New Delft Water Walk
The Van Leeuwenhoek Park is a 600 m long park, with an area of 2.5 ha, in which various climate adaptation measures have been incorporated. It is built above the railway tunnel and extends from the bus station at the north side to to the end of the railway tunnel at the south. Much of the park is already finished, but the one part awaits the completion in 2025 of “De Hooghe Delft”, a 41 m high building with offices and the Lumen cinema. Starting in 2028 you will also be able to walk around in the third part of the park, south of the Irene Boulevard. The park is intended for multiple uses, including walking, sitting, playing, having a cup of coffee, etc., all in a natural environment.
The park, of course, is also meant to have a lot trees and plants, but as it is built directly above the railway tunnel, there is not much space for the necessary water storage. That is why reservoirs for storing rainwater have been built next to the park, such as in a cellar under the Houttuinen, next to the Westsingelgracht. If it gets very dry, that water can be pumped back into the park.
The plants in the park provide natural cooling, and a number of other climate-adaptation measures have been included as well. For example, the central walkway in the park, “the runner”, where you can walk, skate, etc., is located slightly below the surrounding grass and plants. The slopes along the runner provide a cooling breeze in the walking area on hot days. The water feature in the park, right next to the bus station, also provides cooling. Calculations show that the temperature around the bus station will be about 2 – 5 o C lower because of the water feature. Delft University of Technology has installed monitoring instruments to measure the effect of all these climate-adaptation measures. The Van Leeuwenhoek Park has thus become one of the TU’s climate labs. Such a laboratory is known as a “Living Lab” or “Field Lab”, where research is carried out during the daily use of the park, just as in The Green Village . You can read more about the Van Leeuwenhoek Park here, here and here.
The park is named after Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632 – 1723), one of the greatest scientists in Delft history. He is considered the founder of cell microbiology. He invented a microscope that could magnify 270 times, while others in Europe did not get further than a factor of 40. He was therefore the first to see details of 1 µm (one thousandth of a millimeter) in cells, animals, plants, etc. In 1674, Van Leeuwenhoek published his findings in letters to the Royal Society in London, and became a member in 1680, a special honor for a foreigner. Here you can read more about the life and work of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.
