NetherlandsKnowledge of the past, and the spaces it has created, is an important prerequisite for designing the future. The Design & History research programme explores a wide range of knowledge and instruments relating to the origins, restoration, conservation, revitalisation and transformation of built heritage.
Experts in diverse fields ranging from materials science to design, history and theory work together. Preserving building materials, transforming heritage structures and landscapes, and designing new buildings in existing surroundings is inextricably bound with the context of the location as well as the history, the place and the materiality of the building.
The collective theme of the programme is ‘resilience’. Resilience is defined as the capacity of materials, buildings and cities as part of associated social systems to respond to or recover from diverse challenges. Resilience ranges from tangible structures (materials, buildings or cities) to environmental challenges, as well as the resilience of people and their cities when faced with political, economic or social threats. The rapid growth or shrinkage of cities and populations coupled with functional adaptation and climate change, mandate the development of resilient solutions coupled with an inclusive approach to heritage that comprises historical analysis and design.
Key Themes:
Design & History focuses on the following research themes:
Historical Landscapes
Historical landscapes – ranging from small private gardens to industrial areas, and from polders to city centres – have evolved as a result of constant spatial and social change. D&H explores emerging temporal and spatial questions related to fields of history and heritage, adaptive reuse and design.
Heritage and Water
Water and the abundance or the lack thereof has created and formed diverse heritage structures. A comprehensive and interconnected approach to water is necessary to develop resilient spatial and built-environment practices, especially within the perspective of anthropogenic climate change.
Healthy Cities
All aspects related to healthcare research at the Faculty, including reuse, heritage and the historical evolution of building typologies in this field, are connected through the Health@BK platform. This platform is hosted by Design & History.
The Legacy of the 20th Century
Building on established research by group members, we take a multidisciplinary approach to investigating the history, preservation and sustainable adaptive reuse of the 20th century architectural heritage.
Materials in Heritage
Heritage preservation requires knowledge of historical and current materials use and properties, service life expectancy and extension as well as innovative solutions for conservation of heritage fabric.
PHD ADMISSIONS
The admission requirements for doctoral candidates are recorded in Article 2 of the TU Delft Doctoral Regulations.
More detailed information can be found in the back of the Regulations, in section A of the Implementation Decree.
Admission requirements
According to Dutch law and the TU Delft Doctoral Regulations a doctoral candidate should be in possession of a Dutch Master’s degree. This may be a Master of Science or a Master of Arts degree from a University or College of Higher Education.
Naturally, doctoral candidates with foreign Master degrees are also admitted to TU Delft. Some foreign degrees are evaluated by the TU Delft Admissions Office. This office determines whether the foreign degree can be considered as an equivalent of the Dutch Master degree.
N.B. TU Delft Faculty Graduate Schools (FGS) may have additional admission requirements. Therefore, please visit the webpage of your intended FGS.
Preparation and paperwork
For every would-be doctoral candidate of TU Delft, a check of their eligibility is standard procedure. This means that, besides a letter and a CV, all applications must include scans of the (highest) diploma and transcript. Furthermore, at the start of their Doctoral Programme all doctoral candidates must be registered as such at the TU Delft Graduate School. For more information about registration and the required documents see Intake Meeting.
According to Dutch law and the TU Delft Doctoral Regulations a doctoral candidate should be in possession of a Dutch Master’s degree. This may be a Master of Science or a Master of Arts degree from a University or College of Higher Education.
Naturally, doctoral candidates with foreign Master degrees are also admitted to TU Delft. Some foreign degrees are evaluated by the TU Delft Admissions Office. This office determines whether the foreign degree can be considered as an equivalent of the Dutch Master degree.
N.B. TU Delft Faculty Graduate Schools (FGS) may have additional admission requirements. Therefore, please visit the webpage of your intended FGS.
Article 2 Doctorate
2.1. The degree of Doctor can be obtained at TU Delft following the public defence of a doctoral dissertation before the Board for Doctorates or the doctoral committee appointed by it. The Board for Doctorates will award the degree of Doctor. By way of a departure from that stipulated in the other Articles in these Regulations, the provisions of Article 21 will apply to the awarding of the honorary doctoral degree.
2.2. Admission to the doctoral defence ceremony will be open to anyone:
– who has been awarded the degree of Master in accordance with Section 7.10 a, paragraph 1, 2 or 3 of the WHW, and
– who, as proof of competence to practice science independently has written a doctoral dissertation, and
– has met the other requirements set in these Doctoral
Regulations with regard to, among other things:
– completing a Doctoral programme,
– following a DE programme and
– the quality and content of the doctoral dissertation.
2.3. In exceptional circumstances, the Board for Doctorates can, on his request, admit access to the doctoral programme and the doctoral defence ceremony to a person who is not in possession of the required degree but who meets the requirements stipulated in Article 2.2b and c, if the person requesting this demonstrates in some other way, and to the satisfaction of the Board for Doctorates, that he has sufficient knowledge. The Board for Doctorates can determine more specific rules for this in the Implementation Decree.
Article 4 Start of Doctoral Programme
4.1. A person who wishes to complete a Doctoral Programme in order to obtain a doctorate must:
– enter into consultations with the most appropriate full professor or the most appropriate staff member with a doctorate to whom the ius promovendi has been awarded in view of the field of science involved and reach agreement on the subject of the doctoral research, the title of the doctoral dissertation and his willingness to act as promotor, and
– register as a doctoral candidate at the TU Delft Graduate School by submitting valid proof of identity and a certified copy of a degree certificate as defined in Article 2.2a or a copy of the awarding of access pursuant to Article 2.3.
4.2. When the conditions stipulated in 4.1 have been met, the TU Delft Graduate School will ensure that a statement is issued as soon as possible on behalf of the Board for Doctorates detailing the registration as a doctoral candidate and the appointment as intended promotor of the person referred to in 4.1a, and, if applicable, the appointment of an intended copromotor.
4.3. Within three months of the start of the Doctoral Programme, the doctoral candidate must have made agreements with his intended promotor on his supervision and the content of the DE Programme to be followed by him, and this must be recorded in a PhD agreement and submitted to the Faculty Graduate School.
Article 5 Doctoral candidate and preparation of doctoral dissertation
5.1. The doctoral candidate will conduct independent scientific research. He will also maintain the customary academic contacts with his fellow scientists.
5.2. The doctoral candidate is responsible for producing the doctoral dissertation as a contribution to science and for ensuring that the research is conducted:
– in accordance with the code of conduct and professional code that apply to professional activities in the area of science concerned;
– according to the statutory regulations and university regulations applicable, in all events, for research involving animal testing, hazardous (e.g. radioactive) materials, hazardous (e.g. biological) substances; and c. without the imposition of any limitations that conflict with academic freedom on the research and the freedom of publication of data and results from the research, also insofar as (part of) the research is funded by third parties.
