Part of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), in the Netherlands, Echo is a new multifunctional and flexible inter-faculty building, now under construction and due for completion in Dec 2021. Designed by UNStudio, in collaboration with Arup and BBN, the future-proof facility meets the needs of the ever-increasing numbers of students.
Designed in line with the Dutch universities’ requirements of extra teaching space, the latest intervention at TU Delft engenders larger teaching rooms. Supporting educational typologies with an energy-generating building, Echo is centered on the adaptability and wellbeing of the user. Housing a total of seven teaching rooms and more than 300 study spaces, with flexible layouts, Echo includes a large lecture room, which can accommodate 700 people and can be divided into three separate rooms.
The future campus needs to be programmed with a series of agile spaces that invite students and faculty to learn, collaborate and co-create. As student numbers continue to grow, educational buildings need to be extremely flexible: they not only need to operate for shared, interfaculty use, but also need to house a large variety of flexible spaces that cater for various ways of teaching and studying and varying class sizes. -- Ben van Berkel.
Designed according to the new and future needs of the lecturers and students, Echo puts in place space for lectures and tutorials, group work, project-based teaching, debates, and self-study, for around 1,700 students. In fact, the teaching rooms can accommodate between 150 and 700 people, and project-based teaching of four-level rooms can host 70 people each. Moreover, a case-study room will introduce motivational teaching/interaction between lecturers and students. In addition, two auditoria define the space in a lively open square where numerous and varied activities can take place. A centrally positioned grand stair facilitates and promotes physical movement through the building.
Transcending current learning environments, “the design supports the contemporary culture of 'Everything Anywhere', where the in-between space is also of great importance”. Echo not only connects with the surrounding public space, but it also defines it. The ground floor, turned into a covered flexible public square holds two sculptural volumes that direct the flow of people. With a robust yet sleek exterior, the structure opens up to the activities taking place inside to the surroundings.
The design of Echo fulfills the progressive sustainability ambitions of the TU Delft. […] Not only has a great deal of attention been paid to the environmental impact of the materials used in the construction, but the building has been designed as much as possible according to principles of circularity. -- UNStudio
- UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Arjan Dingsté, Marianthi Tatari, Jaap-Willem Kleijwegt, Ariane Stracke, And Piotr Kluszczynski, Thys Schreij, Mitchel Verkuijlen, Bogdan Chipara, Krishna Duddumpudi, Fabio Negozio, Ryan Henriksen, Shangzi Tu, Xinyu Wang, Marian Mihaescu
- Structural Engineer, MEP and Building Physic: Arup
- Building Cost Consultant: BBN
- Contractor: BAM Bouw en Techniek
