Short | New milestone in the development of 3D-printed homes

An overview of brief news items about TU/e and the academic world

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photo iStock / Alona Horkova

New milestone in the development of 3D-printed homes 

October 23 2025 - The cramped housing market has gained four new purchase houses. And what houses they are: in the Bosrijk district of Eindhoven, buyers will be able to register for fully 3D-printed concrete houses for the first time from November 6. The TU/e is the driving force behind the Milestone project. Ten years ago, Dean Theo Salet of the Faculty of Architecture and his research group printed the first concrete bridge in 3D. Six years later, a fully 3D-printed concrete house rolled out of the factory. That was already a world first.

A key feature of the project is the collaboration between government, knowledge institutions, and the business community. Together with TU/e, the production process has been further developed, tested, and optimized in detail over the past years. For example, the new homes have multiple floors. Their resemblance to boulders makes them striking features in the landscape. Construction is expected to start in mid-2026, with the homes being completed in the spring of 2027. / MV


 

‘Student 001’ has passed away, pioneer of Eindhoven’s student life

October 22, 2025The very first student at TU/e has recently passed away at the age of 83. According to Eindhovens Dagblad, Hans Wijffels was one of the founding figures of student life in Eindhoven. He was not only student number 001 at what was then called the Technische Hogeschool (TH) Eindhoven, but also the first president of the Eindhovens Studenten Corps (ESC). A delegation from the association paid their final respects during the farewell service on Saturday.

Hans Wijffels’ father, Toon, worked at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science at the time and was the first secretary of TH Eindhoven. The university was founded in 1956, and the first students started in 1957. There were 182 of them — including one woman, and, of course, Hans Wijffels. Wijffels earned his PhD in Eindhoven and later pursued a career at Shell. He passed away on October 13. / MV


 

Associations encourage students to vote

Oktober 21, 2025 - “Your vote shapes the future. Use it.” With these words, at least fifteen associations and student parties are encouraging their fellow students to vote on October 29. GO Green Office took the initiative to spread this message within the community, as “voting is important, no matter who you vote for,” says coordinator Erwin Kerkhof. “A lot is happening right now, and many issues will still be relevant ten years from now—like the housing market.”

Voting will once again be possible on the TU/e campus this year. The polling station in MetaForum will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. To vote, you need a voting pass and valid identification. Those who are not registered in Eindhoven but wish to vote there must apply for a voter’s pass in writing no later than five days in advance. / LA



Relay race Batavierenrace to return to Nijmegen–Enschede route

October 20, 2025 - 'After a scaled-down edition, the Batavierenrace will return in full glory this spring. In 2025, there weren’t enough board members to organize the relay race from Nijmegen to Enschede in the traditional way, but that issue has now been resolved. Registration opens early November, and the race itself will take place on May 8 and 9, 2026,' reports Vox, the university magazine in Nijmegen. Participants run the 176-kilometer relay from Nijmegen to Enschede in 25 stages.

Last year, the organizational nightmare—securing permits for road closures and arranging police support at night—was skipped, and students instead ran five-kilometer loops on the University of Twente campus. The format stayed the same: a 20-hour relay run. The Eindhoven team won that edition in a thrilling final stage.


 

TU/e lecturer Loe Schlicher also wins Early Career Award

October 17, 2025 - Loe Schlicher, a game theorist at TU/e, is one of twelve young researchers to receive the Early Career Award. The KNAW presents this prize annually to recognize scientific talent. This marks Schlicher’s second major distinction in a short time: during MomenTUm on September 25, he was named TU/e’s Best Bachelor Lecturer. For each of the awards, he receives 15,000 euros.

Schlicher won the KNAW award in the field of behavioral, social, and legal sciences. He applies game theory to address security issues, working in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee and the police’s Special Interventions Service (DSI) to improve the deployment of counterterrorism units and optimize the planning of surveillance routes. The prize includes a monetary award of 15,000 euros. / MV


 

Students receive free newspaper subscription

October 15, 2025 - DPG Media is giving all students in secondary vocational (mbo), higher professional (hbo), and university (wo) education a free digital subscription to newspapers such as de Volkskrant, Trouw, AD, Eindhovens Dagblad and more. Students in the Netherlands aged between 16 to 25 can apply for this digital subscription using their student card.

With the free newspaper subscription, DPG says it aims to respond to “the declining interest of young people in news platforms” and “the increasing exposure to misinformation via social media.” The publisher hopes “to remove the barrier to quality journalism.” With the upcoming elections, this is particularly important, the media company adds.


 

University Rebellion sprays messages on campus with chalk paint

October 10, 2025 - On Friday morning, the activist group University Rebellion sprayed texts on the ground at several locations across the campus. Among other things, the words “TU/e Genocidal University of Technology” were written in red letters, and the protesters called on the university to cut ties with both the fossil fuel industry and Israel. According to a press release from University Rebellion, the police issued a fine to the activists: 'Despite the fact that the chalk spray they used would be washed away with the next rain.'

University Rebellion frequently stages actions on campus, mainly protesting the university’s collaboration with the fossil fuel industry. The activists also regularly call on the university to cut ties with Israel, sometimes collaborating on these efforts with the group Eindhoven Students 4 Palestine.


 

Helix shaken by lab explosion, no injuries reported

October 8, 2025 - The Department of Chemical Engineering & Chemistry was startled on Tuesday evening around 8:00 p.m. by an explosion in a laboratory on the fourth floor of the Helix building. When the fire brigade arrived, they discovered that a bottle containing a volatile solvent had burst. The cause turned out to be an incorrect cap that couldn’t withstand the increasing pressure inside the bottle.

According to a TU/e spokesperson, the bottle had been stored according to protocol in a special safety cabinet, which limited the impact of the explosion and kept the damage to a minimum. No one was working in the lab or the hallway at the time. As a precaution, all other bottles were safely removed. By 11:45 p.m. that same evening, the lab and hallway were cleared for use again. / MV



CE&C director has not yet returned, despite court ruling

October 2, 2025 - Mark de Graef has not yet returned as managing director for the Department of Chemical Engineering & Chemistry (CE&C). The reason for this is unclear. Last month, the court ruled that TU/e had wrongfully replaced him during his illness and must reinstate him as of October 1. It is up to the parties themselves to ensure that the judgment is complied with.

A spokesperson has announced that TU/e will not be making any statements at this time, but will provide more details soon. De Graef, his attorney, and co-director Sham Moodliar have also not responded. With De Graef's return still pending, the question arises as to what consequences this will have for the current situation, in which two managing directors have been appointed to the same department. / MV, BAS

The news items in this overview were translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor

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