Echo

Echo is an energy-generating interfaculty building that offers a variety of teaching rooms to cater for the diversity of teaching methods and study styles at the university. As the most sustainable building at TU Delft, Echo is contributing to the university’s ambitions to operate a fully sustainable campus by 2030. 1,200 solar panels, smart installations, good insulation and a heat and cold storage system ensure that Echo will be able to provide more energy than it requires for its daily operations. 90% of the furniture used in the building has also been reused. The building was also designed as much as possible according to principles of circularity. Using large portal constructions with large grid sizes, the columns run along the edge of the building, creating column-free spaces with large spans. The steel trusses have standard sizes and can be dismantled so that they can be reused after the building’s lifespan. The hollow-core slabs can also be reused. Echo also transcends current learning environments. The design supports the contemporary culture of 'Everything Anywhere', where the in-between spaces are important and physical movement is stimulated. Therefore, it provides space for unstructured time: a variety of platforms for reflection, inspiration and communication. The building not only connects with the surrounding public space, it also defines it. The adjacent square continues through the transparent ground floor and connects with the street, turning Echo into a covered public square and a connector that makes the invisible world of learning a visible and engaging experience. The various teaching rooms were designed based on the current and future needs of the lecturers and students. A modular wall system was used, allowing for future changes to the layout. Should there be demand for functional change, these office spaces can be turned into didactic spaces with minimum interruption.