N.S.W.E Centre

The National Science Wind Energy Centre is a place of research, innovation and recreation. The site is located at the top north-west part of Old City Delft, Netherlands with the N.S.W.E Centre situated on the southern part of the site. It aims to draw people in from Old City Delft where the canal is extended to create a physical connection to the site.

The building is divided into three wings connected to a central atrium. Each wing has a different purpose, to educate, inspire and innovate. The lab department will open the doors to new areas of research, innovation and technology development, aimed at creating new possibilities and productive outcomes to work on solutions to challenges in the low carbon economy. The educational wing aims to inspire and educate people on the importance of this renewable technology and the many benefits it brings. It will also exhibit historic facts on the importance of windmills and how they brought wealth to Holland through the golden age. The other wing is home to a multi-purpose 230 seat auditorium, featuring regular lectures on the latest updates from the research department and working closely with TU Delft (University of Technology) to provide educational talks for private seminars for students and public talks open to everyone. A restaurant is located on the top floor of the southern wing, with a large veranda allowing for outdoor seating and panorama views onto the Old City Delft and beyond. A ground floor café is also provided to invite those passing by in, and encourage them to explore what the building has to offer.

The design of the building was inspired from the form of a Delft Windmill, with its parallelogram shapes, having a central point from which wings come off of. The form was then distorted and manipulated to fit within the surrounding landscape, with the southern wing facing an existing Delft Windmill allowing visitors to have a view of this windmill whist exploring the educational wing. The auditorium cantilevers over the canal, giving great views of Old Town Delft whist listening to an inspiring talk. The research department was positioned to the north end of the building and cantilevers over the west canal, giving shade to the outdoor café seating below and preventing solar glare for the laboratories located on the upper floors.

This building will hopefully provide Delft with a great research centre and give visitors an interactive, educational and enjoyable experience.