Reg.Nr. HA-2011/NL/04

The making of BK City, Delft

On 13 May 2008 a devastating fire destroyed an iconic building in Delft and a place of work for thousands of students and staff: an entire community lost its home. Within a year’s time a disused, former university’s building was reclaimed and transformed to re-house the faculty ...
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Project details

Title:The making of BK City, Delft
Entr. year: 2011
Result:Award
Country: Netherlands
Town: Delft
Category type: Other (See notes)
Notes:A showcase of adaptive reuse and dealing with cultural heritage
Building type/ Project type: education/research building
Former use:University
Actual use:University
Built: 1918-1923
Architect / Proj.leader: Gerard van Drecht , Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology
The Jury's citation: “The jury appreciated the light handed renovation of this former university building, and the creative and flexible use of available spaces to produce a dynamic learning environment. The effort is mainly concentrated in the clever organisation of all the needs and the high quality furnishings made by architects and designers who are role models for the students. It is an integrated achievement of great courage that merits greater attention.”
GPS:52°0'20,7"N; 4°22'13,5"E
Web, Links:

www.bk.tudelft.nl/en

Description:
On 13 May 2008 a devastating fire destroyed an iconic building in Delft and a place of work for thousands of students and staff: an entire community lost its home. Within a year’s time a disused, former university’s building was reclaimed and transformed to re-house the faculty of Architecture of Delft University of Technology. The premises – a monumental complex of 32,000m² listed as ‘Red Chemistry’ - was designed around 1920 to accommodate the faculty of Chemistry. The complex, designed by Dutch architect G. van Drecht, is listed as one of the greatest pre-war university buildings in Dutch cultural heritage. After the renovation - completed with the extensions of the conservatories - this complex of 36,000m² was renamed into BK City. ‘BK’ refers to Architecture in Dutch and ‘City’ emphasizes the main goal of this project: to design a vibrant city with its public functions (to meet each other intellectually and socially) and its connecting places. The pressure of the process, the limited resources and the unique opportunity of combining academic knowledge and architectural practises have produced a building that is both a test case and a showcase for the campus of the future.