With increasing urban expansion and rising global demand for food production, integrating aquaponics within the urban contexts can be considered an alternative sustainable solution to enrich the local production and self-sufficiency. In this research, we aim to study the aquaponics system and provide a design guide for implementing the urban version of the system in the city of Malmo. The design guide will be also practically tested in a form of an architectural proposal at the end of the research. To reach the results, various case studies and academic research were investigated. In addition to other qualitative and quantitative methodologies, such as interviews, questionnaire, and ethnographic studies that contributed to making progress during the research’s different phases. The analysis of data was to generate sustainable bases for urban aquaponics that go in line with the city’s conditions and citizens’ aspirations. Accordingly, several methods and techniques were deducted to be used for the sustainable integration of the aquaponics system within the urban context of Malmo. Nevertheless, the integration process can contribute to including other operations with the aim of increasing aquaponics sustainability and solving urban issues within the context. However, the design guide produced in this paper is mainly for the city of Malmo, but it can be adjusted to other social and geographical contexts. 

The built environment in the old city of Homs has been brutally destroyed by the conflict in Syria. The research gap in post-conflict planning and architectural design in the old city of Homs is alarming as it indicates that there are no clear roadmaps on how to deal with post-conflict housing units in such a historic area. This study aims to investigate the possible design basis of housing typologies and plans for the housing units in the old city after the conflict.

This study is primarily based on a literature review and extensive discussions with a specialist architect from the city of Homs, who helped to gain a deeper understanding of how to approach such a topic. The literature review deals with the historical Arab cities’ components and the elements of courtyard houses both in general and in the old city of Homs in particular. Likewise, it looks at the city’s urban plans and building code and their shortcomings and highlights the current conditions there. It also highlights proposed strategies for post-conflict construction and discusses them.

The findings of the study propose a design ideology for reconstruction strategies and translate these ideologies and findings from the literature into a practical design of typologies placed on a proposed plot of land in the old city, along with a proposal of what the plans of these houses might look like.

Floating architecture is not a new concept and has been practiced by civilzations for thousands of years. Considering that, one would imagine that floating residential areas would be common practice at this point in many large cities around the world. However, this type of architecture has seen a slow growth and establishment in the western world which has led to a gap in the research field on floating architecture. This means that we have relatively small amount of data on how floating residential areas are affected by their surrounding urban environments and how they influence the local residents that live in and around them. There are many questions that need to be further researched when it comes to floating architecture. How safe is the environment for a resident on a floating structure? To what extent can floating communities be socially interconnected to neighbouring residential areas? How environmentally sustainable is it to develop floating buildings and how does the longevity look? All of these questions are interesting to investigate especially since the focus area of this research is Västra Hamnen, Malmö where floating architectural projects already have been established. The aim of this research is to understand to what extent a floating residential area can be developed in regards to environmental and social sustainability as well as building safety in Västra Hamnen.

In Denmark, appropriate architecture for aging is an engaging topic, often explored through the use of architectural competitions. Since 2013, national guidelines for homelike architecture for eldercare have been in place, open for use in contemporaneous competitions. This study is focused on architectural competitions prior to 2013 and the development of modern architecture for aging. Based on reports on competitions in professional publications for architects, this study covers the period of 1899–2012. Inspired by the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur’s view of architecture as a spatial practice that ‘does not invoke what no longer is there but what has become through what is no longer present’, the present study revisits competitions on architecture for aging in search of inspirational input and links to the national socio-political discussion. This study uses case study methodology with a mixed method approach. A total of 76 competitions are identified, mainly organized by Danish municipalities, and are linked to four paradigms in social legislations. It is concluded that early competitions defined spatial prototypes, both for the homelike setting and the institutional environment, which have been continuously revisited. Since 2008, homelikeness has become the main design criterion for architecture for the frail aging population with an increasing dependency on caregiving.

Barriers in the built environment exclude people with disabilities from participating independently in the surrounding society. Since the mid-1960s, architectural designs have been subject to special regulations in the Swedish building code, originally focusing on access for wheelchair users to public buildings. In the mid-1970s, this focus converged with the first Swedish disability policy and “accessibility for people with locomotory or cognitive problems” of the building code was coined. Building initiatives by organisations in defence of the rights of people with disabilities and documentaries of living conditions for this group prepared for this development. The present study revisits two cases of the 1950s and 1960s that opened for a rethinking of architectural and residential space for frail older people and appropriate housing for young people with mobility impairments. The study uses close reading and critical analyses of textual documentation in combination with spatial analyses of drawings to retrace the awaking among Swedish architects of the need of accessibility in the built environment (Brummett 2010, Lefebvre 1985, Miles and Hubermann 1994). The study suggests that accessible architecture requires user involvement and participatory processes to conceive spatiality that is usable by people with disabilities. At the same time, consultation with people disabilities about design aspects promoting accessibility is threatened by the current Swedish housing crisis and allegations that accessibility requirements would increase building costs. 

References: 

Brummett, B. 2010. Techniques of close reading. SAGE Publications, Los Angeles.

Lefebvre, H. 1985. La production de l'espace. [The production of space]. Anthropos, Paris.

Miles, M. and Hubermann, A. 1994. Qualitative data analysis. SAGE Publications Inc., London.

Following upon the Stockholm exposition in 1930 and the introduction of a new aesthetical and architectural thinking, some Swedish building companies and real estate owners fully embraced the new ideal. They started to assemble their own socio-political welfare ambitions concerning housing with additional services into housing projects. From 1930 to the beginning of the Million Housing Project in 1965, innovative building projects by either of these players, especially in the larger Swedish cities like Gothenburg, Malmö, and Stockholm, were realized. The project targeted different user groups in different ages, with different social background and preferences, stretching from collective housing to individualized design solutions. In these projects, both aesthetics and architecture played an essential role as material and immaterial assets for promoting the new housing and the long-term management of the estate. An often-used term in colloquial Swedish for this type of building with subsequent real-estate management is the Master Builder’s Management model, in the following MBM model.The MBM model refers to a former legal requirement of the first national Swedish building act of 1874 that building entrepreneurs had to be approved by the municipal building administration as means to avoid overcrowding in poorly built housing. Even after the reform of the building act in 1931, the title was associated with great societal esteem, but achieved during the rest of the 20th century a connotation of being either obsolete or representing building quality. The MBM model is in stark contrast to management models that have evolved since the 1990s. These models are influenced by new public management in which the practical knowledge of building and maintenance becomes secondary to financial calculations and predictions.Nevertheless, the large majority of privately owned Swedish rental housing companies are managed according to principles that can associated with the MBM model. These principles suggest a continuous maintenance in line with the aesthetical and architectural vision, careful alignment between tenant profile and type of flat, and financial planning based on building degradation and local knowledge of market. The present study is focused on a housing company in the city of Malmö which openly adheres to the MBM model. Preliminary findings suggest that the choice of management model can be related to a personal view by the company owners that is motivated by an emotional attachment to the building craft and the building itself. The combination of architecture and an engaged ownership constitutes a complex system of agency in which maintenance, tenants and mutual connections creates a specific being-in-the-world-ness of real estate management. This phenomenon seems to be an essential factor for creating successful smaller rental housing companies that are mainly active on a local market.

During an intense four day field trip, a group of nine PhD students and their supervisors – all part of the National Research School for Architecture and Planning in the Urban Landscape, APULA – set out to explore what may be considered the outback of Western Europe’s conurbations, the transnational region of Kiruna - Narvik. Both “remote” and “resourceful”, “threatened” and “thriving” (equally relative notions), this region seemed to offer possibilities to reflect upon many of the current tendencies influencing contemporary planning practice and research. And we were not disappointed. From the very first encounter with the municipality of Kiruna, whose foundation as an urban conglomeration is now literally cracking, to the last glimpses of cosmopolitan Narvik, competing for the cruiser ships’ attention, we found ourselves embedded in a multilayered urban narrative. Following the throbbing of the iron ore carriages running along Malmbanan, the rail link connecting Kiruna, Abisko and Narvik, we tried to get a grasp of what is both “the last wilderness of Europe” and perhaps its most important urban “testing grounds”. The aim of the field trip was to provide ample room for each and every participant to try out, interrogate and reflect upon their different research topics in relation to a totally new setting, as such also linking their subject matters and methods to the general conditions for spatial research. Through journalistic and improvisational approaches, a collaborative map emerged, not only actualizing a shifting and sprawling urbanity, but also the rambling and trailing of research as such. The result of the workshop is the following collaborative diaries; a composite travelogue of a thought provoking passage on the fringes of urbanity. Our guides throughout this dislocation have been Anders Johansson and Erik Wingquist of Testbedstudio, who both generously and enthusiastically shared their experience with us and competently and creatively coordinated the final outcome. Without Anders and Erik we would probably have gone astray, geographically as well as conceptually. But we got back safely, and if there is a conclusion to be formulated, it should be future oriented. The following is a narrative or a map, the outcomes and destinations of which hopefully are as numerous as its points of departure.

The quality of the home environment have a direct impact on the individual’s living conditions and influence the quality of life. Student residential belongs to the category of temporary homes, which implies less expectations on the quality of the accommodation due to legislation. This becomes problematic since the students, generally spend many hours in their home and the home environment usually also works as place for studies. Student residential as both a home and work space is a relevant aspect in the design of future student housing, since the expected spread of digitized education. The aim of the thesis is to identify what constitutes good student housing. In order to understand that, the relationship between the built environment and people, the perception of home environment and housing, which architectural qualities contribute to the well- being of the home and have a positive impact on the experience of home environment, which needs that can be considered as humanly unifying and which specific needs and preferencesthat exist within the target group of students are investigated. The theoretical framework has been formed from the scientific fields of architecture, sociology, psychology and philosophy. Arguments made at different times are seen in comparison to each other and illustrate how the view of the home and its primary functions changes over time. Literature and database searches result in the compilation of eight indicators that are important to consider in the design of future student housing, these are; context, spatial form, daylight and indoor climate, levels of socialand private, the positioning of spaces in relation to each other, enclosure versus openness, opportunity for variety and materials and detailis.The indicators serve as a guide in the designof a design proposal for a student residence in Malmö. To meet all these needs in a dwelling solution, limited by the students’ budget and efficiency requirements, a concept for a shared flat directed to two students was developed. Two students living together was also a strategy applied to make it easier incorporating with the social community, in the building between the students and in the city between the students and the university life. To share a situation with a personin the same circumstances are described by the students as one way of increase the experienceof safety. When people feel safe a will to explore arise which leads to personal development. A drawing analysis of four existing student residences in Malmö and an understanding from Malmö University’s Campus Plan 2040 have contributed with additional elements to the analysis, based on the awareness of the impact of place and context in designing good architecture. For further understanding of the target group, five university students living in Malmö have been interviewed on issues related to qualities and needs at home and views on home environment and student housing. The designed outcome were presented to the students and led to a deeper discussion on life in student residential which parts that experienced good and what could be improved and the challenging issues could be identified in the design proposal. The conversations with the students confirmed previous research in the areas of perception in home environment and student housing, thus also the relevance of the indicators. The interviews led to suggestions for further development of the design proposal and a discussion about the complexity of the design of student housing, due to competing values that are put in relation to each other. The study shows that a need for personal expression and flexibility within the dwelling and a balance between privacy and interaction is required. Both privacy, identity formation and access to community are seen as particularly important in the formative period of life while studying. These subjects are, together with the indicators, seen as areas for further investigation and as a reply on what today’s student housing, to varying degrees, lacks and can thus be a suggestion for what should be developed further in the design of future student housing.

According to the Stockholm City municipality’s publication The City Museums Cultural and Historical Classifications[Stadsmuseets kulturhistoriska klassificering], culture-graded buildings in Stockholm are classified by The Stockholm CityMuseum, according to a model of evaluation created by the National Heritage Board, seeking to define what cultural heritage brings to the table (Stockholm City, 2022). As it says in the Swedish National Board of Housing´s Building and planning publication Corruption Prohibition, to ensure the preservation of the positive impacts culturally significant buildings provide for their surroundings, the municipalities enforce laws that affect the development process of the built environment (Boverket, 2021).

In Stockholm, many apartment buildings were built during the functionalistic era, more commonly known as the Funkis movement. Revolving around the needs of the people, the functionalistic manifest Accept as read in Modern Swedish Design translated by Kenneth Frampton, proposed a societal necessity of instilling value in functions dependent on the needs of everyday life (Åhrén et al., 2008).

This bachelor’s thesis revolves around a case in which a housing cooperative of a culture-graded Funkis building in Stockholm is looking to re-adapt an inner courtyard. Resulting in an inquiry on how a particular housing cooperative can initialise the re-adoption of their common shared space and also providing a methodological approach applicable to any projects looking to re-adapt culturally graded buildings in participation with its users.

The methodological approach uses Participatory Action Research (PAR) as Marwa Dabaieh, says in her journal article Participatory Action Research as a Tool in Solving Desert Vernacular Architecture Problems in the Western Desert of Egypt, as a methodological means to an end solving common issues, in participation with the people experiencing the situation (Dabaieh, 2013).

In hot dry regions, the building envelope receives abundant solar radiation, which contributes to heat stress and indoor thermal discomfort. To mitigate overheating inside spaces, cooling is the main basic requirement during most of the year. However, due to the harsh climatic conditions, buildings fail to provide passively the required comfort conditions. Consequently, they are fully dependent on-air conditioning systems, which are huge energy consumers. As roofs are exposed to the sun throughout the daytime, they are estimated to be the main source of heat stress. In return, they can contribute significantly to achieve optimum comfort and energy savings when efficient design strategies are used in an early design stage. To examine the potential for cooling load reduction and thermal comfort enhancement by using cooling roof techniques in residential buildings, a study was performed in the city of Biskra (southern Algeria). Accordingly, an in-field measurement campaign was carried out on test-cells during five days in summer. Three different cooling roof techniques were addressed: (a) cool reflective white paint (CR), (b) white ceramic tiles (CT) and (c) a cool-ventilated roof (C-VR). These roofing alternatives were investigated by monitoring both roof surface temperatures and indoor temperatures. Comparative analysis showed that a cool-ventilated roof is the most efficient solution, reducing the average indoor temperature by 4.95 °C. A dynamic simulation study was also performed based on TRNSYS software to determine the best roofing system alternatives in terms of thermal comfort and energy consumption, considering the hottest month of the year. Simulation tests were run on a base-case model representing the common individual residential buildings in Biskra. Results showed that a double-skin roof combined with cool-reflective paint is the most efficient roofing solution. By comparison to a conventional flat roof, meaningful improvements have been achieved, including reducing thermal discomfort hours by 45.29% and lowering cooling loads from 1121.91 kWh to 741.09 kWh.

Varje tidsepok har sina ideal för hur städerna ska se ut. I den tid som vi lever i så är fokus på hållbarhet och hur vi kan minska klimatpåverkan, men också livskvaliteten i städerna som har blivit allt mer aktuellt de senaste decennierna (Europeiska Unionen, 1999. 7). Samtidens städer blir allt smartare och vi håller oss uppkopplade med världen omkring oss, givet detta så har en efterfrågan på områden där det går att enkelt ta sig fram via gång eller cykel med närhet till service och bekanta ansikten. Ett möte mellan en livskvalitet och en önskan om gemenskap och platsidentitet har vidare bidragit till det samtida stadsplaneringsidealet 15-minutersstaden (Abdelfattah et al. 2022, 330) Konceptet 15-minutersstaden innebär att människan ska ha tillgång till alla sina basbehov såsom utbildning, arbetsplatser, kultur och handel finns nära till hands inom den angivna tidsramen (Sweco, 2023). Konceptet utvecklades av professor Carlos Moreno och fick dragningskraft under Covid-19 pandemin i och med de mindre krävande transportsträckorna som stadsplaneringsidealet bidrog med (Deloitte, 2023). I denna studie fokuserar vi på att forska kring 5-minutersstaden, som är systerkonceptet till 15-minutersstaden med krav på samma aspekter fast inom en mindre tidsram. Vi har varit nyfikna på detta samtida stadsplaneringsideal, vad detta faktiskt innebär, om det är en trend eller kommer att bestå över tiden samt om det går att implementera på ett svenskt kommunalt stadsbyggnadsprojekt. För att ta reda på detta har vi använt oss av två fall, Ystad Hamnstaden och Norra Djurgårdsstaden i Stockholm. Ystad är en mindre kommun i södra Sverige där det i nuläget planeras ett omfattande stadsbyggnadsprojekt. Projektet är det största i modern tid för Ystad kommun, och kommer givet detta att ha en stor inverkan på medborgarnas likväl som stadens framtid. Den planerade stadsdelen har ett havsnära läge med ett kort avstånd till kollektivtrafik såväl som centrum och handel. Utifrån Ystads unika struktur så väcktes idén hos oss om det skulle vara möjligt att implementera den hållbara och eftertraktade 5-minutersstad i projektet Hamnstaden. Norra Djurgårdsstaden är ett av Europas största stadsbyggnadsprojekt med fokus på klimatanpassning (Stockholm stad, 2023). Under studiens gång har intervjuer utförts med flera nyckelpersoner både internt i projektet Hamnstaden såsom projektledaren, men också politiker i Samhällsbyggnadsnämnden och Ystad kommuns förvaltningschef. Detta för att få en heltäckande bild över vad det finns för förväntningar på projektet Hamnstaden och huruvida de ser på möjligheten att planera efter 5-minutersstaden. Flertal tjänstemän från stadsbyggnadsprojektet Norra Djurgårdsstaden  har också blivit intervjuade då de redan är i fas med att planera en 5-minutersstad. Dessa intervjuer har gett oss mer insikt i vilka aspekter och kriterier som är viktiga för att lyckas driva igenom ett sådant koncept. Utöver intervjuer har information från öppna såväl som slutna källor samlats in, vilket har varit utmanande eftersom 5-minutersstaden är ett samtida fenomen, och därför inte har hunnit forskas kring i samma omfattning som andra ämnen. Slutligen utfördes en platsanalys för att få vetskap gällande avstånden mellan den blivande Hamnstaden och de mänskliga basbehoven som kollektivtrafik, handel, utbildning och kultur. Detta var också väsentligt för att få en känsla för de rumsliga dimensionerna på platsen eftersom 5-minutersstaden ställer krav på småskalighet och mänskliga mått.

This bachelor thesis analyzes the urban development of Slakthusområdet (former meat-packing district located in Stockholm) with the support of the urban DMA and Stockholm’s background as a segregated city. The possibility of temporary use during the development is explored with the help of the project Les Grands Voisins in Paris. 

Stockholm is a segregated city, the inner city is characterized by a lifestyle craving an exclusive selection of restaurants and bars (Lilja, 2011, s 15, 19, 34). Slakthusområdet will become an extension of the city’s central parts. Emerging activities and functions in the area seem to reflect the homogeneity of the inner city contrary to the plans to create a heterogeneous district all year round (Stockholms stadsbyggnadskontor, 2017, p. 11). With the urban development, many qualities of the urban DMA improve while other decline. 

The proposal presented in this thesis aims to challenge and improve Slakthusområdet’s social diversity. The proposal stems from the Les Grands Voisins and the comparison between the two projects to explore the Slakthusområdet’s possibilities to apply Les Grands Voisins 10 intentions. 

The climate crisis has never been a more important topic than now. Nevertheless, buildings continue to be built with metal and concrete even though the construction industry and the customers are aware of the carbon dioxide that is emitted. But how do you build a house with as little imprint on the environment as possible? The thesis aims at the need to build with environmentally friendly materials in the modern architecture and the concept of passive houses. 

The working method for the degree project has consisted of literature surveys, site visits and interviews with experienced architects and a passive house expert. The data collected will then be concluded in a design proposal where a passive house will be designed according to materials of seaweed, cork, wood and cellulose insulation.

This work is a journey that seeks to discover the creative potential of an abandoned site in Malmö. In three parts, the site and its inherent components and materials are observed, analyzed, and ultimately given form. Materials that are considered less desirable, even unwanted, in the otherwise planned city, are observed and discovered to be placed in a new context that highlights their creative potential. This essay is as much a personal journey in creating a mental order of the place as it is a thesis for urban studies. The site’s inexplicable disposition in the landscape and its seemingly overgrown and random significance constitute an interesting research study aimed at emphasizing materials or elements in places otherwise classified as undesirable and less attractive. 

This booklet is a documentation for one week hands on workshop experience with Martin Rauch and his team. More information was added to this booklet for a complete overview on rammed earth construction from historical background to contemporary practice.

Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. The most vulnerable to climate change are people in deprived areas with limited access to basic infrastructure. A one year exploratory and investigative action research study was carried out in Cairo in one of the historic neighborhoods that is now a mix of slums and poor-quality social housing. Walking interviews with local inhabitants supported by filed observations were the main tools used in this study supported by photo documentation and field notes for the main problems in the area. Also, locals’ adaptive solutions were discussed during the interviews and were noted during the site walks. After the investigative phase the site data were analyzed and synthesized to lay hands on the main problems with local comfort within their neighborhoods and inside their buildings specially in summer time. Some low-tech solutions were proposed and tested in small test cubes on one of the roof tops in the neighborhood. The test cubes were monitored for two weeks to test the thermal performance of the proposed solutions for reducing heat gains from fa\c cades and roofs. 8 cost efficient solutions were tried out from local recycled materials that can be found easily at almost no cost in the neighborhood. The 8 solutions were compared to each other to evaluate their efficiency and durability as well. The paper will discuss the outcome of the interviews and will shed lights on locals’ adaptive solutions to the gradual rise in temperature given the poor urban and building quality in their neighborhoods. In addition, the paper will show the outcome of the 8 test cells as a mitigation strategy and locals preference for the proposed solutions. There is evidence for climate change that can’t be denied and there are clear causes which have sever effects on our planet. Hopefully this research will contribute with some temporary solutions and pave the road for more actions to take.

Earth, straw, reeds and wood are the main natural building materials in many parts of the world. These materials have several positive properties including thermal resilience, climatic adaptive performance, and a lower-impact on the environment, which have been tested and proven in vernacular architecture over the years. In contemporary practice there is still a very limited use of vernacular natural materials. Conventional industrial materials dominate, even when traditional materials offer the same quality with the same cost and performance, if not sometimes better. This study is part of a semester-long course in sustainable architecture for students completing masters. It will present students’ hands-on experimental work for 8 different wall sections using wood, earth, reeds and straw in several combinations. The wall sections are built at a 1:1 scale and tested in a living laboratory environment consistent with the Danish climate. Energy performance and U-values were mathematically calculated to assure compliance with Danish energy-efficient building standards. Life cycle costs and a life cycle analysis were calculated as they were of prime concern. Thermal performance, time lag and heat coefficient values were modeled and simulated as well. Students also had to consider water and fire resistance and the formation of moisture in their design proposals. The study proved that using traditional materials can provide equivalent thermal performance outcomes as contemporary industrial materials while producing better indoor air quality and a lower impact on the environment through their minimal carbon footprint (based on cradle-to-cradle calculations). The paper concludes that there are diverse challenges that still hinder the use of vernacular thinking in contemporary practice.

The 6Zs target refers to the concept of a minus carbon and plus energy eco-cycle refugee house. A 37 m2 house was designed and constructed in a participatory manner in the City of Lund, Sweden. The 6Zs include: zero emissions, zero energy, zero waste, zero cost, zero indoor air pollutants and zero impact on the environment after the shelter is demolished. The key idea of this eco-cycle house is to reach net 6Zs during all stages—material extraction, building construction, operation and maintenance—until the shelter’s end of life. The main construction material is plant-based raw fibers (mainly straw and reed), which are available around the building site. This house is designed to accommodate the needs of two adults and one child. It was built with the help of 7 refugees in 11 working days through an experimental participatory urban living lab methodology. The paper discusses the 6Z design concepts and draws conclusions on the preliminary assessment of the house prototype that was built as a proof of concept. The beneficiaries of this project are not restricted to refugees but also include the majority of individuals and families seeking affordable ways of living with a low impact on the environment. The house is designed for the cold Swedish climate, but the design concept and methodological approach can be adjusted to other climates or geographical contexts.

This study discusses a proposal for a 37 m² refugeeearth shelter that could be built with the help of sevenpeople in 11 working days. The study is an experimental, participatory, living lab methodology for creating an eco-cycle shelter. The building’s skeleton is made from a minus carbon earth mix and is equipped with renewables that produce more energy than what the building consumes. No waste is generated during the building’s construction, operation and after end of life, and passive concepts for heating, cooling and daylight are used. The beneficiaries of this design include not only refugees but also the majority of the world’s urban poor.

This book explores the threats facing vernacular buildings and gives concrete examples for future possibilities. It offers a guide to those who wish to get involved in rescuing these buildings, those who re-use them and those who care for them. Whether you are an architect, planner, owner, an entrepreneur or a developer, whether you are involved in a local trust or work for a local authority, or whether you just want to find out about spectacular vernacular heritage, I hope this book will be an inspiration. Several of the hand-drawn architectural illustrations in this book are the result of surveys carried out for this study. This kind of record underlines the importance of the vital role of meticulous documentation in preserving the evidence of existing vernacular buildings, so that we can learn from this evidence when we work with such buildings in the future.

Vernacular architecture is suffering all over the world and Egypt is one of the countries where the desert vernacular is facing a great risk of disappearance. The aim of the research is to introduce a methodological approach applying participatory action research (PAR) as a tool to help save the future of the currently deteriorating desert vernacular architecture. The aim was to help prevent further loss of desert vernacular architecture knowledge and to encourage vernacular know-how in becoming a living part of future building practices. To benefit from local know-how, a desert vernacular model house was constructed using PAR methods that engaged the local community throughout the design and building phases. The model house was constructed based on an understanding of desert vernacular architecture as well as of the urban fabric and building technology. The town of Balat in the Western Desert of Egypt was chosen as a location for this research work application. As this is an international problem the research developed several techniques within PAR, applied in a flexible way, giving the opportunity for further application in similar vernacular settlements suffering from similar problems.

The Z Free Home is an eco-cycle home that is meant to represent a return to natural design solutions inspired by the passive and low environmental impact principles found in vernacular architecture. Throughout the centuries, vernacular building has exemplified climate resilience, resource efficiency and circular economic principles. The house will thus use these principles as design guidelines. It will be designed to offset all of its carbon emissions and aim to reach a negative carbon footprint. The Z Free Home will be built using bio-based fibres that can be repurposed from agriculture waste, meaning that when it is time to demolish the building, all its main components can be re-used again as building materials, food for animals, or biofuel. Even if an uninhabited Z Free Home is not demolished, most components will eventually rot and return to nature as compost. Building materials from the kitchen and toilet should however be recycled and reused so as to maintain the standard of zero waste. The house will be designed so as to construct in only 7 days with the help of 7 volunteers through a ‘do-it-yourself’ methodology and using only screwdrivers. All of these factors - zero energy, zero waste, zero carbon, zero labour cost (if you build it yourself), zero impact on the environment when the building is demolished – make the Z Free Home a unique challenge to design and build. This paper will discuss the methodological approach and show some preliminary results from the proposed low impact building envelope using natural materials (clay and plant-based materials like straw, reeds, wood, kenaf and jute) together with the passive and eco-cycle systems. As the project is still underway, this paper will describe outcomes to date and ending with a discussion on the next steps.

Internal and external migration from vernacular settlements is not a new phenomenon. However, the scale and scope increased when forced migration is becoming exacerbated due to both armed conflicts and climate change. Political tensions are one of the most common threats to vernacular dwellings in conflict areas. Not only do destruction and vandalism cause harm to vernacular architecture, but people living in vernacular buildings are often forced to leave their homes in order to seek safety. On the other hand, vernacular architecture can help refugee crises in hosting countries. Billions of dollars are invested in establishing temporary refugee camps, yet we know for a fact they are rarely temporary. People stay in such camps for decades, commonly Cons located on the outskirts of cities, where vernacular settlements also tend to be. Investments in rebuilding, restoring and reusing vernacular settlements can be a win-win situation. The time and cost of the rehabilitation process might also not be suitable to many camps, or camp-like, contexts. Also, encounters some regulations for listed vernacular heritage sites that cannot be used as dwellings and must be kept as open museums. In this study, a proposal for reusing and rehabilitating vernacular settlements will be discussed together with reflections on challenges and obstacles. The case study chosen for this research is in the Middle East, where the majority of refugees settled after the Arab Spring. This paper demonstrates a methodology in which algorithmic modelling is applied to refugee settlement site planning.

Due to extreme climate change events, achieving indoor thermal comfort has become a significant challenge in remote desert areas; particularly with the increasing number of energy shortages in these areas. This study uses participatory action research methodology by means of an occupant centred approach for the design and construction of a Trombe wall system, suitable for passive heating and cooling in hot arid climates. The Trombe wall is used as a low-tech retrofitting passive solution to provide deprived communities in off-grid desert areas with a better indoor climate. The paper presents data from one year of monitoring and post occupancy evaluation for the Trombe wall installed as a retrofit in a residential unit in Sinai, Egypt as a proof of concept. Available affordable local materials were of main concern because of the project’s remote location in a mountainous desert area with very limited natural resources. The idea was to involve the local community in the different phases of the project, then train them onsite on how to use the Trombe wall system. Results indicate that the use of the Trombe wall did in fact enhance indoor heating and cooling loads. In addition, the direct involvement of the local inhabitants proved to have a positive impact on the Trombe wall’s performance and efficiency. The discussion elaborates on key lessons learned and challenges faced from the urban living lab experience presented in the study. Lastly, recommendations for further implementation of the passive Trombe wall system are presented.

In the coming years, it is anticipated that if we continue with the same pace of energy consumption, communities will continue to face three major challenges; a mounting increase in energy demands, pollution, and global warming. On a local scale, Egypt is experiencing one of its most serious energy crises in decades. The energy consumed in indoor cooling and heating is the biggest portion of total energy consumption in residential buildings. This paper is an experimental simulation study for building retrofitting in off-grid settlements in semi-arid climates, using Trombe wall as a low-tech passive heating and cooling solution. In this study, we made developments to the conventional classic Trombe wall using occupant-centered design and living lab experimental methods. The thermal efficiency of the proposed Trombe wall design is simulated during winter and summer peaks. In the proposed design we used gray paint instead of typical black paint in addition to 15 cm reversible natural wool insulation and two 3 mm thick roll-up wool curtains. The new design reduced the heating load by 94% and reduced the cooling load by 73% compared to the base case with an annual energy savings of 53,631 kW h and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 144,267 kg of CO2. The living lab test proved that the proposed design of the Trombe wall is economically viable and the payback time is 7 months. It is recommended that the proposed design be monitored for a whole year to have an accurate assessment of its efficiency. A post occupancy evaluation is also needed to measure local residents’ acceptance and perceived comfort after retrofitting.

Today’s architecture swarms with concepts of energy and resource efficientbuildings. In contrast, vernacular buildings are characterized by low-tech climaticresponsive strategies and by their inhabitants’ resource and energy savings practices during construction and operation of their dwellings. That makes vernacular buildings highly relevant to resource efficiency in contemporary building research. The main focus of this study is to explore and analyse human behaviourto reach responsive and conscious resource efficient solutions in two differentclimatic context; in Egypt and Denmark. The aim is to suggest sustainable principles out of human conduct for contemporary resource efficient building practice.Though Danish and Egyptian climates and cultures are very different from eachother some human approaches to sustainability appeared to be similar. That wasevident through a comparative analytical study applying case-study methodologyfor two courtyard adobe dwellings; one in each country. The paper contributes toexisting vernacular sustainable building studies by filling a knowledge gap on howhuman factors is a key parameter in acclimatization in buildings and how that caninfluence resource efficient building practice.

The need for affordable housing requires more compact living. With the increasing frequency and impact of climate change incidents, a new way of thinking is needed to live in a more resilient and climate responsive way. The idea of a Z free home began by considering these two needs. As a tiny mobile house equipped with passive and eco-cycle systems, it achieves 9 zero targets. This paper evaluates the design concept, building modelling, and building simulation for the Z free home design. The project is ongoing and aims to model a full physical prototype as a proof of concept for the 9 zero targets in an urban living lab context in Lund Sweden.

In recent years, the need for affordable sustainable housing has increased. At the same time, there has been a gradual rising interest in compact living. With the mounting impacts of climate change, a new way of thinking is needed to develop more resilient and climate responsive ways of living that are compact, affordable, and climate-conscious. In response to this need, the idea of a ‘Z-Free Home’ was born. The ‘Z-Free Home’ is a tiny mobile house equipped with essential passive and eco-cycle systems that achieves nine zero targets. The main design and construction concept is based on circular design and a return to nature life cycle principles. In this paper, the architectural design concept, building energy modelling, and simulation for the Z-Free Home design proposal is discussed. This paper describes the concept design and design development phases together with building modelling and simulation. A focus was made on the use of virtual reality in design development assessment as a new method for evaluating passive and eco-cycle systems. The results show that it’s possible to achieve nine different zero goals while the analysis illustrates the challenges in achieving them. The paper also described the next steps planned for the proof of concept, i.e., the 1:1 house model. The project is ongoing, and it aims at a full-scale physical prototype as a proof of concept for the zero targets. The ‘Z-Free Home’ is designed for the cold Swedish climate but could be more widely applicable in other mild climates as well as hot climates.