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Over the past few weeks, Building Technology students were at work in Delft's Buitenhof district. Their assignment was to talk to local experts within the neighbourhood and then come up with an innovative project that would also serve a social function.

During the Education Day on 10 November, Christien Janssen, lecturer Building Physics (AE&T) at the faculty Architecture and the Built Environment, was awarded as Best Lecturer of TU Delft 2022. Christien was chosen from eight Faculty Lecturers of the Year 2022 educators, who were elected by students for their educational endeavours.

Energy uncertainty has increased the interest in energy renovations, notes Professor Henk Visscher. Now we need large-scale implementation. But how is that to be accomplished?

As a result of skyrocketing inflation, the European Central Bank (ECB) has raised refinancing rates several times, which has also caused mortgage rates in the Netherlands to triple in the past three quarters. These sharply rising mortgage rates directly affect households' borrowing capacity. In addition, it puts indirectly pressure on consumer confidence in the general economy and in the owner-occupied housing market. A drop in the purchase price like in the third quarter of 2022 is logical in such a situation, even if the number of homes sold still remains fairly constant.

The corona pandemic, summer heat, high gas prices... the indoor climate has been getting a lot of attention in recent years. Atze Boerstra, Professor of Building Services Innovation at TU Delft, specialises in technologies that control the indoor climate. On 11 November, he will deliver his inaugural speech on the topic: Indoor Climate Systems Design in Times of Uncertainty.

Tool robots have a short but rich history in architecture, including materials research and new construction techniques. Researchers Henriette Bier and Pierre Oskam, with a team of landscape architects, architects, and roboticists, are creating bio-cyber-physical capsules called 'planetoids' in the Robotic Building lab.

The handling of building permits is often slow and opaque. A European project led by TU Delft geo-informatics should improve the process. 3D-Professor Jantien Stoter explains.

How can architects and urban designers embrace and embed in practice challenges and opportunities posed by an increasingly data-driven society? As Theory of Architecture and Digital Culture professor at TU Delft, Georg Vrachliotis intends to increase data literacy among students and professionals. “We’re just entering a new phase in a continuing process.” On 28 October he will give his inaugural speech.

Are you an entrepreneur in the built environment? This is your chance to win up to 30.000 euros to boost your business!

The complexity and interconnectedness of today's urban challenges demand integrated and innovative approaches to the planning and design of sustainable, fair, and inclusive cities and regions. This, in turn, requires us to challenge and rethink current planning practice and education.