The newly renovated Student Pavilions Aan‘t Verlaat were officially opened by SHS Delft on March 24.
SHS Delft is a non-profit organisation founded by TU Delft students in 2011 to give empty buildings new life as student accommodation.
Their first project was the Student Flats Aan’t Verlaat, an apartment block inhabited since the beginning of 2015 by 150 students. Their second project was the Student Pavilions Aan’t Verlaat. Both premises previously housed patients and employees of GGZ Delfland, a mental health care institution, and have been transformed for a period of ten years in to student housing. On March 24 the successful transformation of the pavilions was celebrated in the presence of Councillor Raimond de Prez.
The delivery of the pavilions occurred in two phases due to demand. In August 2015 the first round of students moved in, and by December 2015 the rest of the complex was completed and fully occupied. In an attempt to minimise renovation costs, the focus of the new design was preserving the existing structures, resulting in a variety of residences accommodating 127 students in 19 houses.
The pavilions will be primarily designated for international students for the first two years of the project. “In collaboration with TU Delft we’re aiming for there to be half international and half Dutch students after this time to help with integration,” said Roben Gort, SHS Delft chairman. There are two graduates that live in the pavilions that act as social managers helping out international students. “They go around and knock on each door once a week to check everything is okay, and they give tips and advice on things like where you can go to buy a toothbrush.”
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