News

The Delft Product Development (PD) Test Lab was recently constructed in the courtyard of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. This example of innovative construction will provide a home for research into new building innovations in the coming years. Students and researchers can experience everyday working practice here based on the ‘learning through making’ principle.

The 3D GeoInformation research group from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment is working on building a 3D model of all the towns and cities in the Netherlands. It is the only model of its kind on a national scale and can be used to accurately project the size of the population. It is also a useful tool for creating flood models and calculating noise and daylight contours. As part of the research group 3D GeoInformation the researcher Filip Biljecki investigated the concept of level of detail in 3D city models. He will defend his thesis ‘Level of detail in 3D city models’ on 1 May.

Problems in deprived neighbourhoods are often tackled through socio-economic integration. The thought behind this approach is that residents with lower incomes and educational levels are motivated to improve their position through their proximity to neighbours with a better socio-economic standing. However, young people who move to more affluent areas actually exhibit more problem behaviour.

This April the faculty welcomes Lionel Devlieger and Maarten Gielen of the Brussels based office Rotor as Visiting Professors.

Following up on the Town Hall Meeting on Africa last January, a workshop on the subject was held on 14 March. 42 BK colleagues joined Peter Russell to further discuss the Faculty plans about Africa.

The European Union is celebrating the one hundred thousandth fellow benefiting from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

As the issue of the ageing population is set to become critical, we have only a vague idea of the future housing preferences and needs of millions of elderly people. The 4TU Lighthouse project ‘Happy Senior Living’ intends to sound out their housing preferences and experiment with test locations.

‘There’s no such thing as waste’ is just an empty slogan if we do not succeed in creating circular material flows. The initiators of the large-scale European REPAiR project are firmly convinced that smart geodetic aids for decision-making can help local and regional authorities close resource life cycles.

‘Our Faculty plays a key role in the 'design-oriented research’ and we are proud that this is recognised and awarded with a top 3 position in the world ranking according to QS World University Rankings by subject” says Peter Russell, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. "And even though you shouldn't overestimate the value of rankings in general, we are happy to have achieved such a high place in this ranking.”

On Friday 10 March the The Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) - the primary strategic advisory board for the Dutch government and parliament in matters relating to the physical environment and infrastructure - will present their advice on ‘Valuing Technology: a Guidance’. Our professor Ellen van Bueren was a member of the committee that has prepared this advice.