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Campus development

We are renewing the VU Campus. This is necessary to ensure modern education and research facilities - now and in the future. In the past years, neccesary changes have already been made at VU Campus and Amsterdam UMC. These developments will continue to take place in the future as well. Furthermore, the campus will become greener.

The university owes it primary right to life to education and research. This requires buildings where students can attend lectures and staff can present them, where they can carry out research, and where they can support students with their studies. On this page we will keep you up-to-date on the campus developments.

A lively campus

The campus is becoming an even more lively spot within Zuidas, a top location in Amsterdam. An inspiring place where education, research, patient care and business intersect and empower one another. To this end, new research and healthcare facilities, education spaces and an appealing, green outdoor space is being realised. 

The synergy between university and academic hospital creates a unique environment that is attractive for knowledge-intensive (market) parties to become part of. Where are we now? In 2023 we are working intensively on the campus. New buildings have been realised in the past years, including the O|2 Lab building, the Imaging Center and the New University building with theatre and cinema. Soon, the New Research building VU will also be commissioned. Furthermore, several of the existing buildings have been renewed; building that no longer meet the demands of the current time and are expensive when it comes to maintenance and energy-sufficiency. Flexibility, sustainability and cost-awareness are important parameters of campus development. The coming years we will continue to renew and modernise our campus. 

Making campus square greener (2023 - 2024)

Starting in the new academic year (September 2023) until the fall of 2024, each section of the campus square will be transformed in a phased approach, ultimately resulting in a metamorphosis into a green city park. At the end of 2024, the campus will be one of the largest green locations at Zuidas. By making the campus square greener and implementing water maintenance systems, we are anticipating the hot summers and creating a pleasant local micro-climate with a higher biodiversity. With less stones and more greenery, it will become a pleasant spot to spend time in. Read more on the phased redevelopment of the campus square. 

Hospitable and safe campus

Naturally, the VU Campus should also be hospitable, safe and comfortable for students and staff. New education and work styles are being shaped by the renewed interior of the buildings, both now and in the future. With the extension of the sports and cultural programme, the campus is increasingly becoming a part of the city.

Besides the realisation of the new buildings, all existing buildings are being renovated where necessary. On the page Route description, you can find the current redirects and route descriptions.

VU Campus as a part of Amsterdam

VU Amsterdam, as an organic part of Amsterdam, is an international community that partners with other centers of knowledge, and cooperates with social organizations as well as the corporate community. The VU Campus has all the requisite facilities for education and research and offers modern laboratory facilities (e.g., ML-I/II/III Labs and a Human Performance Lab with climate controlled rooms). 

You can also visit the theatre or go to a film. The possibility of starting a new company on the campus is facilitated by the Amsterdam Venture Studios, enabling one to use the knowledge, coaching, and network of researchers and the IXA. Or join the VU StartHub on campus; a pavilion for (student) entrepreneurship, impact and innovation.

Campus development

  • Campusplein

    Campusplein is going green

    Mature trees have been planted along the entrance to the campus (Van der Boechorststraat campus entrance), giving a boost to the university’s greenery and sustainability. The refurbishment of the Campusplein entrance is nearly complete. This is the only campus entrance also accessible by car. The goal is to carefully structure traffic flows and to create a safe situation for all. This marks the start of the redevelopment and greening of Campusplein. Underground cables and pipes were also replaced during the refurbishment.

    Campusplein will be given a green atmosphere and it will become the heart of the university. The area will be an inviting place to meet, relax, study and work. It will be a safe and sociable place, an outdoor living area where you can sit and work on a terrace or bench, have a meeting or just relax. And even after you have finished your work, there will be plenty to see and do: performances, film screenings, and sports activities in the square. 

    Campusplein will be completely pedestrianized. There will be no more cars parked at ground level, and some of the parking places for bicycles and scooters will also be removed. More shops and restaurants will be built around the Campusplein area. All this will give it the vibrancy of a small town. Read more.

  • Campus of the future

    VU Amsterdam and VUmc campus will double in size, bringing it literally and figuratively in contact with the Zuidas district. The campus of the future is a car-free urban environment with green roofs, inviting squares, underground car and bicycle parks and open buildings. Indoors you can see what’s going on outdoors, and the outdoor spaces encourage interaction. Sustainability is reflected in flexible buildings, Trias Energetica and the quality of urban planning, architecture and infrastructure.

    Studio Hartzema is the university’s urban development consultant for the transformation of the city campus. VU Amsterdam has developed a master plan as a framework for the further development of the area, buildings and outdoor space.

    The new campus will function as part of a future-proof whole thanks to the integrated development of the Knowledge District and Zuidas, together with partners and the City of Amsterdam.

    The new VU Amsterdam campus has everything to remain internationally competitive in the fields of education, research and business. Student apartments, hotels and restaurants, and a wide variety of recreational options bring the entire area to life. In short, the new campus is a focal point in Amsterdam’s Zuidas district where everything comes together in a welcoming, inspiring and ambitious city of knowledge.

  • New Research building

    The VU Research building will be a 27,000 m2 bèta medical lab building and is the next step in the renewal of beta housing and research infrastructure. The building will accommodate a wide range of facilities and functions needed for education and research within the Human Health & Life Sciences theme and the departments Physics, Neurosciences, and Earth Sciences.

  • Demolition W&N building and dismantling of the cyclotron

    The first visible preparations for the demolition of the W&N building will be taking place on campus mid-2024. The phased approach is expected to take place between mid-2024 and 2028. In 2028, the lot where W&N is located will be delivered to the municipality ready for construction. This will eventually become the new location of the football fields of sc Buitenveldert.

    Dismantling of cyclotron

    Part of the demolition is the dismantling of the cyclotron. Cyclotrons are necessary for the international production of medical isotopes, which are used in the fight against cancer. VU Amsterdam houses four cyclotrons in W&N, three of which will be sold and reused and one (Philips cyclotron) will be removed. The production of three of the four cyclotrons has already been taken over by the Imaging Center Amsterdam UMC. The only section that is not yet fully operational, is the connecting part tot he labs where the isotopes are prepared for commercial use (particularly for the diagnosis of cancer). After this is also fully operational, the final dismantling can start.

    Read more