The UvA’s goals with respect to the city campuses
Fact sheet on real estate
The University of Amsterdam is in the process of clustering its real estate and reducing the number of buildings used for teaching and research from 85 to four city campuses. The UvA undertook this project about fifteen years ago on account of the increasing unsuitability of certain buildings for teaching and research, the poor state of many these buildings, the difficulty of supervising all the buildings scattered across the city and the resulting lack of space for collaboration between different disciplines.
For some years now, the Employee Monitor and National Student Survey (NSE) have shown that the availability of good facilities is one of the most important prerequisites for students and staff. For example, the 2014 NSE showed that 75% of students at the Faculty of Science (new building) are satisfied with the facilities as opposed to 58% of their peers at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (last year still housed in old buildings) and 47% of students at the Faculty of Law (Oudemanhuispoort).
Many UvA buildings were never meant as a site for education or research, and the distance between different academic disciplines was traditionally great (while most researchers are nowadays focused on interdisciplinary research). Besides, this fragmentation leads to unnecessarily high costs – receptionists have to man every building, service desks and canteens must be made available and systems need to be managed, to name but a few examples. The maintenance of old and ageing buildings is relatively expensive, just as the essential modernisation.
Good provisions
Teaching and research have always formed the bedrock on which all housing-related decisions are taken. The UvA wants to provide its students and staff with an optimal study and work environment which meets modern requirements. In addition, recent years have seen a strong increase in the number of students and staff. This number continues to fluctuate. There are over 30,000 students and 5,000 staff members. Ample space needs to be given to everyone while also taking into account a long-term drop in student numbers. The flexibility on the campuses is greater than would be the case if many buildings are scattered across the city.
The choice for a campus model
The UvA explicitly chose a campus model for several reasons. In countries where education has been concentrated in campuses, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive – the UvA’s Science Park is a testament to this. The UvA wants to use the new open campuses as a way to strengthen links within the university and stimulate collaboration with other academic disciplines, the private and public sector, and civic organisations. Intellectual, social and commercial advantages hereby go hand in hand. The UvA can also be found on the VU campus at the Zuidas. The UvA collaborates with the VU University within the Academic Centre for Dentistry in Amsterdam (ACTA) and on the basis of the thematic clustering of a number of scientific disciplines.
Investments
Renovation and new development necessitate substantial investment. A clear agreement exists: housing costs (rent, interest rates, depreciation and large-scale maintenance) may never exceed more than 12% of all expenditure. Loans have been taken out on the basis of long-term fixed rates, thereby shielding the UvA from (risky) fluctuations. Those faculties that are relocating to the new campuses are in some cases leaving behind their old buildings vacant. In cases where these buildings are no longer used by the UvA, the university will consider possible conversion, for example by renting it out to a partner organisation or by selling it. When a building is eventually put up for sale, the UvA carefully considers the zoning plan and maintains close contact with the municipality and residents.
The number of buildings owned by the UvA is decreasing. The Bungehuis building, just like the previous CEDLA building (Keizersgracht), has been sold. No decision has been taken with respect to several other buildings such as the University Library at the Singel and PC Hoofthuis in the Spui street.
The UvA maintains a strict division between housing development on the one hand, and the funding of teaching and research on the other. Possible financial shortages in housing are covered within the housing budget and are not offloaded on teaching and research within the faculties.
More information
The UvA’s four campuses are: the Bungehuis Campus, the Roeterseiland Campus, Science Park, and the Amsterdam Medical Center (AMC). The completion date is 2025. In the coming period work will continue on, among other things, housing for the Faculty of Law on the Roeterseiland Campus, while a decision will be made regarding the City Centre Campus. For more information about current construction work, the UvA’s vision on the development of the campuses as well as its complete Housing Plan, please see www.campus.uva.nl/en.