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Campus Development Tilburg University
2014-2025
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Dr K.M. Becking,
President of the Executive Board of TiU One of the distinguishing features of Tilburg University is the active role we play in solving social problems, by developing knowledge and linking people from different disciplines. In everything we do, we strive for the best quality, the right connections, innovation, internationalization and efficacy. We want this mission, encapsulated in our motto ‘Understanding Society’, to be borne out at every level of university operations. Our green university campus offers a key unique selling point in this respect. With facilities for students and staff that meet the standards of both today and tomorrow, this campus will help to reinforce our recruitment efforts. We are about to embark on an investment program that will provide a major impetus for the quality of our university and take us into the future. By making calculated investments and using real estate more efficiently, we will also have more money left over for our core business. In short, Tilburg University is evolving with the times and working hard to be an institution where staff and students feel at home in a dynamic environment. To be a place they continue to appreciate at later stages in their lives and careers.
See the interview with Dr K.M. Becking on collaboration in higher education between the university and the city.
I am proud to present this behind-the-scenes overview of our real estate plans. With the decision-making phase having concluded in February 2014, the implementation is now underway. Many people have already attended our presentations and know what’s in store. By publishing this brochure, we want to ensure all staff are well informed. Over the years ahead, our campus will come to shape a valued knowledge hub within the municipality of Tilburg and the wider region.
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History of the campus
Studying
Tilburg University was first established at its current location in the 1960s. Vigorous growth in the decades that followed resulted in the campus we all know today, forming an integrated whole within the surrounding natural landscape. Today, that includes a dedicated train station, nearby residential facilities and good connections to downtown Tilburg. We boast modern sports facilities, thriving clubs and associations, and a public orientation. The growth of our campus is nothing short of exceptional for such a small, specialized institution. Nonetheless, in the course of that growth, financial considerations also led to choices that were less than ideal as regards building quality. During the period in which the campus properties were still state-owned, a strong focus on cost control led to the construction of accommodations with a limited lifespan. In subsequent years, insufficient attention to renewal caused buildings to fall into disrepair, and skyrocketing student and staff numbers meant simple replacement was not an option. Perhaps the best example is the Prisma building.
Dutch national benchmarks for universities and our daily activities show that Tilburg has far too few individual and group study facilities for students. The Library and learning centers are packed, and of all universities in the country, we have the lowest ratio in square meters of such study spaces per student. A broad student survey conducted in 2013 confirmed the need to invest in such facilities. Moreover, the study culture at our university has evolved in a way that demands sufficient study facilities not only during the daytime, but also in the evening. Serious students consciously choose us for our high-quality education and research and our well-equipped modern campus.
FUTURE We have developed a clear vision and plan to tackle these issues. Following two years of focused effort, the university now has a real estate strategy keyed to our strategic vision. This strategy revolves around quality and time-proof modernizations aimed at more efficient use of space, openness that invites collaboration and reductions in costs.
FUTURE We have opted for a major expansion in our study facilities, corresponding with modernizations in our degree programs and responding to students’ wishes. These objectives will be achieved through Project 1 (education and independent study center). At the same time, we will offer expanded opening hours and a mix of different study facilities as well as various restaurant services. We will create around 350-450 additional study areas, varying from individual to dual workstations to group spaces that students can reserve. Over the course of 2014 and 2015, additional workspaces with charging points for laptops and tablets will be created outside. In the new education and independent study building, seminar rooms not reserved for classes will also be available for students to study in.
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Contact
See the interview with Rosanne.
Rosanne Broekhuizen ORGANIZATIONAL SCIENCES STUDENT, FORMER UNIVERSITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND CURRENT MEMBER OF THE FACULTY COUNCIL
“The quality of our education and research comes first. Tilburg is keeping pace with the times and adapting to meet the needs of today. That also goes for our real estate vision, which represents the physical steps toward achieving the quality level our university demands.” Prof. Philip Eijlander, Rector Magnificus
“This is a compact campus, where students and teachers are always running into each other. That makes for a friendly atmosphere. Sometimes I regret that there’s not more of a link with downtown Tilburg, but the green campus and outdoor workspaces in summer more than make up for that. Having been a student here for five years, I know the campus inside and out. And, fortunately, there’s always something going on. Attracting students will never be an issue; at least, as long as the university can guarantee good facilities. This campus reorganization has put a lot of thought into the area as a whole – which is as it should be! The campus is so much more than a collection of faculty buildings. It’s great that the new education building will have more student workspaces, which is something we’ve wanted for years. Not only will it have new individual workspaces, but also spots for student groups that want to work together. And of course the education building will also be a gathering place for student entrepreneurs. I’ve heard the new building will feature lots of glass. What better advertising than to put your students on display?”
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Working In their original configuration, our office buildings comprised blocks of cellular offices connected by long corridors and many closed doors. One of the factors behind the 45% workspace occupancy rate in 2012 was that the current work environment is no longer up to modern standards. People prefer to stay at home, whereas we’d rather see them on campus. We want to create an office environment that’s inviting for staff.
future Under the Space Allocation Model we began rolling out a standard for workspaces in 2013, as the first step toward a more efficient use of space. In July 2014 this project phase was completed, which among other things freed up the Simon building for renovation. Our strategy is keyed toward more collaboration and transparency, which is also being given physical form in our office buildings. We’re taking a modern approach to working. That means more open-plan structures and workspaces equipped for today’s needs. A workspace is no longer just about a table and chair where you sit all day, but an area that combines concentration, meeting, discussion and movement. This concept is being implemented with each office building that comes up for renovation, thus gradually transforming every building on campus. At the same time, we will be letting go of the idea of ‘personal’ workspaces as much as possible. The new office plan will be worked out in a series of inclusive sessions with the staff and managers of each unit. Work processes will be analyzed in order to develop targeted office environments. Subsequently, staff will receive coaching from their faculty or service unit to train them in these more modern working structures. As well as boosting occupancy, this will create a more dynamic environment adapted to today and ready for tomorrow. The renovation of the Simon building in 2015 is an excellent example of this, of which the short movie by Hans Dieteren on the next page offers a first glimpse.
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See the interview with Hans Dieteren.
Contact
Entrepreneurship Brabant is a province with a reputation for innovation; a knowledge region moving full speed ahead, where entrepreneurship is part of our DNA. Promoting entrepreneurship at the source is also a key factor for our university. Our Business Center sets the standard when it comes to launching new entrepreneurs, offering a breeding ground for young business talent.
future Continuing and building on its success over the last few years, we are giving the Business Center its own high profile location on our new campus. Project 2 will be giving this incubator its own identity and physical entrance to accommodate not only student entrepreneurship, but also offering Seats2meet to attract regional businesses to our knowledge environment.
Hans Dieteren
DIRECTOR, TS SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES “In the labyrinth otherwise known as the Prisma building you’re always running into people wherever you go, all slightly claustrophobically making their way past rooms full of people working, with nary an open space for a spontaneous encounter. Obviously, people at a university need quiet offices where they can work undisturbed. But space for meetings and discussion is no less important, preferably in surroundings that are open and light. Our working culture is changing, and it’s time our buildings change with it. Soon we’ll be working in a brand-new Simon building, its layout modeled on monastery cells and beehives. Far from blindly adopting the concept of the ‘new world of work’, the incentive is, quite simply, necessity: we need closed spaces for concentrated work, open-plan sections with hot desks, and lots of open spaces for casual meetings. Science is about the exchange of ideas, after all: it’s entirely possible that your next research proposal might be sparked by an impromptu meeting in the corridor. Or, better still, that people discover they’ve both been working at the same faculty for fifteen years, but never seen or spoken to each other before. If that happens, my mission has been a success.”
After having spent two or three years at our incubator, we also want to ensure entrepreneurs stay in the city and stay connected with Tilburg. The municipality is therefore planning to roll out initiatives to bind young businesspeople to our city by creating facilities for the post-incubator phase.
See the interview on entrepreurship.
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A knowledge environment that provides incentives for young businesspeople in order to promote the future of Brabant.
Contact
Jerre Maas ECONOMIC PSYCHOLOGY ALUMNUS AND ON-CAMPUS BUSINESS OWNER “The campus has become my home base. It’s very convenient as several of my clients also work here. I’m foursquare behind the campus plans. In fact, to be honest, I’ve been considering finding an office location off-campus for some time now. The current Business Center has almost no visibility or professional image and the way some things are run isn’t ideal. For example, between Christmas and New Year’s I couldn’t even get into my own office: the building was closed. These new plans promise a cultural transformation that I really hope actually comes out. If it does, it will result in more inspiring meeting places, more connections with others and real visibility for entrepreneurs on the campus. All that will also help to attract students who want to start up a business during or after their studies. Which is great! I hope the university really gives these plans 110%, but I won’t be celebrating until the new Business Center has actually opened its doors.”
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Housing In 2013 Tilburg was voted the city with the most potential for students. Calculated per square meter, housing is cheaper here than in any other university town in the Netherlands. The municipality of Tilburg, the housing associations and developers have been working closely together to improve and renew housing facilities for students. Several years ago we opened the Intermezzo student complex on the edge of the campus, offering a location close to the university that has proved particularly popular among our international students. A number of additional large-scale newly built complexes for students opened in downtown Tilburg in 2013, and further developments are in the works.
See the interview with David, a student, Femke Wittebol of TBV Wonen, and Hilde Contact Moolhuijsen of WonenBreburg.
FUTURE New property development is progressing apace and will see a substantial increase in student residential facilities in Tilburg in the years ahead. Both the quality of these complexes and of the facilities in or near the buildings is of a high level, offering dynamic residential communities on campus and in the city center. Instead of developing and investing in student housing itself, the university is working together with market parties and housing associations. We are approaching housing with a dual objective: it should be in the immediate vicinity of our campus and in the center of Tilburg.
David Castano Estévez STUDENT OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND RESIDENT OF TALENTSQUARE “A few months ago I moved into a studio apartment on the 13th floor of TalentSquare in downtown Tilburg. In terms of location, this ‘urban campus’ is a natural extension of the TiU campus. I see definite parallels. Both at TalentSquare and at the university, you want to be able to do your own thing as a student, but always with the option to connect with other people. I think that combination is key. In my studio apartment I can do as I please – I’m completely independent. At the same time, I’m always surrounded by people. There are great places where we can meet up, like the Soul Café – where you’ll find students who are there just to chat or to discuss work and others with their nose in a book in the quiet workspaces... It’s always energizing to host other students at TalentSquare. And when I’ve had enough, I can just show everyone the door – politely, of course!”
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Right: Alongside the modern new student complexes, the old student houses will continue to fulfill their time-honored function.
Left: Living and doing business in the heart of the city center. The new PAX student complex.
Center: The inner courtyard in the center of the student apartments at TalentSquare. Right: The Intermezzo student complex, which is directly connected to the Esplanade leading to the heart of the campus.
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Sustainability
Collaboration
Corporate Social Responsibility is a key priority in our strategic vision. We want this to be visibly reflected in our buildings through the use of sustainable materials and energygenerating measures. Aside from heat and electricity generation, that also includes the use of renewable building and decorating materials. Most lighting is energy-efficient and we are working to improve air quality on the basis of modern, energy-efficient climate control. Investments also have to be realistic: we only want to use techniques that have been proven effective and offer an acceptable return on investment time.
Tilburg University is investing in its campus. As we do so, we also see the potential for strong partnerships that can support us in making these investments. On the one hand, through partnership with the municipality of Tilburg, which is supporting us in the development of our building plans with permits, fire safety assessments and by generating exposure for our campus as a unique selling point of the city of Tilburg. On the other hand, and on a smaller scale, by partnering with our Torenbuurt neighbors, who are contributing ideas for improving the surrounding area. Together, we are tackling issues such as parking pressure and are working to keep our neighborhood clean and safe.
We want buildings to have a timeless character, with flexible interiors that will enable us to make any necessary future modifications without having to renew the basic structure. The popular green area on the south side of the campus around the Cobbenhagen building is being used as a model for the development of the north side, were we envision a park-like area that will form a natural and inviting extension of the Warandebos woods.
Looking across our borders, we’ve seen that foreign universities are strengthening their ties with alumni who want to contribute to the development of their alma mater. Such contributions take the form not only of guest lectures and the provision of internships for students, but also, and increasingly, of tangible expressions of commitment to their campus. Businesses are also invited to take part in our campus renewal, such as by sponsoring one of our classrooms, labs or energy-generating initiatives. Our new Technology Lab is a case in point, and a good example of the type of participation on which we will be focusing our efforts. Ultimately, our aim is to demonstrate our growing interest in collaboration and that we see ourselves as a knowledge institution with a commitment to society.
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Landscape Our campus is characterized by an abundance of green and its proximity to the Warandebos. In the future, the park landscape such as currently surrounds the Cobbenhagen building will be expanded through an extension to the northern campus area. The demolition of the existing campus restaurant will create a continuous green zone opening out from the Esplanade, visibly and physically enhancing the tranquility of this area. A Dutch campus wouldn’t be Dutch without bicycles. To make them a less visible part of the landscape, we are including bike parking facilities in the landscape design and underneath the new buildings. Parking lots for cars will mostly be situated on the edges of the campus in order to reduce the visual clutter of cars in the landscape as much as possible. We also plan to move the Tias parking lot closer to the train station, which will improve the location of this parking lot in terms of access from Tilburg University station. The Warandelaan entrance will also be modified, giving our main entrances a truly distinctive identity. In the current situation, we are still insufficiently recognizable as a campus. Visitors do not even immediately realize when they have entered the Tilburg campus grounds. New, recognizable road signposting will help to rectify this. We are currently in discussion with the municipality of Tilburg regarding the possibility of installing banners along the campus periphery to make it more distinguishable. Anyone approaching the campus by bike, car or public transport will then be able to see they have arrived.
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Heritage and quality, our DNA In its early years, the university made targeted investments in high-quality buildings, both structurally and in terms of architectural design. The Cobbenhagen, Koopmans and Goossens buildings and the Library are all examples of this. Each is multifunctional, but with its own character, distinctive face and strong link with the outside world. The quality of the building materials is high and timeless, as duly recognized not only by the university but also by the historic buildings preservation council. Later developments carried over these same features to the designs of the Montesquieu and Faculty Club buildings. Similarly, the purchase of the Academia building attests to the TiU’s commitment to high quality and a timeless aesthetic. We mean to retain our university’s tangible cultural heritage and to use it as a reference for the development of new buildings. The Faculty Club is an example of one such new development, unmistakably echoing the architecture of our early years, yet at the same time expressing a modern character all its own.
Reinterpretation of characteristic features of our heritage in a modern new building.
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The Esplanade as a central axis of our campus.
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New building projects and design challenge
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The demolition of the Prisma and Warande buildings will open up a development location for two new buildings. The first project will focus on the construction of an education and independent study complex. It will feature two large auditoriums accommodating approximately 600 people for lectures and exams, as well as a range of smaller classrooms equipped for 40 to 80 people, tailored to the modern more intensive small group classroom format. The building also offers ample independent study and group study spaces. The second project spans a new campus restaurant, space for student associations and student groups, entrepreneurship and Seats2meet. This building will be connected to the Campusplein (3) and will therefore be directly linked to the dynamic heart of our campus. The initial design has been prepared in collaboration with and drawing upon the knowledge of the Faculty of the Built Environment at Eindhoven University of Technology. Up-and-coming young architects and urban planners have recast the campus layout, staked out locations for the new buildings and developed an initial design. Examples of these plans are reproduced in this brochure. Their work will be elaborated into a master plan in collaboration with professors in the Architecture and Urban Development Department. Once the basic design principles are in place, we will issue a tender to select architects and construction companies for the project. Our Campus Spatial Quality Committee will advise the Executive Board regarding the design choices. On the pages that follow we offer a first glimpse of the new building plans. Though the design sketches are still rough at this stage, they convey the broad strokes of the plans.
The area slated for development. Volumes project 1 and 2
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Cobbenhagen building Koopmans building Goossens building Restaurant Zwijsen building
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Library Tias building Esplanade building Dante building Simon building
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Montesquieu building Academia building The area slated for development Campusplein
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The building will be set around a central courtyard and feature wide corridors lined with workspaces and classrooms around the periphery.
EDUCATION AND INDEPENDENT STUDY CENTER (PROJECT 1) The two large classrooms can be split up into smaller blocks. The setup is broad rather than deep, meaning students sit closer to the projection screen and lecturer, thereby fostering more interaction. We hope to equip one of the rooms for digital testing.
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The building will have a transparent entrance and courtyard. All general traffic, logistics flows and recreation will be situated on the ground floor. The upper floors will have a closed character to promote concentration. The ground floor will also offer lab spaces for the new Technology Lab. As the sketches for the new buildings show, we have chosen a style very attuned to the existing structures, but still with a character all their own.
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Exam facilities
Working in groups
Discussion and participation
PRELIMINARY LECTURE ROOM DESIGN Different arrangements afford future flexibility. The definitive layout will be determined in coordination with our Schools and education experts.
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FOOD COURT, ENTREPRENEURS, STUDENT ASSOCIATIONS (PROJECT 2)
Impression of the courtyard. A recognizable feature of our current campus.
An elongated building linking the Campusplein with project 1, this will be a beehive of activity all day long, with people studying, organizing, eating, meeting or just relaxing. It will offer outdoor terraces and diverse indoor facilities, including bike storage in the basement and various entrances catering for different functions, though all connected to promote internal interchanges. The preliminary sketch also clearly shows the relationship with the other buildings on campus. Surrounding the building will be a park landscape, serving to amplify the green character of our campus.
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Campusplein
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Our campus naturally fans out from a dynamic heart. At the Esplanade – its aorta – it will be bisected by the future new north-south axis from the main entrance of the Koopmans building to the new education building. In addition to expanding the distinctive park landscape, inviting peace and reflection, we’re creating what will become a cross-roads for visitors at the very heart of the campus. This will be an attractive square complete with a terrace, restaurant, bookstore, espresso bar and an entrance to the Library. Surrounding it will be outdoor student workspaces and lounge areas equipped with charging points for laptops and tablets. This will form the beating heart of our campus, also suited to hosting events and information fairs.
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PLANNING SCHEDULE
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For further information regarding the precise plans for each phase, we recommend keeping up with Strategic Real Estate Vision documents (as part of the Strategic Plan) issued by the University Council. If you would like to learn more or get an update on the progress and find out what the work will mean for your building, get in touch with the Real Estate Management Department at Facility Services. They have a scale model of the new campus and would be happy to explain the plan in further detail. Additional information can also be found on the website.
Detailed planning schedules for the upcoming construction and renovation projects will be incorporated into the Tasks & Means Plan (TMP) each year. At this stage, the planning schedule sketched here is ambitious, but nonetheless anticipated to be realistic. The sequence of the projects is now fixed, and has been determined on the basis of the current quality of the buildings and the logistical movement of occupants needed to undertake the renovation work. Naturally, the planning schedule remains contingent on a number of factors such as the duration of the permit procedures, decision-making processes and the complexity of construction, once underway. However, it does provide an indication of the pace we aim to set in rolling out our property development plan. The timeline below indicates when the various construction activities will start. Project preparation will of course begin far in advance.
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Colophon Editing and text Facility Services, Real Estate Management, P. J. Hoeijmans Printing PrismaPrint Photography Tilburg University, Dolf Cantrijn, Wonen Breburg, TBV Design Beelenkamp Ontwerpers Sketches by students in the Master’s program in Architecture at Eindhoven University of Technology are reproduced on: • page 30 Katharina Sopp • page 31 Bob van den Hoven • page 34 Merel Brabers • page 35 Thijs Frijters • page 36-37 Frank Hindriks & Jos de Jong Twitter.com/TilburgU_REM