05/10 Faculty of Architecture to open permanent exhibition of famous chair collection

Faculty of Architecture to open permanent exhibition of famous chair collection

Paul Schnabel is to open the new permanent exhibition of TU Delft Faculty of Architecture’s famous chair collection on 5 October. The extensive collection, which is very important from a historical point of view, has now been given a place of honour in the Faculty of Architecture’s new premises in Julianalaan in Delft with financial support from the Sofa Foundation.

Saved from the fire
On 13 May 2008, the famous chair collection was saved from the fire that fully destroyed the original Faculty of Architecture under the watchful eye of former Minister of Education, Culture and Science Ronald Plasterk. For a long time after the fire there was no dedicated accommodation for these special chairs in the new BK City because there was insufficient space and money. The chairs were stored, hidden from public view, in the Rijksmuseum depot in Lelystad and the TU Delft depot in Rotterdamseweg.

The Sofa Foundation and the Faculty of Architecture
With the aid of the Sofa Foundation – whose objective is to promote the art of furniture – the Faculty of Architecture has now realised a new venue for displaying the chair collection in BK City. Architectural firm Kossmann & deJong delivered the design for the permanent exhibition set-up.

Study materials and permanent exhibition
The collection, consisting of more than three hundred chairs designed by Gerrit Rietveld and contemporary designers such as Marcel Wanders and Chris Kabel, will be presented in a large rack in which the chairs can be viewed at different levels. The permanent exhibition will be located in the hall near the Architecture library and will be on display for everyone the whole year round without charge. The chair collection will, furthermore, form a source of study material for TU Delft students and scientists.

Programme opening
16:00 Welcome by Dean Wytze Patijn;
16:10 Sofa’s last trick;
16:20 Opening ceremony conducted by Paul Schnabel;
16:35 Drinks at the exhibition.