The entrants are asked to formulate, both in text and images, a vision on the two competition themes: new concepts and dynamics of city and campus. This vision should be presented in a sketch design for a new Bouwkunde on the existing site, or on a well-argued, alternative site.
The new Bouwkunde will require a balance to be struck: a balance between views on the faculty’s future on the one hand and appreciation for the knowledge and expertise amassed over the years on the other. The building’s architecture needs to inspire students, but also give them enough space to develop their own views on design. It should be a strong expression, but by no means should it be brought back to a pure icon or materialised hype. The building needs to be well-suited for the current educational program, yet has to be flexible enough to accommodate future educational and organisational changes as well. Furthermore, the international open Building for Bouwkunde ideas competition involves a double challenge: the entrants are not only asked to come up with concepts for the university building of the future, but there is also the explicit assignment to indicate the position of the faculty vis-à-vis its urban and social context: that of the city of Delft and the university campus.
theme 1 New concepts
The new Bouwkunde is more than just the sum of its individual course units: it facilitates, stimulates and represents active use on the part of its staff members and students, inspiring education and authoritative research. The new Faculty of Architecture in Delft is an institute of international stature for the built-up environment; it stands for the merging of design and research activity, construction and management, practice and theory, tradition and innovation. The faculty’s educational offer consequently entails more than just also a categorical design degree programme: it revolves around the full scope of design. The faculty programme deals with all phases of the design and construction process, as well as numerous related fields such as urban planning, landscape architecture, renovation and engineering. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important as a societal imperative that needs to be integrated within all these fields. New concepts for Bouwkunde should therefore offer ways to address the many constituent elements of the educational and research programme.
The physical appearance of the building also underlines its function as a meeting point for all the Faculty’s students and alumni, architects and people involved in architecture, clients and contractors, as well as the other faculties of TU Delft and other educational institutions. The new Bouwkunde is thus a social place. It is an international location where a wide range of individuals and institutions can feel at home. It is a centre for learning as well as for scientific research. The building houses a variety of educational facilities such as studios and halls, but also offers a statement about permanent and flexible workplace concepts for the staff. The dynamic instruction, study and work environment of the Bouwkunde of the future utilises digital networks and wireless support, while at the same time the library and model hall retain their traditional centrality, both in the educational offer and in the building itself. Meetings – both planned and spontaneous – and consequently public areas that can accommodate and even challenge people to arrange them, are essential if the building is to accommodate a strong architectural community and ensure a sense of involvement.
The challenge for the new Bouwkunde therefore lies in bringing together original, innovative concepts and solutions for accommodating the large and complex programme. This requires the coherent merger of form, function and construction, combined with a usable lay-out that serves the building’s wide range of users. The building shows intelligence in its technical elaboration and serves as an example in the area of sustainability. And Bouwkunde is more. The new Bouwkunde is a personality in its own right. Reliable, with its own approach, unorthodox and completely different from what one has come to expect.
theme 2 Dynamics of city and campus
Bouwkunde occupies a special position in Delft. Thanks to the width of its social context, the Faculty of Architecture has a distinctive profile among the faculties of the TU Delft with a specialist and technical orientation. The TU Delft is challenged to operate in a context of shrinking state funding, increasing international competition and a difficult labour market. The Faculty’s relationships with institutes and companies at home and abroad are becoming increasingly important. Collaboration with the business community features ever higher on the agenda.
As in many other university towns, an increasing number of discussions centre on bringing together educational institutions and companies in a single location. Bouwkunde consequently has to position itself as a teaching institute and research institute between the technical and scientific breeding ground of the TU Delft and society’s demand for partnerships with individuals and institutions beyond the University.
Crucial is the position of the faculty building in relation to the city of Delft and even the wider region. One starting point for this ideas competition is that the new Bouwkunde premises will be realised on the site of the old building. However, it is also possible to present other viewpoints. The Faculty’s extensive professional interface with sister faculties like Civil Engineering and Industrial Design can present opportunities for sharing spaces and facilities on-campus. In light of the social interaction and dynamic nature of university life, it is also imaginable that a faculty of architecture thrives at an inner-city location. On the other hand, if the Faculty is part of a university campus, knowledge city or business park, it may be able to present a more uniform and distinctive image as a major, international knowledge institute. Instead of a single building, a group of buildings connecting to different aspects of the urban and academic context is also a possible approach.
Thus, the challenge relating to the dynamics of city and campus lies in positioning the Faculty in spatial, social and functional terms. In all this, the new Bouwkunde should offer, also beyond the building itself, a pleasant environment. It is a representative place where one can receive international guests, it has environmental qualities on the level of landscape, water and energy, and it offers optimum accessibility for those travelling by public transport, bike or car. The new Bouwkunde faculty presents itself, integrates itself and distinguishes itself in the urban public space.
