Pulse, which is short for Practise, Unite, Learn, Share & Explore, is an innovative educational landscape in the middle of the campus, which offers Delft University of Technology space for modern educational approaches. The building houses thirteen rooms, ten of which are modern lecture halls, while three are spaces with an informal atmosphere and exceptional characteristics. The building offers a total of 1,020 instruction seats and 275 study spaces. The ground floor features a food market.

A central theme in the design, which was developed in close cooperation with educational, sustainability and construction experts as well as students of the TU Delft, is connection. From an urban design point of view, this concept is expressed in the way the building is not just accessible from the plaza it borders, but is also connected to all adjacent buildings in a variety of ways.

The design sought to combine high-tech and warm materials. Highly-refined finishes meet visible installations. Aluminium, glass and concrete are side by side with wood and textiles. This gives the building both a robust and energetic feel as well as a homely and friendly atmosphere. Daylight penetrates throughout the building; sometimes direct, sometimes filtered and in moderation. The interior reflects the ambition of TU Delft to take care of the development of students into creative, critical and social engineers.

In addition, Pulse is energy neutral, making it a highly sustainable property. It was granted the (currently best) A++++ energy label. Orientation and daylight entry were taken into consideration for the positioning of the various rooms. An advanced property management system ensures that artificial light, air, heat and/or cold are provided where necessary. What makes this property exceptional is the use of DC voltage, which means users of electric energy are directly connected to the 490 solar panels (750 m2) on the roof of the building. Through this building, TU Delft has realised one of the first DC voltage networks in the utility market. Normally, a building that generates its own energy runs on AC power. At Pulse, however, the solar cells generate DC power. This power can be used directly and without energy loss for laptops, tablets, smartphones and lighting, without the need for heavy transformers.

Source: Ector Hoogstad Architecten
Photos: Petra Appelhof