Pulse

Pulse’s design came about in close cooperation with students and lecturers who discussed the preferred lay-out for the instruction rooms and the experience of the study landscape in the building. Their input has, for instance, resulted in the building having a lot of writable walls in the lecture rooms, extra lockers and longer opening hours. Students will be able to take classes by day, have a nice meal outdoors on the patio and then continue to study until late in the evening.

Education spaces
The education spaces are central to the building and were based on the input of students and teachers. It focuses on their current needs and – where possible – their expected future wishes. With this in mind, we chose to realize teaching spaces that vary in capacity between 60 to 100 seats. There will also be two terraced rooms for groups of 125 people, that can be used for both instruction and project work. Three additional rooms for approximately 50 people will be built, each with a special theme. The total number of instruction seats at Pulse amounts to 1,020. Various studying and meeting spaces will be situated throughout the building and its food and beverage areas. Study spaces in education rooms can also be used as (quiet) study areas during the evenings and exam periods.

To make Pulse integrate as naturally as possible into the existing built environment, it will be connected to the surrounding buildings. It will be connected to 3ME in two places and to Industrial Design Engineering on one side, with a direct connection to the Learning Lab. Bicycle parking will be possible at the new, larger, bicycle shed across the square that will also feature a coffee bar and bicycle repair.

Pulse will constitute a junction within a network of faculties thereby providing opportunities for cooperation between various disciplines. The building’s shape also makes this apparent. Its transparent design, the food and beverage outlets, the patio and the square make Pulse a meeting place at the heart of our campus.

Soon you will be able to relax or study in the ground floor cafeteria at Pulse that seats around 200. There various food and beverage concessions will be grouped together in a ‘Foodmarket’ concept. This will provide a wider, more varied range and is aligned with TU Delft’s new vision for food and beverage provision. Plenty of choice in other words.

Open all day, for (international) meals, something sweet or coffee. Some food and beverage suppliers for lunch and dinner will even be regularly switched. This range will be augmented by a food truck on the square. At the moment, the spaces for food and beverage vendors are being detailed. Finally, the large patio on the square will be a great place to sit when the weather’s good.

Pulse was dreamt up by Ector Hoogstad Architecten. The design is restrained, yet simultaneously an exceptional, conspicuous element on the square; inviting to both visitors and passers-by. Light and transparent thanks to the use of skylights, vides and glass facades. Pulse’s facade can be partially opened making the ground floor cafeteria merge with the square.

The building’s shape emphasises the physical connection between 3ME and Industrial Design Engineering, thereby constituting a crossroads within a network of faculties. Flexibility in construction and layout provide multifunctional operability over time and with regard to usage.  Thanks to flexible dividers, several rooms can be increased or decreased in size and the large terraced room was specially designed for both lecturers and project-based education.