The phenomenon of epiphany forms the basis for the design method presented in this project. Applied as a case study in the heart of Rotterdam, the process leads to a series of interventions, means of activation for spatial awareness in the public space.

By means of collages and with the help of historical analogies, a second nature of the place is put in the spotlight. The analogies stimulate the collective memory and form the pattern for the physical transformation of the location.

In the purely commercial center of Rotterdam, the "Rotterdam Epiphanies" appear, moments of recognition of the environment which is at the same time difficult to read and an icon of progress. The designed interventions result from the recognition of unseen medieval ingredients within a modern body. This contradictory identity is revealed through the manipulation of existing compositions and the treatment of site-specific material and symbols. The user turns away for a moment from the commercial environment and recognizes it as a place, and as an opportunity for appropriation and use.

Specific and everyday, justified and speculative, the components of this project are placed in confrontation to renew and enrich the existing content of urban environments. Just as the surrealists reacted to the worn-out content of their time through a systematic rearrangement of its components, the designer is able to generate striking revelations affecting the contemporary viewer, and in this way recognize the potential for constant renewal in existing environments loading and reloading places with meaning.

Rotterdam Epiphanies is the master graduation project of Mahaut Dael and Michal Dlugajczyk at the Rotterdamse Academie van Bouwkunst. The project was developed under the mentorship of Marius Grootveld, and nominated for the Archiprix Netherlands and International.

more here

book binding by Roest Rotterdam

transformation and extension of a mixed-used building in South Rotterdam into 8 apartments and 4 duplexes.

the existing fully built ground floor is opened in its centre to create a collective outdoor space, detaching the main volume at the front from a smaller volume at the back.

while the detailing of the main volume embraces the existing brick context, the materiality of the new block at the back fades in with the design of the outdoor courtyard.

model photography (in a pre-phase of design) by zuzanna zgierska.

building permit granted, preliminary phase to construction ongoing.

renovation of an apartment in a 1914 mansion in the hague.

the generous main volume, the characteristic stained-glass windows and other original wooden elements are preserved while the functional areas are rationalized and articulated around a central core minimizing the circulation space. 

photography by zuzanna zgierska.

private commission, completed in 2022.

renovation of 'het wapen van zeeland', one of the oldest buildings in the zaamslag.

the 19th century mixed-used building is converted to 5 comfortable apartments with view to the main square and common parking facilities, garden en roof terrace.

to strengthen the character of the protected building, the design for the new side facade hosting the garage and the entrance to the upper flats looks for contrast with the main facades.

construction ongoing, delivery 2025

temporary exhibition displaying the works of our master students from the rotterdamse academie van bouwkunst

the result of the semester studio tutti frutti is constructed with the physical and conceptual components of the citrusveiling, a former citrus auction house in rotterdam west

a light-weight rope structure is fixed on 3 existing elements of the former sample room, to form a triangular plan referring to the auction auditorium upstairs

the yellow net isolates the exhibition space while playing the role of a translucentcurtain highlighting the projects

47 lemons punctuate and ballast the whole system, allowing the works to be fixed firmly on the vertical ropes

​citrusveiling, rotterdam architecture month 2024

photography by riccardo de vecchi

in his < slovník metod > (1991), czech artist jiří kolář presents a hundred of collaging techniques – crumplage, rollage, stratife, cubomania or chiasmage to name a few – exploring new meanings and aesthetics through surgical manipulations of old magazines, postcards, censured books or artistic reproductions.

the surrealistic methodology of the artist establishes the ground for our research < description by design > led, exploring alternative re-use of demolition materials in rotterdam.

the experimentations lead to a layered up-cycling of material and immaterial components of the city's built environment, extracting and recharging its existing potentials and refecting on its constant transformation.

a preliminary installation was shown at the dutch design week as part of the collective exhibition < stimuleringsfonds present talent > (eindhoven, 2024).

the research was funded by the talent development grant from stimuleringsfonds and supported by czech cultural institution such as the museum kampa and the national gallery in prague, or the gallery benedikta rejta in louny.

video by jonathan sipkema and chris groos

study for a recreational pavilion between two lakes in the netherlands, 2022

surrounded by a wealth of nature, a ‘groen oogje’ appears, providing the visitors with shade, comfort, hygiene and recreation

the pavilion looks very closely at its immediate surroundings characterised by the presence of two lakes and reacts to its rich nature

the walls of the pavilion tell the stories of its origin, the floor describes the meeting of different geological areas, the roof waves like water from beneath

the green eye invites visitors from land and water, human and non-human, to celebrate nature in its full bloom and splendor

exhibition < no time to waste - current traces 2 > at architectural gallery omi rotterdam (02.2025)

slice it. crush it. crumple it. press it. melt it. agglomerate it. decompose it. assemble it. mix it. remix it. upgrade it.

the installation presents the results of our research inspired by the collaging work of jiri kolár, exploring alternative re-use of demolition materials in rotterdam.

each stone of the arch expresses its own character deriving from the chosen collaging technique, the found materials and the extracted inherent meanings.

the colourful composition invites the visitor to encounter alternatives to tabula rasa, envisioning the wide spectrum of constructive, aesthetic and intangible qualities of the disregarded matter, and opening new horizon to upgrade reality in its built environment.

the research was supported by the talent development grant from the stimuleringsfonds

photography of the arch by riccardo de vecchi

cross-disciplinary performance < performing collage > in collaboration with food designer trang hà and sound artist roc montoriol

inspired by the collaging techniques of kolář, the surreal and interactive performance gives a taste of techniques such as arbitrary crumpling, stratified layering or composed perforations, being applied to demolition materials, food, and sound, and generating unique and unexpected results.

photography of the performance by samuele nobili

Beeldregieplan for the programmatic and architectural revitalization of Sint-Josephstraat, Bergen op Zoom

Commission by the municipality of Bergen op Zoom

The Sint-Josephstraat, marking the South-East border of the historic centre and dating back to its medieval fortification line, is today characterized by the recurrent vacancy of its commercial ground floors, the outdated typology of the residential upper floors, and the consequent lack of urban appropriation.

Reflecting on the recent expansion of urban possibilities introduced by the municipality, our proposal presents a vision for the future of the street, basing itself on a close reading of its existing qualities and revealing its architectural diversity.

The resulting principles serves as a base for the Heritage Department to assess the coming transformation projects on the street.

Full booklet here

​the redevelopment of weena after the war as a central economic district became the playground for bold architecture designs.

today, this central part of the city is cold, windy, the plinths are blind or unoccupied, the upper floors anonymous.

the surrealist technique cubomania is translated into an architectural design method and used in order to reshuffle the facade panels of the towers of weena.

the facades are the crucial boundaries between outside and inside, between public and private, and thus the key elements for the transformation of the context.

implementing this technique allows to rethink the skin of the isolated sculptures to form an operator of civic and architectural collectivity.

contribution to prix de rome 2022: healing sites

competition entry for the transformation of the kulturní dům in ustí nad orlicí (cz)

the extension of the cultural center on the northwest corner creates a visual connection towards the city center, linking it with the educational area of ustí nad orlicí

the public character of the building is strengthened by the visual opening of the ground floor and by the accentuation of its specific architectural and artistic detailing

the original 45° corners on the front facade direct the design for the new envelope of the cultural center, multiplying its visual connection with the surroundings while referring to the universal stage design

august 2024

on-going transformation project for a family house in a protected cityscape of Rotterdam

the characteristic old brick facades plays a juxtaposition game with the new filigran glass facades, creating at the front and at the back transition spaces enhancing the brightness and openness of the house

a third layer is introduced between the brick and the glass skins: a movable metallic curtain, modulating privacy, sunlight and interior climate, operator and actor of a play of light and life

model photography by zuzanna zgierska

building permit granted

green summer pavilion is a sleeping cabin, a space to retreat, a dodecagonal volume simple in form, strong in expression.

positioned on a huge rock, the pavilion seeks relation with the environment through its form, scale, use of textures and eventually pays an hommage to the very same stone it lays on, through a rocky ornament.

location: casaletto artistic ermitage, olevano romano (italy)

design & build: md-2 architects

time of construction: 3 weeks

transformation of a former shop into 2 single-family apartments in the north of rotterdam.

the fully built ground floor is partially demolished in the back to create a garden and bring light into the flats.

the plan splits the long and narrow apartment in two areas, the day- and night zones, with the implementation of a central core integrating the wet rooms and the staircase to the upper sleeping rooms.

the new windows in the front facades bring back the original proportions and divisions of the early 20th century building, long gone through the years and diverse occupants.

private commission, completed in 2024.

scenography for the graduation show 2021 of the graphic design department of the royal academy of the hague.

exhibition design, workshop and collective build-up with the 47 students

the visual identity of the graduates is translated into a 3-dimensional system of metallic rods, symbol of the constellation of projects, data, students, and their interconnections

the rigid grid is enhancing the structure of the ceiling while the vertical rods are carrying the projects from above, connecting the visitor evolving on the free space of the floor and the network of installations

renovation of 4 apartments for young professionals in forest, brussels.

the original elements of the typical residential block are highlighted while the potential for new openings is embraced to create light, private outdoor areas and flexible rooms.

private commission, completed in 2020.

The scenography 'Unchain These Memories' (2025) reveals Brutus' industrial past as a chain and ship anchor factory, amplifying the site's layered narratives.

Over a century ago, this vast industrial complex was a hub of intense activity where steel was forged, resistance tested, and labor relentless.

The scale, the heat, the smell, the sound was gruelling, impacting, leaving immaterial traces of its existence in the space for centuries.

The project is a journey to resurect immaterial and physical remnants of Brutus, peeling back layers of rust and decay to reveal their untold stories.

There a pile of chains, here a laying anchor, there a hanging chain with a shackle, the scenographic setting invites the visitor to test the metaphorical resistance of the space as a vessel for layered narratives.

Diverse installations play the role of connector between the exhibiting artists, inviting the visitor to experience a crossroads between past, present and future.

'Unchain These Memories' is our contribution for this year's Wild Summer of Art at Brutus Rotterdam, curated by Yannik Güldner and Jeanette Bisschops, bringing together the work of 50 Rotterdam-based artists under the thematic 'Traces We Keep'.

Photography by Szu-Yi Wang, Aad Hoogendoorn and Laura Siliquini

Short movie by Riccardo de Vecchi (Camera, Color Correction) and md-2 architects (Editing)

design and collective build-up of the graduation show 2020 of the graphic design department of the royal academy of art in the hague.

the metal stud structure and concrete foundations fade in the existing context of the department while the diamond shape layout leads the visitor through the 38 installations.

the structural system and chosen materials allow graduates to appropriate the design to expose their work in a unique and flexible way.

‘A world where the game is reality and reality is a game’

As the installation intends to find creative and playful solutions to implement to existing contexts, its form directly interacts with the visitor, ‘dammer’ of our times.

A few weeks after the removal of the distancing measures in public spaces, ‘dammer’ reflects on the sense of the rule, its understanding and conceptual re-use towards new artistic appropriation.

Concept and scenography at the Gallery 3 by You, Het Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam

Cross-disciplinary interventions by Cindy Bakker, Zalan Szakacs, Riccardo de Vecchi, Louise Dael, Luka Prelas and Tihomir Babic, Siep Buurke from the Koninklijke Nederlandse Dambond, and dancers from Codarts Rotterdam.

on stage - scenography for the master graduation show of the rotterdam academy of architecture, huidenclub rotterdam, 2025

as red curtains set the tone for this ceremonial celebration of the graduation process and results, a collective space is created as a stage for encounters, presentations and open discussions around emerging thematics

set within the corridor of the huidenclub—originally a tannery—the exhibition embraces the building’s history and acts as a second skin revealing the 17 projects

the triangular geometry of the space is embraced to create a sequence of scenes, responding to the programmatic needs of the show while metaphorically pointing toward new perspectives

'on stage' is an exhibition space, a ceremonial hall, a dining room, a debating arena, and even a dance floor

pictures by riccardo de vecchi

the transformation and extension of a corner mixed-use building into 14 single-family apartments in south rotterdam.

next to the complete internal transformation and optimalisation of the existing spaces, the project integrates an extra floor in order to give to the building the visibility it calls for as a prominent corner facing the singel.

the corner has an open character directed to the public space, as its ground floor hosts a creative function and the upper floors are carved in to offer loggia's facing the water.

the extension is designed in order to enhance particularities of the existing brick facades. 

the building permit has been granted and the project is in a pre-execution phase.

photography of the model by zuzanna zgierska

transformation and extension of a historical corner building in a protected city scape in Rotterdam into 7 studio's for starters;

the concept of modern echo shapes the design for the new volume added to the existing brick building: the original proportions and characteristics are studied and translated into a modern and neutral appearance, both balancing with the existing and talking its own language;

a series of collective spaces are complementing the 7 individual studio's: a generous collective terrace, a workshop, an interior bike storage and a collective laundry room;

photography by zuzanna zgierska;

the building permit has been granted and the project is in a pre-execution phase