On 17 and 18 October 2023, the SMARTeeSTORY project partners met at the Delft University of Technology for their first General Assembly.
The meeting kicked off on 17 October with a site visit to the University building hosting the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. There, the partners learned about the special history of the building as well as its specific challenges with respect to energy management. Originally, this monument from the early 20th century was supposed to be used for chemical engineering purposes, which is why, until this day, it has a chimney and various vents on the façade. Vents are also a common sight throughout the inside of the building, which are nowadays used for the building’s ventilation. However, the building was never used for its originally intended purpose – instead, it served as the University’s main building for many years. In 2008, the ‘Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment’ then moved into its halls, after their own building was completely destroyed in a fire. The project partners visited the original site of the faculty’s building as well. Over the years, it has been turned into the “Green Village”, a living lab for sustainable innovations in home, work and living environments, where also some of the SMARTeeSTORY implementations will be tested soon.
On 18 October, the project partners gathered inside the Delft demonstrator to hold their General Assembly, discussing project progress, upcoming activities as well as challenges. Spending 8 hours inside the building gave the partners the unique chance to experience its energy-related challenges firsthand: Due to the high ceilings, the numerous (but impressive!) windows, and the overall poor insulation (amongst other things…), the rather chilly October temperatures have made themselves felt in the meeting room as well. A situation that the students and university staff are experiencing on a daily basis and which SMARTeeSTORY hopes to be able to improve in the coming years.
