We visited the Delft University of Technology (TU-Delft) today. The route there was interesting.
I passed this "freezone," one of several spots on campus that are served by electricity, running water, and drainage. They can be reserved or used when not reserved. It seems like a clever way to encourage people to a) enjoy the outdoors without fear of loss of productivity, and b) increase usable space on campus with limited infrastructure investment. Neat!
This pond sculpture was also nifty! If you look closely you'll see nine stacked cubes that are connected at the corners so that they cause the structure to sway in the wind. Apparently this is a 5-meter prototype and the eventual tower will be 25 meters tall.
Eventually our whole group arrived at the campus library.
As we entered, we came across some interesting trash receptacles. A square pizza box encatchment seemed to communicate that food was welcome in the library, and that tidying up was appreciated. The cup-catch conveyed a similar message and organized them for efficient disposal.
Our tour guide took us through public and staff spaces. It turned out that the cone housed study space. Stairs rose from the center and ramps extended from the multi-story book wall to access it.
There was a sort of maker space at the bottom of the stairs. There were Legos, connectable circuits, a jigsaw puzzle, and a variety of how-to books. I felt that having the materials unboxed and near a pass-through space encouraged non-committal tinkering.
The library is a very active space and quiet zones are sequestered into rooms with doors. I was a little surprised that they charged for earplugs (they are complimentary at my academic library).
And I can't help but show a photo of the conveyances used in the basement of the library!
