Ir. Jelle Zijlstra

After graduating in 1989 I started working as independant designer for companies like PTT (Dutch postal and telecom services), Gazelle and Union bicycles. In those days, I also designed stands for business fairs and (traveling) exhibitions. My focus moved towards products for the public domain and products that help achieve a more sustainable way of living. In 1995 I developed the Fietshangar, a safe storage for five bicycles to be fitted on a parking space. The city of Rotterdam adopted this product and asked me to design more bicycle parking facilities in the city of Rotterdam. In cooperation with Drost & van Veen Architects I designed Waternet, a network of floating boatstops for the river de Nieuwe Maas in Rotterdam. My teaching work started in Delft in the arly 90s, after that I have been teaching at the Design Academy Eindhoven (Man and Mobility) and I helped to start up the Industrial Design Faculty at Eindhoven UT for five years and co-developed a competency based learning system. At this moment I am head of the Man and Mobility department at the Design Academy Eindhoven and teacher of design and design didactics at the Delft University of Technology. I developed the Competency Monitor for ‘Delft’ and I am co-author of the Delft Design Guide. As a designer I am working on a carbon time trial bicycle for a new brand to be produced in the Netherlands. Personal life: I am married and live in Rotterdam with my wife and two children.

Education

• 1983 – 1989
  Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology
• 1977 – 1983
  VWO Gymnasium, Norbertuscollege Roosendaal

Experience

• 2012 – present
  Head of Man and Mobility
• 2005 – present
  Design teaching at Delft University of Technology, Industrial Design Engineering, department Design Engineering
• 2005 – 2012
  Design teaching at Design Academy Eindhoven, Compass department Lab (lessons in technology)
• 2001 – 2005
  Design teaching at Eindhoven University of Technology, (new) Faculty of Industrial Design
• 1995 – 2001
  Design teaching at Design Academy Eindhoven, department Man and Mobility
• 1991 – 1995
  Design teaching at Delft University of Technology, Industrial Design Engineering, department of Ergonomics

Specialisation/Field of research

• Design Methodology
• Design Education
• Sustainability (Minor Sustainable Design, LCA)
• Public Design

Lectures/Coaches students on:

• Design
• Analysis
• Creativity
• Embodiment
• Design Methodology
• Sustainability
• Design Didactics