Education

Non-profit group brings Dutch-style student houses to internationals

TU Delft students have redeveloped a vacant apartment building in Delft to serve as student housing. Thirty of the 150 rooms in the Zusterflat will be furnished for internationals, giving them the chance to see Dutch student life up close.

Internationals who want to live amongst Dutch students do not have many options in Delft. Housing cooperation DUWO mainly offers private rooms in buildings with other foreign students. A group of Dutch TU Delft students called Stichting Herontwikkeling tot Studentenhuisvesting Delft (SHS Delft) has recently redeveloped an apartment building with room for fifteen student houses. Three floors are reserved for internationals.

It is SHS’s mission to give empty buildings a new life as student housing. The Zusterflat meaning nurses flat used to house nurses in training, but has been vacant for the past ten years. It is the first project SHS has taken on. In December 2013 contracts were signed with the owner, a mental health hospital. It is now up to the Delft municipality to give the final approval.

The thirty international students will live on three floors, in between the floors housing their Dutch peers. Every floor will function as a separate student house, with its own rules and customs. The international floors will be fully furnished and the students will lease their rooms from a different organisation yet to be contracted. The organisation will provide its international tenants with specific support when needed.

The rooms are 11 m2 in size and will cost, in total a little under €400 per month. Every house has a shared kitchen, bathroom and living room. On the ground floor of the building there is a large common space and a lush garden. TU Delft campus is five to ten minutes away on a bike.

Editor Redactie

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