Utrecht University to invest in facilities of the future

Changes in education and research place new demands on Utrecht University’s real estate. The university is also looking to curb operating costs and at the same time ensure its operations are more sustainable and reflect its leading role in sustainability research. Utrecht University therefore plans to invest over 800 million euros in building and rebuilding over the next ten years. This calls for radical decisions. The property portfolio will be smaller, more modern and concentrated in the city centre and at Utrecht Science Park. In the long term, the International Campus Utrecht, currently located on the grounds of the former Kromhout Barracks, will be divested. The ecological footprint of the buildings will be reduced by 65% and operating costs will fall. These savings will benefit the primary task of the university: education and research. 

'We are facing a huge challenge', says Executive Board President Anton Pijpers, 'because education and research are changing. There are ever more possibilities for digital education, and research and education are increasingly interdisciplinary. We need flexible accommodation that facilitates these developments and encourages community building. In addition, we must improve our sustainability. We currently use many historical properties that are much in need of improvement in terms of sustainability, as well as outdated buildings from the 1970s that have reached the end of their service life.'

"Doing nothing is not an option"

A framework for a strategic real estate plan was established in close consultation with employee and student representation and the Supervisory Board in 2017. This states that Utrecht University is to spend a maximum of 15% of its budget on its estate (including operating costs). Indeed, universities are nationally required to spend their money on education and research, not on bricks and mortar. Pijpers: 'Doing nothing is not an option. We do not want our estate costs to rise so high that we have to cut spending on education and research. Therefore, we must use the space we have more efficiently. We intend to have fewer square metres, and put them into a more efficient use, for example sharing workspaces. There is room for flexibility, as we are currently not using our square metres optimally.'

Important choices

The implications of such measures were critically calculated during recent months. While staff, students and other stakeholders will be closely involved in the implementation of the plans in concrete projects, to be executed over the next ten years, the outlines have been defined and several important decisions have already been made. Examples are the refurbishment of the Kruyt Building rather than a new building, and the divestment, in the long term, of the grounds of the former Kromhout Barracks, which currently house amongst others University College Utrecht,  the Utrecht University School of Economics and the Bachelor Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Pijpers: 'In order to keep these monumental, inflexible buildings running and to cover the annual costs, we would need investments that are disproportionate to the numbers of students and staff.' New sites for the University College and the other users are being sought in consultation with stakeholders, and should be ready for use by the end of 2024.

Profile in the city to be maintained

The university will remain in the city centre. Pijpers: 'The link with Utrecht is important to the university. It is our intention, eventually, to bring the sites in the city centre closer together, so as to have our locations less scattered than they are now. Despite the fact that land in the city centre is 25% more expensive than in Utrecht Science Park, we want to maintain our profile in the city. These plans ensure that we will do so while also investing in facilities for the future.'