The working environment at Architecture suffers from systemic issues relating to social safety, leadership and career policy. These findings emerge from a risk analysis commissioned by the faculty, partly in response to reports received via TU Delft’s relatively new integrity and social safety reporting point.

Dependence on managers, a competitive culture and employees who do not always feel free to speak their minds. These are some of the findings from a risk analysis of the working environment in the Faculty of Architecture. According to Dean Machiel van Dorst, these problems call for a long-term cultural change. “Perhaps we need to move away from the ‘macho architect’ image.”

The Municipality of Delft will carry out additional checks this summer on illegal sex work in student housing complexes, hotels and holiday accommodation. According to the municipality, the number of reports increases during the summer months because many students are temporarily absent, while demand for sex work grows with the arrival of tourists.

When Olivier Sueur took up his post as interim manager of the TU Delft Integrity Office on 5 June 2024, he joined an organisation that was under immense pressure. The inspection report hung like a shadow over the university, and the unease could be felt deep within the organisation. “Stress at every level,” he says now, looking back.

TU Delft will go ahead with exams on Friday, despite the Code Red warning issued due to extreme heat. Teaching and other activities will be largely suspended. This is according to an update from the Executive Board following a crisis meeting.

TU Delft is holding crisis talks on Thursday over the impact of the announced code red due to extreme heat. The highest weather warning will remain in force all day on Friday 26 June, while exams are still scheduled. As a result, students are still unsure what to expect.

Extreme heat is hitting TU Delft right in the middle of exam week. With temperatures approaching 35 degrees and a code orange warning on the way, students and staff are being advised to take precautions to prevent overheating.

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering can give priority to female students in the selection process for the Bachelor’s programme in Aerospace Engineering. This is the ruling of the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights. The faculty intends to introduce the policy from the 2027/2028 academic year.

The care for TU staff has been sufficiently restored, the Education Inspectorate concluded this spring, but the annual reports from confidential advisers, ombudsmen and the social safety reporting point show a tough reality on the ground. Reports remain numerous and complex, and often revolve around the same structural problems: leadership, dependency and a lack of clarity within the system itself.