Tu Noord, A Neighbourhood In Delft With A Rich Heritage Of Historical Buildings And Green Spaces

30 minutes (1.8 km)

Walk among the imposing buildings of the then Delft Institute of Technology which were built from approximately 1895 to 1945. Tucked away between these buildings are two green elements: the Botanical Garden and De Vries van Heijstplantsoen park.

New university district
To the south of the Rhine-Schie Canal, which was constructed in 1894, the government purchased a large tract of land for the planned construction of the new university district. A number of faculty buildings of the then Delft Institute of Technology, predecessor of today’s Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), were built on this piece of land until 1940. The first two complexes were built around 1900, initially without any underlying total plan, parallel to the new Kanaalweg.

In 1908, municipal architect M.A.C. Hartman drew up an urban design that was implemented with some slight modifications. The main structural elements are Julianalaan as a planned ring road, the Poortlandplein junction and the characteristic flared street layout with the triangular De Vries van Heystplansoen park. From 1918 onwards, four faculty buildings arose around these elements.

In 1915…

New university district
To the south of the Rhine-Schie Canal, which was constructed in 1894, the government purchased a large tract of land for the planned construction of the new university district. A number of faculty buildings of the then Delft Institute of Technology, predecessor of today’s Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), were built on this piece of land until 1940. The first two complexes were built around 1900, initially without any underlying total plan, parallel to the new Kanaalweg.

In 1908, municipal architect M.A.C. Hartman drew up an urban design that was implemented with some slight modifications. The main structural elements are Julianalaan as a planned ring road, the Poortlandplein junction and the characteristic flared street layout with the triangular De Vries van Heystplansoen park. From 1918 onwards, four faculty buildings arose around these elements.

In 1915-1917, the Botanical Garden was laid out at the bend of the canal and its associated building arose on Julianalaan. Later, at the end of the 1930s, construction started on the Gele Scheikunde chemistry complex. This work was interrupted by the war and finally completed only after 1945. The southern boundary of this triangular area is formed by Prins Bernhardlaan, alongside which flows the remains of an old watercourse. Of the large building complexes, four were designated as listed buildings in 2002.

Sights on this route

1

Bacteriological Laboratory 1895 - walkingroute TU Noord

Today: Apartment complex Address: Nieuwelaan 1 Year of construction: 1895, extended in 1911 and 1929 Architect: J. van Lokhorst

Nieuwelaan 1
2611RR Delft
Bacteriological Laboratory 1895 - walkingroute TU Noord
2

Mechanical Engineering

Today: Apartment complex Address: Nieuwelaan 114 Year of construction: 1911 Architect: J.A.W. Vrijman

Nieuwelaan 114
2611SB Delft
Mechanical Engineering
3

Geodesy and Observatory

Today: Student housing complex (DUWO) and Stichting de Hollandse Cirkel Address: Kanaalweg 4 Year of construction: 1892-1895 Architect: J. van Lokhorst

Kanaalweg 4
2628EB Delft
Geodesy and Observatory
4

Physics and Electrical Engineering - Walkingroute TU Noord

Today: Student housing complex (DUWO) Address: Kanaalweg 3a (earlier 2b) Year of construction: 1902-1903 Architect: J. van Lokhorst

Kanaalweg 3 b
2628EB Delft
Physics and Electrical Engineering - Walkingroute TU Noord
5

Applied Physics

Today: Student housing complex (DUWO) Address: Mijnbouwplein 11 Year of construction: 1930 Architect: G. van Drecht, W.F.L. van Leeuwen and Johan Robbers

Mijnbouwplein 11
2628RT Delft
Applied Physics
6

First Year Chemsitry - Walkingroute TU Noord

Today: Student housing complex (DUWO) Address: De Vries van Heijstplantsoen 2 Year of construction: 1923 Architect: J.A.W. Vrijman

De Vries van Heijstplantsoen 2
2628RZ Delft
First Year Chemsitry - Walkingroute TU Noord
7

Mining Engineering - Wandelroute TU Noord

Today: Science Centre Delft, open to the public Address: Mijnbouwstraat 120 Year of construction: 1912 Architect: J.A.W. Vrijman

Mijnbouwstraat 120
2628RX Delft
Mining Engineering - Wandelroute TU Noord
8

Technical Botanie - Walkingroute TU Noord

Today: Botanical Garden and the associated building, open to the public Address: Poortlandplein 6 Year of construction: 1917, Botanical Garden, founder Gerrit van Iterson Jr. 1919, Technical Botany building at Poortlandplein 35, architect J.A.W. Vrijman

Poortlandplein 6
2628BM Delft
Technical Botanie - Walkingroute TU Noord
9

Rode Scheikunde - Walkingroute TU Noord

Today: Architecture and the Built Environment (BK City) Address: Julianalaan 134 Year of construction: 1918-1923 Architect: G. van Drecht

Julianalaan 134
2628BL Delft
Rode Scheikunde - Walkingroute TU Noord
10

Gele Scheikunde - Walkingroute TU Noord

Today: Apartment complex (under development) Address: Julianalaan 136 Year of construction: 1938-1945 Architect: Architectural firm Bremer

Julianalaan 136
2628BL Delft
Gele Scheikunde - Walkingroute TU Noord