Bye bye boxes

The compact housing containers were built 2003 and all were 16m2 self-contained studios. They served as a way of quickly increasing housing capacity for foreign students. Not all of these students were enthusiastic about their homes. Occupants complained about the noise and vibrations of the metal stairs and catwalks as well as the poor insulation and ventilation. Also there was a feeling of segregation of international students because of the large numbers of Asian students living in the boxes.

That is all history now since the first phase of construction of ISH is being completed. One hundred and seventy eight international students, some of them from the spaceboxes, have moved in. The ISH is owned by student accommodation provider DUWO. The next 155 students are expected to move in this month. Each of the 332 non-independent housing units has its own shower and toilet, with shared living room and kitchen facilities.

Deltares building

These students however are not the only ones moving to another room. Last month 160 students have moved to the former Deltares building on Keverling Buismanweg (behind the new tower rising on Stieltjesweg). DUWO reserves 109 rooms for foreign students and 52 studios for Dutch students. Thus all 450 spaceboxes have been replaced. The second phase of this project is the new tower on Stieltjesweg, comprising of 504 student rooms. The building is expected to be ready in June 2017.

DUWO itself moved from Kanaalweg 4 to a renovated office on Kanaalweg 3b. This office is a former TU Delft building and national monument with two old lecture rooms, which DUWO will be renting. In the front 47 rooms were made for PhD-students. They have just moved in. The old office on Kanaalweg 4 hosts twelve student associations, like Delft International Student Society.