For designers, materials and production processes are crucial to the creation and quality of products like tablecloth and clay jars. Nowadays, utilitarian objects are mass- produced, far away. This contributes to environmental degradation, ecological imbalance and a loss of crafts and knowledge. To understand …

This thesis investigates the restoration and structural reinforcement of a historically protected 19th-century residential building on the island of Hydra, Greece. Undertaken within the strict constraints of Greek heritage law (ΦΕΚ 594Δ/1978), the project aims to enhance structural safety and environmental …

Throughout this thesis, a competitive durable reinforcement design for the Mastenbroek-IJssel reinforcement project is developed and modeled. In 2024 the Drents Overijsselse Delta Water Board began with the exploration phase of the Mastenbroek-IJssel reinforcement project as 10.8 km of the IJssel dike …

Anyone who has watched a child play with soft semi-liquid materials like honey, frosting, or slime, sees the fascinating interplay between design and physics. Many of us remember these experiences from our own childhood (or maybe not that long ago). These materials dribble and coil as they stack upon …

The comparative analysis of clay properties is a crucial study in dike design, construction and maintenance. Understanding the properties of different clay covers and soil is essential for ensuring the stability and effectiveness of dike systems. This research analysis aims to provide valuable insights …

This study explores the effect of precipitation, evaporation, animal burrowing and the changing climate on the permeability of the clay cover layer on a dike. It also showcases the possibility of utilizing finite difference flow models, such as MODFLOW, for the simulation of various environmental impacts …

Soil compaction and soil bulk density are key soil properties affecting soil health and soil ecosystem services like crop production, water retention and purification and carbon sequestration. The standard method for soil bulk density measurements using Kopecky rings is very labour intensive, time consuming …

Background Wheelchair tennis, a globally popular sport, features a professional tour spanning 40 countries and over 160 tournaments. Despite its widespread appeal, information about the physical demands of wheelchair tennis is scattered across various studies, necessitating a comprehensive systematic …

Coastal flood managers seek to anticipate future flood risk and as a result consider the adaptation of flood defences. Instead of crest heightening, dikes can be adapted to include hydrodynamic reducing vegetated foreshores to form a nature-based hybrid flood defence, for instance; at managed realignments. …

Post-earthquake structural damage shows that out-of-plane wall collapse is one of the most prevalent failure mechanisms in unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. This issue is particularly critical in Groningen, a province located in the northern part of the Netherlands, where low-intensity ground shaking …