News

Dutch housing associations are very keen on sustainability, but when it comes down to it, costs are the decisive factor. This is the conclusion of Sandra Hoomans in her PhD research. “Strategic considerations on making housing stock more sustainable should also be based on ecological values.”

A trombe wall with phase-changing materials can ensure a much lower energy consumption of buildings. That becomes evident in the DoubleFace 2.0 research project. State-of-the-art technologies breathe new life into this age-old heat control method.

In the Spring semester of 2019, BK Bouwkunde welcomes Dhaka-based architect Marina Tabassum as visiting professor. Tabassum is celebrated for her focus on local culture, climate, materials and history. On 21 March, she will kick of her visiting professorship with her public lecture 'Cross-cultural approaches in architecture'.

The Dutch Royal Institute of Engineers (KIVI) will present the KIVI Academic Society Award to Andy van den Dobbelsteen, professor Climate Design & Sustainability, on 18 March, the Day of the Engineer. Van den Dobbelsteen is awarded for his years of pioneering in the field of sustainable construction and for his distinctive presence in the debate on climate change.

In the course ‘The smell of wet concrete’, bachelor students of BK Bouwkunde explore the building site. Details of the building under construction are filmed by the students, explaining in detail how the elements are created and assembled on site.

Researchers from BK Bouwkunde and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science at TU Delft have formed a partnership to connect Humanities and Computer Sciences. They will combine their interdisciplinary skills to connect long-term historical knowledge with cutting edge computer vision, geospatial technology, and crowd sourcing technology.

Lime-bound mortars are vulnarable to damage caused by salt crystallisation, but this can be remedied. PhD researcher Sanne Granneman discovered crystallisation modifiers mixed in with the mortar can prevent them from breaking down.

The Executive Board has appointed Prof. Dick van Gameren Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment as of 1 April 2019. He is currently chairman of the Architecture Department at the same faculty.

James O’Callaghan has been appointed Professor of Architectural Glass. The Chair of Architectural Glass deals with glass in a wider context, both in the built environment and in building envelopes. It is about pushing the boundaries of materiality, performance, form, energy, and the aesthetics of architectural glass.