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 …

With growing environmental concerns, upcycling has become an important theme in literature and practice. Upcycling can help slow and close resource cycles through product life-extension. Cities offer opportunities for upcycling initiatives and seek to tackle challenges in urban solid waste management …

A design for creative makers in M4H Rotterdam’. The design for five blocks of living & working space at the head of M4H in Rotterdam addresses both the need for workspace accommodations for creative makers in our large cities and the wish for mixed-use living/working space which is hardly met by present-day …

Radio Kootwijk is a well-known architectural and historic icon near Apeldoorn, surrounded by extensive heath fields, sand dunes, and forests. Most of the old built infrastructure around it has disappeared, safe the ruins of Hotel Radio, a former workers pension. Benefiting from the natural environment …

Our letters pay homage to the 1890 novel News from Nowhere by William Morris, a major figure in the 19th century British Arts and Crafts movement. Morris’ novel tells the story of a protagonist who wakes up in a better society [the literal “nowhere” of his book title when “utopia” is translated from …

As a counterreaction to projects attracting the creative class, other projects have stimulated the craft-based talents of poor neighborhood residents. One example is the Freehouse Foundation in Rotterdam. Freehouse facilitated cooperation between residents and designers and artists. We investigated whether …

This paper presents the results of the research project ‘Going Eco, Going Dutch’ (2015- 2017), which investigated the production, design and branding of fashion textiles made from locally produced hemp fibers in the Netherlands. For fashion labels and designers it is often difficult to scrutinize the …

Different unexpected combinations between industry, local government, private participants, educational institutes and artists resulted past year in challenging opportunities for transitions in urban and rural areas. The power of art with the perspective of the artist approaching challenges evokes a …

The Openluchtmuseum in Arnhem has been around for a hundred years sharing experience and promoting the cultural heritage of the Netherlands. The museum has primarily been sharing and promoting only with the Dutch market but has now grown enough in visitor numbers and revenue to focus on a new customer …