskär, the central town in Älvkarleby municipality with around 6000 inhabitants, is currently developing its centre since there is a will from the municipality to increase the attractiveness in the centre and in turn improve the public life; in other words the social life which occurs in the open public spaces, by increasing it. The size and scale of Skutskär places it into a rurban context which isn’t either the countryside or a city. This in turn gives special conditions and circumstances. The thesis ”A softer Skutskär” aims to develop a design methodology on how to work with increasing public life in a small town centre. The work is divided into answering the questions ”What, how, and where?” within the framework of finding interventions and ways of working to increase public life in a rurban context centre. This gives the research question ”How can public life be increased in the rurban context of Skutskär centre?”. The design methodology summarizes the research on public life into five key factors which are needed for increasing public life: streets, public and private, microclimate, activity, and scale. The key factors continue throughout the methodology by looking at different references, mapping analysis methods, and design tools based on the key factors. All of this information is tested on the specific site, Skutskär centre, to explore the rurban preconditions. Is there a difference compared to increasing public life in a city? The thesis shows that the key factors and what you need to achieve might not differ in the rurban scale, but instead what is needed is to broaden the perspective of what these key factors could look like. The metrics for the amount of people that is seen as a street full of public life might not be the same in a city compared to a rurban centre, and the main meeting place could be outside the food shop or by the bus stop. A discussion summarizes the findings of the thesis, and in conclusion the material does not present a finalized answer, but instead it offers ways of building an argumentation and presents another way of thinking when planning in the rurban context.
The future heritage of artificial landscape; challenging the concept of aesthetics and exploring identity in the reinterpretation of industrial entities
(2025) Benek, Maksymilian; Suszczak, Aleksandra
With the contemporary world becoming more conscious of the choices made concerning use of natural resources, industrial areas are going through a shift of perception, and their future is uncertain. As they are examined, a question is posed whether they represent heritage, lives of the former generations, or are simply parts of a rather regrettable past. The purpose of this master thesis was to investigate the potential shift in perception of post-industrial spaces and prove that they should be considered as future heritage. It has aimed to challenge the commonly accepted idea of aesthetics and find appealing qualities in the artificial landscapes created due to human activities. It concentrated on the reinterpretation and readaptation of post-industrial structures and emphasized the need for new nature in those areas. The project area was located in the city center of Gothenburg, focusing on Rosenlundsverket - a power plant located on the riverbank of Göta Älv. By conducting multiple site visits and collecting accessible archival material, the site and its context were analyzed, treating Rosenlundsverket and its surrounding landscape as one entity. Utilizing the research by design method, volume studies have been conducted, determining the most suitable design option for the site. Reference projects were treated as case studies, and design methods present in them were transferred into the design. With the aid of transformation theories, a new narrative was suggested for Rosenlundsverket. The proposed reinterpretation of the building suggested exploring it as a part of the public realm and reintegrating it with nature. The thesis has also proposed new functions for the existing building in the form of an art museum and a club, with the contemporary additions complementing them with art studios and an auditorium. The landscape design took the form of a park situated around Rosenlundsverket and proposed a new nature design language for the city. The design proposal is represented in the form of drawings and visualizations that emphasize the design concept and contrast between old and new. The design proposes a space that should be for all, making heritage tangible and approachable while simultaneously enhancing the identity of Rosenlundsverket and carrying it further into the future.
Close the gap; exploring evidence based design as a tool to bridge the strategic and detailed planning
(2025) Olin Pape, Rasmus
Cities play a central role in addressing current and future social and ecological challenges. Meeting these challenges requires us to take a comprehensive approach to the planning and developing our urban environments. A challenge in the Swedish planning system is the gap between strategic planning and detailed planning. This gap could hinder positive system effects and limit the potential of planning. Furthermore, if conflicts between social and ecological aspects are not identified and addressed early in the planning process, resolving them later becomes both more difficult and expensive. This thesis explores how an evidence-based design method can bridge this gap. The aim is to develop a framework for planning places based on their system conditions, with the goal of achieving desirable system effects. The design method also aims to foster a deeper understanding of the system by providing spatial insight into potential conflicts between social and ecological values in urban development projects and offering strategies for managing these conflicts through urban design and planning. The method is being applied and tested on a site in the municipality of Varberg, which has been selected as a case study. Several spatial studies are being conducted on the site to analyse its spatial configuration and identify how it may contribute to socio-ecological conflicts, as well as which conflicts may potentially arise in future development. Furthermore, the evidence-based design method is used to investigate the possibilities for mitigating these conflicts while enhancing desired system effects. The design phase involves testing and evaluating different spatial configurations, based on the thesis’s theoretical framework. Based on these evaluations, the site’s spatial configuration is redesigned to achieve the desired effects. This iterative design process contributes to knowledge development by demonstrating the impact of different configurations on socio-ecological conditions. The study results in an evidence-based design process that can be incorporated into the planning of urban development projects, helping to identify contextual design criteria that can enhance positive system effects and mitigate potential conflicts between ecological and social aspects.