An IDEA, that’s what it takes to change the world. If the idea is brilliant, the whole world wants to be a part of it. That is what is happening in the case of the Future Faculty.
It all started with a group of students from the Faculty of Architecture. While some worked in international architecture firms based in the Netherlands, and some indulged in research within the faculty, they all learnt that the whole idea of Dutch design and Dutch architecture is not confined to Dutch minds alone. Rather, it actually encompassed the whole world, and there were a lot of international professionals who were responsible for the famous ‘Dutch design and architecture’. The architects working at these Dutch firms were internationally focused and helped to raise the stature of Dutch design to where it stands today.
This globalization made the professionals from all over the world share a common stage and make the brilliant ideas possible. Future Faculty is open to ideas that can change the way the professionals and the students think in TU Delft. It is an interdisciplinary research and design platform initiated by the students. It engages and unifies people from academic, private and governmental practices to work together on understanding problems and generating solutions that are both conceptual and tactile.
It gives the students, academics and professionals a chance to design their own projects in consultation with the whole group. Future Faculty gives students a chance to collaborate with professionals in a more interactive and friendly manner, and also in turn gives them a chance to take a more fascinating and responsible stance towards their education by developing their own projects and learning from their experiences.
This idea became a full-fledged reality after the fire at the Faculty of Architecture, when the industrial design and architecture students organized a design competition for the new Faculty of Architecture. Students, teachers and professionals from TU Delft participated in formulating ideas for the Faculty of Architecture’s new building and for redesigning the entire education system. The winning team among the 14 participating teams proposed a new collaborative model for architectural education in collaboration with experts from academic, private and governmental parties. In response to this, the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi) gave the winning team of students an opportunity to showcase their proposal at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2008, and to organize a lecture series and an international workshop in collaboration with the NAi, TU Delft and the architecture firm ‘Stealth Unlimited’. The international publication ‘Archiphoenix’ published these results, making it a success.
The Venice Biennale of Architecture 2008 gave rise to the second stage of the project in the form of a design studio. The design studio was organized to test the ideas presented at the Venice conference, but this time at the heart of TU Delft, which included a multi-theory seminar at UNStudio by the trio of professionals, students and teachers. Results from this design studio were a part of the next competition for designing afresh the new Faculty of Architecture and its whole education system.
The third stage of the project, which takes place in Russia, surpasses the idea of just being entangled in design and architecture and takes into consideration a broader view, in which students from nearly all the faculties of TU Delft and from all over the world can participate in a project with international professionals, culminating in a workshop. The project is still in the conceptual phase, but already there is a huge response from all over the world to participate in this project.
TU Delft has to become more responsive towards new projects of this stature, which gives students such a great opportunity to explore beyond the realms of their own faculties. Students with this kind of project can not only change the way they think, but also get lots of input from professionals in industry and learn more about the practicalities of what they are going to face when they graduate.
Inputs taken from: Jean Paul Willemse, Claudia Runge, TU Delft
Carolyn Leung, tweedejaars bouwkunde, Hong Kong/Engeland
Carolyn Leung werd geboren in de – toen nog – Britse kolonie Hong Kong en groeide deels op in Engeland. Toen zij vorig jaar naar Delft kwam om te studeren, hoorde ze over studentenverenigingen waar altijd bier gedronken wordt. Daar keek zij van op. “Ik vind uitgaan om bier te drinken een vreemde activiteit.” Ook nieuw voor haar was de ontdekking dat de meeste mensen op de faculteit al voor vijf uur naar huis willen. “Niet uit luiheid, maar omdat dat hun cultuur is. Ze willen op tijd thuis zijn om te eten. Ik studeer dan nog gewoon een tijdje door, ja.”
Nederlanders hebben veel humor, vindt ze. Humor van de vriendelijke soort. “Engelse humor is gemener. Die gaat ten koste van anderen. Nederlanders zijn ook recht voor hun raap. Ze zeggen je waar het op staat, bij een presentatie bijvoorbeeld. Ze bedoelen dat niet persoonlijk, maar doen dat om je verder te helpen. Ze zijn erg open minded, de studenten in elk geval. Ze willen graag met je praten als je uit een ander land komt. Als je getint bent denken Engelsen ‘die is van een andere cultuur’, en dan houden ze afstand. Nederlanders zijn aardig, maar tegelijkertijd moet je je inspannen om vrienden te zijn, anders blijven ze op afstand.”
It all started with a group of students from the Faculty of Architecture. While some worked in international architecture firms based in the Netherlands, and some indulged in research within the faculty, they all learnt that the whole idea of Dutch design and Dutch architecture is not confined to Dutch minds alone. Rather, it actually encompassed the whole world, and there were a lot of international professionals who were responsible for the famous ‘Dutch design and architecture’. The architects working at these Dutch firms were internationally focused and helped to raise the stature of Dutch design to where it stands today.
This globalization made the professionals from all over the world share a common stage and make the brilliant ideas possible. Future Faculty is open to ideas that can change the way the professionals and the students think in TU Delft. It is an interdisciplinary research and design platform initiated by the students. It engages and unifies people from academic, private and governmental practices to work together on understanding problems and generating solutions that are both conceptual and tactile.
It gives the students, academics and professionals a chance to design their own projects in consultation with the whole group. Future Faculty gives students a chance to collaborate with professionals in a more interactive and friendly manner, and also in turn gives them a chance to take a more fascinating and responsible stance towards their education by developing their own projects and learning from their experiences.
This idea became a full-fledged reality after the fire at the Faculty of Architecture, when the industrial design and architecture students organized a design competition for the new Faculty of Architecture. Students, teachers and professionals from TU Delft participated in formulating ideas for the Faculty of Architecture’s new building and for redesigning the entire education system. The winning team among the 14 participating teams proposed a new collaborative model for architectural education in collaboration with experts from academic, private and governmental parties. In response to this, the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi) gave the winning team of students an opportunity to showcase their proposal at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2008, and to organize a lecture series and an international workshop in collaboration with the NAi, TU Delft and the architecture firm ‘Stealth Unlimited’. The international publication ‘Archiphoenix’ published these results, making it a success.
The Venice Biennale of Architecture 2008 gave rise to the second stage of the project in the form of a design studio. The design studio was organized to test the ideas presented at the Venice conference, but this time at the heart of TU Delft, which included a multi-theory seminar at UNStudio by the trio of professionals, students and teachers. Results from this design studio were a part of the next competition for designing afresh the new Faculty of Architecture and its whole education system.
The third stage of the project, which takes place in Russia, surpasses the idea of just being entangled in design and architecture and takes into consideration a broader view, in which students from nearly all the faculties of TU Delft and from all over the world can participate in a project with international professionals, culminating in a workshop. The project is still in the conceptual phase, but already there is a huge response from all over the world to participate in this project.
TU Delft has to become more responsive towards new projects of this stature, which gives students such a great opportunity to explore beyond the realms of their own faculties. Students with this kind of project can not only change the way they think, but also get lots of input from professionals in industry and learn more about the practicalities of what they are going to face when they graduate.
Inputs taken from: Jean Paul Willemse, Claudia Runge, TU Delft
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