Echo

Designed to accommodate the university’s growing student population, Echo is an interfaculty teaching building that transcends traditional learning environments and offers adaptable spaces for lectures, group work, debates and self-study. As TU Delft’s most sustainable building, Echo contributes to the university’s goal of achieving a fully sustainable campus by 2030.

Echo is designed to generate more energy than it consumes, thanks to 1,200 solar panels, smart installations and a heat and cold storage system. The design also focuses on circularity: steel trusses and hollow-core slabs are designed for disassembly and reuse, while 90% of the furniture is repurposed. Transparency maximises daylight, reducing artificial lighting needs and creating a bright, uplifting and healthy environment. To prevent overheating, aluminum awnings and climbing plants form a green facade, while advanced ventilation systems ensure clean air and adaptability for future layout changes.

Echo also promotes physical, psychological, and social well-being. The grand central staircase, crafted with bamboo ribs, connects study and collaboration spaces, encouraging movement and interaction. The transparent ground floor acts as a public connector, turning the building into a covered square that integrates seamlessly with the campus. The 8,844 m2 building houses seven teaching rooms with flexible layouts, including a 700-person lecture hall that can also be divided into three separate rooms in 15 minutes, in addition to a debate space. The architecure guides movement and defines key areas like the restaurant and study landscape.