This is how TU Delft campus keeps its cool during a sweltering exam week

Avoid strenuous exercise, particularly between 12 PM and 6 PM, advises the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). It is also important to drink plenty of fluids and to be well prepared before heading out. However, at this very moment, students are spending hours in exam halls. Through the student portal, they are therefore being given practical tips: take water with you, wear light clothing and arrive in good time so that you can acclimatise before the exam begins.

Attention to the heat is also growing in the workplace. On 19 June, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (ME) was the first to issue a comprehensive advice. ‘For some, working in the office, workshop or labs may be made more difficult by excessively high temperatures,’ wrote HSE adviser Maarten Lugt.

Local advices

Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geosciences, as well as sports and culture centre X, have now shared similar guidelines. A centralised advisory will not be issued, a TU spokesperson has stated, because: “every location is different.”

Anyone who does come to campus is advised to slow down

The message in the local advice guidelines is clear: work from home where possible; otherwise, start as early as possible in the day. Anyone who does come to campus is advised to avoid strenuous activity, slow down and take extra breaks. In labs and workshops, safety regulations remain in place, despite the heat.

Inside buildings, the focus is shifting to the coolest areas. Employees and students are advised to use rooms on the shaded side of buildings and to share them where necessary. Windows and blinds should preferably be kept closed to keep the heat out, and equipment that generates extra heat should be switched off as much as possible.

Take overheating seriously

The risk is also increasing outdoors. X warns sports enthusiasts to avoid strenuous activities in direct sunlight, particularly between 11.00 AM and 4:00 PM. Anyone who does exercise should drink plenty of fluids, stay in the shade and listen carefully to their bodies.

This vigilance applies throughout the campus. Dizziness, headaches and fatigue are signs of overheating that must be taken seriously. Employees, students and athletes are strongly urged to look out for one another. Where necessary, the campus emergency response team can be called upon.

Meanwhile, the staff association Prometheus has announced an ‘Ice Cream Day’ on Thursday 25 June. You can register here (including non-members).