Professor Dr. Andreas Tönnesmann
Dean Faculty of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Faculty and students at ETH Zurich’s Department of Architecture observed with admiration and utmost respect how our partner department at TU Delft dealt with the consequences of the catastrophic fire of May 13th 2008. Severe losses in building substance, but also in material and cultural possessions, were reason enough to grieve. But quickly, vigour, improvisational skills and a sound believe in the future gained the upper hand. We are deeply impressed how quick our friends in Delft found back to creative work in this difficult situation, how courage and solidarity motivate the university’s work even in such hard times. This experience should also find its expression in the new building for the school of architecture! Maybe the building should not only be functional, solid, and beautiful, but also incorporate, in its architecture, a memento of what happened. And possibly the design of the building can capture some of the power and inspiration that carried the school through the past few months. This is our sincere wish from Zurich to Delft!