Mecanoo

student housing duwo . delft

Mecanoo . photos: © Christian Richters

The student housing complex designed for the DUWO Foundation was realised in under one year from concept to completion. A modular construction system was used whereby prefabricated housing units slide like cabinet drawers into a steel frame.

This swift construction process solved the urgent housing needs of the increasing numbers of international students from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).
The three residential towers contain 186 living units in total. Each building is six storeys tall and is designed without an apparent front or rear.
Three facades are finished in dark masonry laid with ‘beards’ of overflowing, excess mortar, their irregular texture resulting in a distinctive play of shadows on the facade.Deeply recessed window openings framed in aluminium are scattered in a playful pattern over the facades, varying not only the buildings’ appearance externally but also the internal location of the window in each room.
Facing the park, the three buildings feature a green facade of composite panels combined with a tubular metal frame covered in climbing plants.
Students can occupy the units alone or share with one other person. Additionally, the grouping of three rooms around a shared living room with kitchen offers a more domestic arrangement.
Communal facilities such as the entrance, bicycle parking and garbage room are situated on the ground floor of each building.