Area plan USP - East

In the coming years the Utrecht Science Park (USP) will be further developed into a lively area where meeting, sharing knowledge and interdisciplinary collaboration are central. In addition to working, studying and researching, the area will offer space for living and recreation. Due to the size of the USP and the complexity of the task, the USP is divided into five subareas: North, Northwest cluster, Centre, South and East.

Development of East region

In the USP East region, the UU is building sustainable and future-proof accommodation for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. A new and sustainable faculty building for education, research and staff will be built. Staff and students will meet each other in this building. It will be a pleasant place to work and study together. A place where Veterinary Medicine can fulfil its ambitions for the future. There will also be a new research and educational facility for farm animals at De Tolakker. The new faculty building will replace the Androclus building, Nieuw Gildestein and the M.G. de Bruin building. The new building will be at the location of the M.G. de Bruin building and the car park. This will create a connected whole with De Tolakker and the veterinary clinics. In addition, the new faculty building will be well connected to the centre boulevard and the tram stop will be linked to the new faculty building by an attractive and safe walking route. 

On the location of the Androclus building and Nieuw Gildenstein, a whole new residential and working area is being created. There will be space here for student accommodation and workplaces. To the north of the USP lies the UMC Utrecht, which is in the process of moving its main entrance to the north side and bringing its research and teaching activities to the south side, directly adjacent to the East region. These developments will make it possible to further strengthen the Life Sciences and Health cluster in the USP and to reinforce the cooperation between Veterinary Medicine and UMC Utrecht. 

Area plan in the making

In order to facilitate the ambitions and developments, in the spring of 2022 UU will draw up an area plan for the East region of the USP. This will be followed by a parcel plan for the new building for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. These plans are necessary to establish in more concrete terms how this subarea will develop and what is possible and allowed. This is essential for the further development of the new faculty building.

What is an area plan?

An area plan lays down the framework for the various components in the area. For example, traffic, catering, education, student accommodation, businesses and green areas. This plan also determines where and how much living, working and educational space will be added to the area. In addition, starting points and preconditions are formulated for the spatial elaboration. These are necessary to be able to elaborate the desired developments for the area, such as mobility, the mix of functions in buildings, climate adaptation, biodiversity and quality of stay. The area plan thus provides the framework with which a design for the public space can actually be made in the plot plans.

What does the area plan for East region cover?

The area plan concerns the spatial 'loading' of the area with living, working, research and educational functions and recreation. The 'Urban Vision Utrecht Science Park Centre and East' forms the spatial framework for its elaboration. The urban development framework focuses on the Eastern region and is elaborated in four themes: qualitative experience, public space, buildings/programme and mobility/logistics. Greenery and water are an integral part of the area plan. A design vision for the surrounding meadow landscape is part of this area plan. 

What is a parcel plan for the new building for Veterinary Medicine?

Within the area plan, the space around the new faculty building for Veterinary Medicine will be zoomed in. For this purpose, a parcel plan will be set up. An important theme is the 'connection' of the faculty with the rest of the university campus. Veterinary Medicine is the only institution in the Netherlands that educates students to become veterinarians. In addition, as a faculty we do high quality research and have a unique veterinary perspective on Life Sciences issues. Our unique nature leads to a package of very specific criteria and requirements for the new building and for the logistics and transport of people and animals in the adjacent area. This package is included in the development of the parcel plan.

Stakeholders and planning

The plans will be drawn up by PosadMaxwan consultancy commissioned by UU. They will be assisted by a team of experts on biodiversity, mobility and landscape design from the UU and external experts. During the development of the plans, close cooperation is maintained with stakeholders, including the municipality of Utrecht, the province of Utrecht, the USP Foundation and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, in order to carefully align mutual interests. The design process started in the spring of 2022. The planning is to have both plans ready in July 2022.

From rough to fine

What are the preconditions and frameworks?

In 2020-2021 the UU, together with the municipality of Utrecht, the Utrecht University Medical Centre (UMCU) and the Utrecht Science Park Foundation and with the involvement of many other stakeholders and interested parties, drew up an environmental vision for the USP. This plan contains the ambitions and objectives for the area for various themes up to and including 2040. Subsequently, the UU analysed its real estate portfolio and drew up an Urban Vision for the Utrecht Science Park Centre and East. This also formulated the urban development frameworks for further development.

Want to know more?

Do you have a question or want to know more about the plans? Then send an email to communicatievc@uu.nl..