Review residents meeting new HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht building
A new building will soon be constructed for HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht on the corner of Heidelberglaan, Bolognalaan and Cambridgelaan, where the parking lot is currently located. On Tuesday 8 March, a meeting will be held to inform residents of the nearby SSH student complexes Johanna and De Bisschoppen about the new sustainable building.
HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (HU) aims to bring together all its Utrecht-based programmes at Utrecht Science Park De Uithof. There will be less floor space but more room for making connections and fostering collaboration, both for education and research at HU and for our partners at USP. The relocation programme includes the construction of a new building and renovation of several existing buildings. The new building is the relocation programme’s final project and construction will soon commence. HU and building consortium Spark, contractor of the new building held an information session for residents on 8 March.
A letter was sent to inform all residents of SSH student complexes Johanna and De Bisschoppen of the meeting. Eleven students signed up, and seven attended the meeting. Simone van den Brink, new building project leader at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, explained the background to the HU relocation programme and Marieke Duineveld, area manager at SPARK, provided information about the construction process. The group of residents was interested and involved in what the speakers had to say and they asked relevant questions.
Location of the new building
Sustainability first
The future users of the new building include the HU Institute for IT and the institutes of the faculties of Economics and Management en Communication and Journalism. They were actively involved in the design process. The lessons learned from the relocation to Daltonpark, Heidelberglaan 7 and Bolognalaan 101 have also been taken into account.
Sustainability is most important in the construction of the new building, explains Marieke Duineveld. Air from classrooms and lecture halls is partially ventilated to the Atrium, which has a natural funnel effect due to its height: warm air is sent to the atrium roof and then reused. The roof, the floor and the façade will be very well insulated. Vegetation will be planted on some of the roofs, which will contribute to the USP’s biodiversity. 436 metres of solar cells will be placed on another part of the roof. Low-energy lifts will be installed in the building and water-saving measures will be taken.
Measures to prevent inconvenience or disruption
Construction work can cause inconvenience and noise disruption. Ms Duineveld explained that SPARK is doing everything in its power to limit inconvenience and noise as much as possible. Screw piles will be used instead of driven piles and concrete will mainly be poured during the day. Noise nuisance will be monitored: if necessary, additional measures will be taken. Traffic will be rerouted during construction. You will be able to get to the De Bisschoppen student complex via Cambridgelaan.
Tree cutting Saturday 12 March
As indicated, preparations for the cutting of the trees on the parking lot will start on Saturday 12 March. The parking lot will not be accessible from 20:00 on Friday 11 March until 18:00 on Saturday 12 March. During this time you will be able to use P+R De Uithof or the parking garage at Cambridgelaan. After the cutting, tree trunks at a height of around 1 metre will remain. Residents of the area will be inconvenienced by the sound of the sawing machines, the shredder and the vehicles. They have been informed of this fact by letter. The parking lot will be in use until May, at which time the construction site will be taken into use.
Questions
The following questions were asked:
What will the working hours be? In general, activities will take place between 07:00 and 19:00, but it’s possible that different working hours will apply for certain types of work. Residents will be informed of this by digital newsletter (to sign up see below).
Are there any measures that could be taken to prevent noise nuisance caused by construction workers or idling engines before 07:00? To deliver materials, vehicles often have to arrive before 07:00. The engines of concrete trucks will indeed have to remain idle. Agreements will be made with the other carriers and builders.
Will examination periods be taken into account in planning the work? SPARK is aware of the education blocks and schedules at the university and HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. In practice it turns out that avoiding nuisance during these times is difficult, because everyone starts preparing for examinations at a different time. We will notify everyone ahead of schedule so you can take your own measures to deal with the situation.
More information
The people present at the meeting will receive regular updates through the notice boards at De Bisschoppen and Johanna. The next information meeting will take place in mid-June. There will also be regular consultations with the SSH and a team of residents. Alexander Gerges, a resident of Johanna, and Rik Verheijden who lives in De Bisschoppen, have signed up for this team. We will also send out a digital newsletter to keep you up-to-date of the schedule and work and the inconvenience to be expected: you can sign up to receive this newsletter by sending an email to NieuwbouwHU@strukton.com. The HUontwikkelt.nl/campusontwikkeling website is also available for anyone who wants more information on the construction plans. You can also follow us on www.facebook.com/HUontwikkelt. Any questions? Mail them to Huisvestinginfo@hu.nl.
Simone van den Brink, new building project manager at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, explained the background to the HU relocation programme.
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