Conventional centralised sewerage systems are increasingly challenged by climate change, population growth and sustainability goals. Decentralised wastewater treatment systems (DWTS) offer an alternative by reducing hydraulic loads, enabling local reuse and supporting resource recovery. This study analyses …

Intercultural communication education (ICE) is often viewed as the transfer of stable knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Classroom interaction, as an important component of education, is, however, highly relational and deeply contextual. This paper proposes a novel perspective on ICE by integrating …

Cape Town faces a complex and interlinked set of climate-related challenges, including recurring droughts, flooding, intensifying heat stress and biodiversity loss. These impacts are further amplified by rapid urbanization, pollution (often due to poor infrastructure and service delivery), ageing water …

Recent debates in rural development suggest a growing interest in integrating landscape-based knowledge into participatory decision-making. This study contributes to this discussion by examining how landscape—understood as the interplay between human actions, natural processes, and soil systems—can be …

Background and aim. To improve the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in schools, the Dutch government issued a program of requirements (PoR) “Fresh Schools”. This study aims to determine the effect of adopting class A (high IEQ) or B (moderate IEQ) of this PoR on students’ comfort and performance. Requirements …

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 …

Over the past ten years, the ecosystem concept has been used to frame innovation and transition endeavours undertaken by multi-actor groups. Systemic design initiatives are broadly engaging with ecosystems. The concept and phenomenon have been central in theory as well as practice, though remain contested …

Hard coastal defences along the Dutch–Belgian North Sea coast are nearing the end of their design life and carry significant ecological costs. Salt marsh Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) provide a self-sustaining alternative. However, existing asset-management (AM) standards continue to view them as "nice-to-have" …

This research has proved that the implementation of a Modular Connection System (MCS1) for the “WET CELL” project is not only possible but also promising, as it successfully demonstrates how modularity, circularity, and material reusability can be achieved through the optimal design and material selection. …

Biophilia, while often seen as a fashionable concept in design and architecture, goes well beyond being just a fad; rather, it is a necessity driven by deep human and ecological needs. In an era of rapid urbanization and increasing lifestyle-related health problems, as well as climate change and declining …