The European Union is facing the worst existential crisis in its 60-year history. At the same time, it is confronted with old and new challenges in its environment that call for joint action. But how do matters stand with the EU's capacity to act? Does the EU manage to effectively combine the different components of its external relations-such as trade, development aid, and security policy-better than it did in the past? How is the EU's external action determined by the internal socio-economi...

This book is entirely devoted to the research performed over the years into Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, an icon of Western European art.

Vincent van Gogh’s *Sunflowers* are seen by many as icons of Western European art. Two of these masterpieces – the first version painted in August 1888 (The National Gallery, London) and the painting made after it in January 1889 (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam) – have been the subject of a detailed comparison by an interdisciplinary team of experts. The pict...

It is hard to imagine a world without bridges. Bridges lie at the heart of our civilization bringing growth and prosperity to our society. It is by virtue of bridges that communities are able to physically connect to new people and to new places that were previously disconnected. However, bridges are more than mere functional assets. A well designed bridge reflects mankind’s creativity and ingenuity. One could even state that the way bridges are designed tells us something about our identity.

The way that our bridges are commissioned, designed and procured is rapidly changing. Ideally the design of a bridge is made through an integrated approach that addresses all relevant technological angles, practiced by all involved disciplines through all phases of the design. In reality, many different people from many different disciplines work on the design during different phases of the project. The segregation of knowledge into discipline-specific fields, and the fragmented approach to bridge procurement, have resulted in a general lack of cohesion in bridge design. Critical investigation into how to pursue good integrated design is absent. Therefor the objective of this research is to identify a design approach, through all scales of the design, that leads to bridges that are well-integrated, that are integrally-designed and that are valued by societ...

Over the last half century, the Global South has faced a strong rise in the rate of urbanisation. Although this process differs from region to region, rapid urbanisation has created many challenges for countries in the Global South. Brazil is no different. The largest country in South America has jumped from an urban population of 44.67% in 1960 to 84.36% in 2010, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2018). While urban growth is relatively stable in Brazil t...

Space is the empty part of the building, but its volume is important for the activities of occupants. Architects define the general spatial structures of buildings mainly in the early design stages, and the spatial properties, the connection of the spaces and the boundary conditions of them are significant for the building function and performance. This research first clarified the relationship between spatial configuration of buildings, thermal environment and thermal comfort of occupants in...

This book focuses on the practical relevance of research. It describes in a clear and factual way what research implies. It goes through the five phases in the cycle of designing, performing, analysing and reporting applied research.

The first phase comprises a problem analysis in which the problem definition is formulated. Here, the objective and the central question of the study are determined in consultation with the organisation involved (the client).

The second phase involves studying in...

Since the 1960s, art and architecture have experienced a series of radical and reciprocal trades. While artists have simulated ‘architectural’ means like plans and models, built structures and pavilions outside art institutions, or intervened in urban and public spaces, architects have employed ‘artistic’ strategies inside art institutions, in exhibitions, biennales and art events. At the same time, art galleries and museums have combined both activities in an interdisciplinary, hybri...

In his work Suriname-born Dutch artist Remy Jungerman (1959) searches for a visual language that will bring different cultures together. His recent work is inextricably bound up with African traditions and the Western, modernistic art tradition. He is interested in the intersecting paths travelled by motifs from Africa, the Surinamese Maroon culture, and 20th century Modernism. By exploring the convergence of patterns and shapes from these seemingly disparate cultural landscapes, he reveals ...