TU Delft Library

<h2 id="building">Building</h2>
The library was designed in the early years of Mecanoo, whose founding members, <a href="/facts/Erick_van_Egeraat/ToYWLJKf">Erick van Egeraat</a>, Henk Döll, <a href="/facts/Francine_Houben/eA20NmQ6">Francine Houben</a>, Roelf Steenhuis and Chris de Weijer, were graduates of TU Delft.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1">1</a> An example of a building that acts as landscape,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a> the library is partially underground with a 15% sloped plane and a grass-covered <a href="/facts/Green_roof/pfQJKvJK">green roof</a> on top. Protruding from the artificial hill there is a 40 metres (130 ft) steel cone which acts as a source of daylight and is meant to symbolize technical engineering.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> Although a successful exterior element, the cone was more unsatisfactory in the interior and received some criticism in architectural reviews.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> A series of columns distribute heat and light throughout the interior.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> The green roof system by ZinCo Benelux uses a cellular glass insulation and a 15-centimetre (6 in) substrate.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a> Together with the green roof and the insulation it provides, a reduced external wall surface improves the building's energy efficiency.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a> The roof is walkable and the students use it to sit and socialize during the summer,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a> or as a sledding hill during the winter.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a>
In the central hall the lending desk occupies the space at the bottom of the cone, surrounded by steel struts,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a> with the east wall covered by suspended steel-frame bookcases going up four floor and accessible via stairs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a> The edge of the building is used for staff offices, with a fully glazed exterior window wall.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a> The library is located in the center of the campus next to the brutalist-style auditorium Aula, by <a href="/facts/Jo_van_den_Broek/EV89aYWM">Jo van den Broek</a> and <a href="/facts/Jaap_Bakema/TKnBEVAa">Jaap Bakema</a>, providing a new spatial context to that building.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a> The building received awards such as the Award for the Millennium, Corus Construction (2000),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a> and has been selected as one of the most original and beautiful libraries in the world by <a href="/facts/Cond%25C3%25A9_Nast_Traveler/u92tYj1X">Condé Nast Traveler</a> and CNN Travel respectively.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a>

<h2 id="collections-and-activities">Collections and activities</h2>
The library is the university's central library and also includes a learning center, student workspace rooms, a bookshop and a café.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a> As of 2017 it had a collection of more than 862,000 books, and 16,000 magazine subscriptions.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a> The TU Delft Library is a founding partner of <a href="/facts/DataCite/XbtpfYPu">DataCite</a>, a global network established to "improve access to research data on the Internet".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a> In 2017 the library started a <a href="/facts/Data_steward/LLFmUnSE">data stewardship</a> project focused on research data management.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a>

<h2 id="gallery">Gallery</h2>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bibliotheek, TU Delft.

<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV_kp7ELHII">YouTube video by Mecanoo</a> about the library.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMik5wtYAQg">The building of TU Delft Library</a>, video of the construction process of the library building.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpBSqPqcOoQ">Talk about data stewardship</a> by Alaistair Dunning, Head of Research Data Services at TU Delft.</li>
<li><a href="https://openworking.wordpress.com/data-stewardship/">Data Stewardship</a> at TU Delft Library.</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Stevens, Philip (2014-12-17). "interview with architect francine houben of mecanoo". Designboom. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2021-04-11. <a href="https://www.designboom.com/architecture/francine-houben-mecanoo-interview-12-17-2014/" target="_blank">https://www.designboom.com/architecture/francine-houben-mecanoo-interview-12-17-2014/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">"Het ontwerp". TU Delft (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-04-09. <a href="https://www.tudelft.nl/library/over-de-library/over-het-gebouw/het-ontwerp" target="_blank">https://www.tudelft.nl/library/over-de-library/over-het-gebouw/het-ontwerp</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">"Library Delft University of Technology". Mecanoo. Archived from the original on 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2021-04-11. <a href="https://www.mecanoo.nl/Projects/project/27/Library-Delft-University-of-Technology" target="_blank">https://www.mecanoo.nl/Projects/project/27/Library-Delft-University-of-Technology</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Campbell, James W.P. (2013). The library: A world history. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 284–285. ISBN 978-0-226-09281-2. <a href="978-0-226-09281-2" target="_blank">978-0-226-09281-2</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Michler, Andrew (7 March 2011). "Mecanoo's TU Delft Library Crowned With a Massive Green Roof". Inhabitat. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2021-04-11. <a href="https://inhabitat.com/mecanoos-tu-delft-library-crowned-with-a-massive-green-roof/" target="_blank">https://inhabitat.com/mecanoos-tu-delft-library-crowned-with-a-massive-green-roof/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Velazquez, Linda (2012-01-11). "GPW: Delft University of Technology Library". Greenroofs. Archived from the original on 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-04-09. <a href="https://www.greenroofs.com/2012/01/11/gpw-delft-university-of-technology-library/" target="_blank">https://www.greenroofs.com/2012/01/11/gpw-delft-university-of-technology-library/</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">van Egeraat, Erick. "Library of Technical University". Erick van Egeraat. Archived from the original on 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2021-04-11. <a href="https://erickvanegeraat.com/project/library-of-technical-university/" target="_blank">https://erickvanegeraat.com/project/library-of-technical-university/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Campbell, James W.P. (2013). The library: A world history. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 284–285. ISBN 978-0-226-09281-2. <a href="978-0-226-09281-2" target="_blank">978-0-226-09281-2</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">Velazquez, Linda (2012-01-11). "GPW: Delft University of Technology Library". Greenroofs. Archived from the original on 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-04-09. <a href="https://www.greenroofs.com/2012/01/11/gpw-delft-university-of-technology-library/" target="_blank">https://www.greenroofs.com/2012/01/11/gpw-delft-university-of-technology-library/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">"Snow fun on the roof of the TU Delft Library". TU Delta (in Dutch). 7 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2021-04-14. <a href="https://www.delta.tudelft.nl/article/snow-fun-roof-tu-delft-library" target="_blank">https://www.delta.tudelft.nl/article/snow-fun-roof-tu-delft-library</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">Charleson, Andrew W. (2006). Structure as architecture. Routledge. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-136-36139-5. <a href="978-1-136-36139-5" target="_blank">978-1-136-36139-5</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">Joosse, Martijn (2014-06-02). "Bijzondere boekenplekken: Universiteitsbibliotheek TU Delft". Mustreads (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2014-06-15. Retrieved 2021-04-13. <a href="https://mustreads.nl/bijzondere-boekenplekken-universiteitsbibliotheek-tu-delft/" target="_blank">https://mustreads.nl/bijzondere-boekenplekken-universiteitsbibliotheek-tu-delft/</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">"Central Library TU Delft". Archiweb. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-13. <a href="https://www.archiweb.cz/en/b/centralni-vedecka-knihovna-technicke-univerzity-v-delftu" target="_blank">https://www.archiweb.cz/en/b/centralni-vedecka-knihovna-technicke-univerzity-v-delftu</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">Heylighen, Ann; Neuckermans, Herman (2000). "DYNAMO: A dynamic architectural memory on-line". Educational Technology & Society. 3 (2): 86–95. ISSN 1436-4522. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/30870787" target="_blank">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/30870787</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">"Library Delft University of Technology". Mecanoo. Archived from the original on 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2021-04-11. <a href="https://www.mecanoo.nl/Projects/project/27/Library-Delft-University-of-Technology" target="_blank">https://www.mecanoo.nl/Projects/project/27/Library-Delft-University-of-Technology</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">González, Lidia (2018-02-07). "Las bibliotecas modernas más alucinantes del mundo". Condé Nast Traveler (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-04-12. <a href="https://www.traveler.es/viajes-urbanos/galerias/bibliotecas-modernas-arquitectura-diseno/1849/image/94570" target="_blank">https://www.traveler.es/viajes-urbanos/galerias/bibliotecas-modernas-arquitectura-diseno/1849/image/94570</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">Sang-hee Han, Rachel (12 July 2017). "7 of the world's most beautiful libraries". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2021-04-07. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/coolest-libraries-world/index.html" target="_blank">https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/coolest-libraries-world/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">Curvelo Magdaniel, Flavia Teresa de Jesus; den Heijer, Alexandra (October 2017). "International overview of the University Library as a central facility". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-04-11. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320347473" target="_blank">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320347473</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">Sang-hee Han, Rachel (12 July 2017). "7 of the world's most beautiful libraries". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2021-04-07. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/coolest-libraries-world/index.html" target="_blank">https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/coolest-libraries-world/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:20">Mullins, James L. (16 February 2010). "Purdue Libraries a founding member of international cooperative to advance research". Purdue University. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2021. <a href="https://blogs.lib.purdue.edu/news/2010/02/16/purdue-libraries-a-founding-member-of-international-cooperative-to-advance-research/" target="_blank">https://blogs.lib.purdue.edu/news/2010/02/16/purdue-libraries-a-founding-member-of-international-cooperative-to-advance-research/</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:21">Teperek, Marta; Cruz, Maria J.; Verbakel, Ellen; Böhmer, Jasmin K.; Dunning, Alastair (2018-01-22). "Data Stewardship – addressing disciplinary data management needs". Open Science Framework. doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/MJK9T. <a href="https://osf.io/mjk9t/" target="_blank">https://osf.io/mjk9t/</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

TU Delft Library open-in-new

TU Delft Library