This graduation thesis looks at the possibilities of
densification in the city without having negative effects on the thermal comfort in the micro climate. During warm periods heat stress arises in the micro climate. Heat stress is the stress on the human body caused by a large heat load. People suffering from heat stress experience
discomfort, health problems and in some cases death as the core temperature rises due to more heat being
absorbed than given off (McGregor & Vanos, 2018).
Due to the high pressure on the housing market, more space is needed, but in the cities there is a lack of space. This often goes hand in hand with more surfacing, causing more heat stress. Due to climate change, heat stress will become more common and to prevent this, the thesis will address the question:

How to densify in The Hague in order to mitigate and
prevent heat stress and the urban heat island effect to improve the livability of the city and the health of its
inhabitants?

Through targeted research and analysis of heat stress, densification and the test location The Hague, more insight is gained into the problems and solutions in Moerwijk. By using the Pattern Language the analysis is linked to the design.
In this way the solutions can be transformed into patterns. The results of this thesis is a toolbox of heat patterns and densification patterns that can be applied in different ways and be used flexibly in a city. Also the translation step is made to an implemented design whereby the district Moerwijk is taken as an example. Ultimately, a maximised situation for heat stress and densification is created, which also takes the livability and ecology problems of the
neighbourhood into account. The design focuses on
different scales from neighbourhood to street level,
applying different patterns at each scale.

Keywords: Densification, heat stress, the urban heat island effect, micro climate, The Hague

In the past decades, the port of Rotterdam has been considered as one of the main engines of the Dutch national economy, since it is the largest hub for fossil fuels in Europe. The province of South-Holland and the Port of Rotterdam hereby form the heart of the economic centre of the Netherlands, contributing to 21% of the national GDP. However, the economic growth and prosperity of the region is inevitably linked to CO2 emissions and pollution. On the local level, the petroleumscape produces an invasive effect on the livability of its direct environment, exposing the local population to the burdens of the financial gains of the petrochemical industries. Also, we urgently need to transition towards a more sustainable energy system due to growing risks as a result of climate change. This poses a challenge to the region, since the main driver of the current industry is based on a highly centralized energy system. Such systems are not fit to make use of locally perceived potential of renewable energy sources. In the transition towards a distributed energy system, ecologic, social and economic challenges with strong spatial components arise in the region of South-Holland. Therefore, this strategy aims for an approach for giving shape and meaning to the energy transition in the province of South-Holland. Our team explores the way in which decentralization of certain building blocks in the mechanisms of energy production, conversion and storage could deliver a more democratic, self-sufficient and resilient system. Simultaneously, it should empower the local economy. By rearranging and reimagining the configuration of space in the port region, new spatial layers come to existence, which are oriented towards improving social and ecological structures. Once the polluting industries transform into cleaner industries, new spaces and opportunities open up for sustainable redevelopment of the waterfront. Space for recreation, flora and fauna will bring about a more gradual transition from port to city to hinterland. The sum of all interventions will contribute to the global objective of mitigating climate change, while reintroducing spatial justice and creating meaningful connections between industrial, rural and urban landscapes in the region.

This booklet shows the process and results of Ode aan de Hollandse Waterlinies, a project developed in the elective course Landscape Architecture ON site. Research, analysis and Sense of Place formed the base of this project. The central aim of this course was to express the given site in a project at the interface between landscape architecture, landscape art and theatrical performance. This year the focus is on inundation and the inundation fields. As part of research for the festival “Ode aan de Hollandse Waterlinies 2021” our team - consisting of fifteen Master students - has realised a temporary interactive architectural installation in a privately owned meadow landscape, where cows, meadow birds and farmers live and work.