Heritage & Architecture from a teachers and students perspective

The Heritage & Architecture section from the faculty of Architecture / Delft University of Technology trains students to design with built heritage. Heritage is interpreted in a broad sense and is separate from a particular object’s or ensemble’s monument status. In all design projects in an existing context, the past will play a more or less important role. The Heritage & Architecture section will focus first of all on those design projects in which the past will strongly determine the further development. In other words: the section focuses on the highest divisions of the built heritage. Graduates from Heritage & Architecture are part of the Master of Science (MSc) track of Architecture. The education program we developed to teach our students in Heritage & Architecture is based on a research based design approach. To deal with heritage like monumental buildings as an architect it is necessary to understand the site, the object, the history of place, technology, the changes over time and the impact of culture values during the design process. We as teachers provide our students with a research based design method. This has led to some successful projects from our graduates. Three of them have been selected recently for the Archiprix exhibition of best graduates in Architecture in the Netherlands. I will explain the methodology we provided them with, how they evolved this in their own approach and I will reflect on this and evaluate the solutions also. So the projects of: Oriana Kraemer, Katerina Krommyda and Maarten van Kesteren will be discussed.