Fire in old TU building ‘Gele Scheikunde’

There was a lot of smoke on Julianalaan on Sunday evening due to a fire in the historic TU building Gele Scheikunde (Yellow Chemistry). The fire started in a small pile of rubbish. The fire brigade arrived at the scene at around 6.35 P.M. and was able to extinguish it quickly. The fire was under control by around 7 P.M., according to the fire brigade. There were no casualties.

The former TU building opposite the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has been vacant for a long time. There have been frequent break-ins, according to District 8 (in Dutch) which also reports that the police are investigating arson.

For many years, Gele Scheikunde was home to the department of Chemical Engineering. TU Delft sold the three-hectare site to project developers six years ago. Shortly before that, the municipality of Delft had already acquired ownership of the Kramers Laboratory, part of Gele Scheikunde, for the symbolic amount of 1 euro.

Although it is currently vacant, the municipality and the project developers have big plans (in Dutch) for the space. Part of the historic building will remain standing and be given a new function. In addition, around 300 owner-occupied and rental homes will be built, supplemented by space for businesses, shops, restaurants and an underground parking lot.