Social living room Exhale officially opened

More than 250 visitors passed through the doors of Exhale on opening night, spending the evening exploring the building and its offerings. The attendees, most of whom were curious students, instantly made themselves at home, hanging out in the Living Room and upstairs in the Creative Studio and Mindfulness Studio. The evening began with a small borrel for invited guests during which Samantha Liebregts, Head of X, and Ailisha Shannon, Creative Director and Project Lead of Exhale, gave short speeches, introducing the space, thanking the team, and outlining the background, aims and purpose of the project. After this, it was time for everyone to explore Exhale and talk to the team.

Ailisha Shannon: “After talking intensively to students we heard their message loud and clear: students want and need space to simply be. Creating and running this space with a unique team of creative freelancers, designers and thinkers has been an absolute pleasure. We have all invested our talents and expertise together towards the same goal in collaboration with X: creating a ‘third space’ for students that compliments TU Delft and X whilst also offering a much-needed space of solace and freedom, where students can relax, connect and create”.

Samantha Liebregts adds to this: “The opening of Exhale was auspicious. The current zeitgeist, in which social pressure, study pressure and the aftermath of Corona have a great impact on the lives of young people, calls for a place where there is room for social connection, relaxation and not having to do anything for a while. Together with students and partners, we at Exhale hope to respond to those needs. With as few barriers as possible, because accessible free of charge and without conditions to all students at TU Delft.”

A social living room, creative studio, and mindfulness studio
Exhale has taken up temporary residence in a beautiful building on the West Square behind X, and aims to provide a warm and welcoming environment for students on campus. The building consists of a social living room for students to relax and connect, and a creative studio for students to experiment and work on creative projects with the support of creative experts.

Looking ahead
Exhale, a social living room powered by X, runs a lively programme of workshops, events, and get-togethers with the aim of facilitating and supporting social connection, creativity, and relaxation. From 22 January onwards, Exhale is open seven days a week (Mon-Fri 12.00–22.30, Sat-Sun 17.00–22.30) for all TU Delft students to use a space to relax, hang out, and recharge. Throughout the exam period, from 22 Jan–2 Feb, Exhale is running a study support programme which includes movie and TV nights, stretching and breathwork classes, body doubling study sessions, and group outdoor walks.

The first of four scheduled Exhale Weeks takes place from 12–16 February, a week full of events, workshops, and activities that include live music concerts, a drink & draw art class, poker night, and a dance “rave” organised by BeFree Amsterdam, among others.

Outside of the scheduled Exhale Weeks, the programme includes approximately two weekly events and workshops. The Living Room is open every day from 12.00, and the Creative Studio is open every evening from 17.00.

For the full programme, visit wwww.ready-to-exhale.com/events

Follow Exhale
Stay up to date via @ready_to_exhale on Instagram and our website: www.ready-to-exhale.com