On May 13, 2008 the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in Holland suffered a remarkable loss when the Faculty of Architecture Building, better known as Bouwkunde, was destroyed in a devastating fire. The faculty quickly organized an international ideas competition to serve as a catalyst towards a new building and a new architecture. 4240 proposed a building that would foster new relationships between students, and between the campus and the community.
The new Bouwkunde will link people and place, dream and analysis. It will reside in a central position between the two halves of the TU Delft campus. As a link, the architecture studios cantilever dramatically over the Mekelpark - at once completing the Mekelpark axis and at the same time uniting the south end of the campus with the north. The dramatic profile of the new Bouwkunde will proclaim the spirit of investigation and celebrate the place of creativity.
The building itself is a generator of ideas. The glass-skinned studio spaces will be wrapped in steel scaffolding that will be a permanent part of the building. This scaffolding will allow the students to perform material investigations on the exterior of the building. The building’s façade therefore continually REGENERATES itself.
The two studio legs are connected by a void affectionately called, "THE LINK" by the students. This void unites the different studios and is where the energy of the school is on display. The link is a place of exchange. As if the Mekelpark grew into a building, the link is outside space within a building. It is at once a place for student reviews, musical performances, lectures, rallies, or a contemplative late night walk. The program of the link ensures a diverse cross section of people and supports the exchange of ideas.
Through the loss of the Bouwkunde comes the brave rebirth of the new Bouwkunde. Lessons of interdisciplinary exchange become a new architecture that links, cross pollinates and regenerates. The experience of TU Delft is transformed and made a visceral rhythm at the heart of the campus. The Mekelpark flows through the new Bouwkunde as it generates ideas, connects people and creates place. This new energy of interaction is the architecture.