2015

House of Delft

Delft, NL

Delft, Holland's city of innovation

The whole world knows Delft. From the famous Delfts Blauw pottery to the works of art by Johannes Vermeer. But there is more to Delft. First and foremost, Delft is a city of pioneers and innovation, and it has been for centuries. Seeing opportunities, creating opportunities, and making the impossible possible are in Delft's DNA. In the 14th century, for example, the first beer brewers used an ingenious system of dams and sluices to separate waste water from the textile industry from the water needed for brewing beer.

At the time, the term water management still had to be invented. We know the names of many of these pioneers. Hugo de Groot, for example, one of the greatest lawyers that has ever lived. He invented the concept of national waters and the peoples law. Or Piet Hein, founder of the Dutch navy. Pioneers like Antoni van Leeuwenhoek en Reinier de Graaf, who made important contributions to the medical sciences.

All the way to the talents at the TU Delft. Since its foundation 175 years ago, they have surprised the world with extraordinary innovations. Like Boyan Slat with his project The Ocean Clean Up, a potential solution to the "plastic soup" in our oceans.

House of Delft, an ode to pioneers

These inspiring stories form the starting point for House of Delft. An innovative and high-profile project in which the pioneers of Delft are honoured. Because of their extraordinary achievements in the fields of craft, science, art, technology, and high-tech innovation. House of Delft is being built at the head of the Spoorzone, next to Delft Central station, very close to the historic city centre. For visitors who arrive by train, House of Delft will soon be the first encounter with the city and today's talents. In the Vestibule (area), it is a taste of what Delft had and has to offer.

Iconic and striking design

House of Delft is a modern translation of the original residential and birth houses of important Delft pioneers. At the head of this project, you will see three typical Delft houses with a height of 20 meters. Seven tall glass workshops will be placed at the side of the city centre. The facade profiles and the inverse houses tell the stories of the role that the pioneers of Delft played in history. Plenty of work and experimentation takes places at these workshops. These are the city's open innovation workshops.

Ten facades, ten stories

The three tall facades at the head of the complex refer to houses connected to Delft history: the Oost-Indisch Huis (East-Indies House) as a reference to pioneer Jan Joost van Lodesteyn, the birthplace of Hugo de Groot, and the residence of the maritime hero Piet Hein. The seven glass facades on the centre side form a trilogy. On the left, the facade profiles of the medical pioneers: the home of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and the Anatomisch Theather (Anatomical Theatre) where Reinier de Graaf, among others, did his experiments. In the middle, three facade profiles that refer to craft and arts: The Vergulde Bijbel (Gilded Bible, a reference to the first printed Dutch-language book), the house in the painting "Het Straatje van Vermeer" (The Little Street of Vermeer), and the first shop of the Porceleyne Fles on the Markt. And on the right, the facade profiles of Holland's and Delft's founders: the former Sint Agatha monastery where the Prince of Orange lived and the Klooster Koningsveld (Koningsveld Monastery) built by noblewoman Ricardis, the founder of Delft, in 1271.

Wide range, high quality

House of Delft will offer a wide range. With the Workshops with public program, with related work spaces with innovative companies, with alternative and creative (or innovative) hospitality, with a beautiful auditorium, and also for people who want to be close to the centre and its facilities. All equipped with high-quality sustainable materials and a parking garage that can accommodate about 45 cars, including a number of electric shared cars. House of Delft will literally become the city's "living room", both for residents of Delft and for visitors who can discover the city from this location.