Original plan for the University Quarter “no longer feasible or affordable”
The new University Library is complete and in use, but this does not mean the UvA’s accommodation plans are yet finalised. It is time for a new Accommodation Plan, for which the staff and student representative bodies have now given the green light. Vice-Chair Richard Goldstein: “We want to streamline construction projects and ensure better utilisation of the buildings.”
To be clear: “streamlining” construction projects is a euphemism for: it needs to be cheaper. Executive Board Vice-Chair Richard Goldstein speaks of “a reassessment” of the construction policy and a review of the existing building plans. This mainly concerns renovation work in and around the University Quarter, in particular the BG-5 building – which has stood empty for years now whilst awaiting renovation – and the Oudemanhuispoort (OMP), which was home to the Faculty of Law until 2017.
“The original master plan for the University Quarter (2021) was a grand scheme, which included relocating the Aula to the OMP, but that plan is no longer feasible or affordable,” says Goldstein. The restoration of the listed buildings, which are now “largely empty,” will be carried out without much fanfare – in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner – but with a focus on sustainability. “Around 2032, when the UvA celebrates its 400th anniversary, the renovation should be complete, after which the buildings can once again be fully operational.” It would be a fine historical symbol for the UvA on its anniversary, having been founded on this site in 1632. “The entire area around the University Quarter, including the Allard Pierson Museum, remains the historic, vibrant and inspiring heart of the UvA.”
It is a pity, though, that the Aula won’t be there by then.
“Since the conversion of the Binnengasthuis into the new University Library, we have learnt that there is a great deal of uncertainty about what you might encounter during a major refurbishment of such old buildings. For example, the foundations were in much worse condition than we thought, and the construction of the cycle park proved far more complex than anticipated. We want to reduce the financial risk profile associated with such construction projects. We are therefore not relocating the Aula, which will remain in the Oude Lutherse Kerk; we have just extended the lease with the church.”
The new University Library has ended up costing much more than planned. How will we prevent future refurbishments from getting out of hand again?
“You cannot prevent long-term construction projects from becoming more expensive over time, for example due to inflation and the indexation of construction costs. Don’t forget that the University Library project took well over twenty years. However, we are currently evaluating the construction process. What lessons can we learn from this? Among other things, that we want to have a clearer understanding in advance of the structural and financial risks that may arise. Incidentally, not all risks can be foreseen. During the construction of the University Library, the war in Ukraine broke out, an energy crisis arose and sustainability requirements became stricter, causing construction costs to skyrocket.”
With the sale of the Maagdenhuis, the Aula will be the only building left around the Spui, even though that location is not part of the University Quarter.
“It is not certain that the Maagdenhuis will be sold. The people who still work there will be moving to another UvA location over the coming year, largely on the Roeterseiland campus. That is not the same as selling the Maagdenhuis. Together with, for example, the P.C. Hoofthuis, it forms part of the UvA’s social real estate portfolio, possessing historical, monumental and emotional value. These are buildings that are well known – and often much loved – by the people of Amsterdam and the UvA community. When former students talk about their memories of the UvA, they often mention – alongside their degree programme – the building where they studied.”
Many students will have fond memories of the old University Library, but that building is still being sold.
“That’s right. The vacant old University Library building will be put up for sale this autumn because we no longer need it for teaching or research. We want to get a high price for it, simply because we need the proceeds to further develop our campuses and make them more sustainable. We’ll decide later what to do with the Maagdenhuis. The same applies to the P.C. Hoofthuis. The UvA is not permitted to build student accommodation itself, and the council decides on a building’s designated use, but I would be delighted if, upon sale, part of the P.C. Hoofthuis were to be converted into student accommodation”
The shop selling UvA merchandise moved away from the Spui last week. Is the Spui25 debate centre leaving too?
“The UvA shop now has a wonderful location on Roetersstraat, on campus. As for Spui25: you can sense that the trend is away from Spui rather than towards it.”
Student numbers are falling and staff are working from home more often. Couldn’t the UvA dispose of many more properties? The University Theatre? REC-V?
‘”he University Theatre perhaps, but not REC-V. The point is that we want to use the space more efficiently because we’re currently paying for floor space we don’t need – which is a waste. We currently have a total of 250,000 square metres of usable space. That needs to be reduced to 200,000. That’s a reduction of 20 per cent. I don’t want to provide an exact blueprint for this, but the starting point is that the space standard will be 0.7. That means there will be 0.7 workstations available per full-time staff member. That amounts to seven workstations for every ten staff members. We want fewer square metres and better utilisation of the buildings.”
Not everyone will be happy with that.
“It may well be that teams will have to rethink how much space they need and what their requirements are; think of coffee corners, phone booths or a sort of lounge for socialising. Or they may have to discuss amongst themselves on which days they come to work, or whether they want to hold meetings elsewhere in an informal or flexible workspace.”
Premises are being sold, and space is being used more efficiently. This is good for the UvA’s finances, but what will be done with that money?
“The proceeds from the sale of buildings and the savings we achieve through reduced space usage are being reinvested in the further development of the campuses; we have explicitly agreed this in this accommodation plan. You can already see it happening: we are constructing an innovative building for quantum science (LabQ) at the Science Park. On Roeterseiland, we’re opening a fitness centre, and in the courtyard garden of the Allard Pierson Museum, a medicinal herb garden is being created – a tender for which is currently underway. Together with the local council, we’re developing a building plan for a residential tower on the Science Park with around three hundred units for students and staff.”
See here for the new Accomodations Plan 2026 of the UvA.
