Vibrant heart
Campusplein is the vibrant heart of the university campus. It will have an urban, green feel that invites staff, students and visitors alike to come together and interact in a relaxing setting. An outdoor home-from-home where you can work or meet on one of the terraces or benches while enjoying a coffee from Doppio, The Basket or the SPAR supermarket and in the near future from The Living. On the VU campus, you will find restaurants, cafés and a sports centre, in addition to cultural venues Griffioen and Rialto cinema.
An interactive and sustainable campus
Mutual interaction is a key concept in the development of the campus. The VU campus facilitates organised and spontaneous encounters between staff, students and visitors. We also aim to make the campus as sustainable as possible. Through redevelopment, our ambition is to create between 20% and 30% more green space on Campusplein, to be achieved by planting more grass and trees. The redesigned square will also offer a new home to trees already growing elsewhere on campus.
Biodiversity on campus
A greener central square and the installation of effective water management systems is a response to urban warming (hotter summers) and a way to create a pleasant microclimate. Replacing concrete structures with more vegetation will make the square a more welcoming place to linger.
This greener space – including grass, perennials and a variety of trees – will not only promote health and wellbeing, but also encourage biodiversity and provide water storage in the event of heavy rainfall. The various green roofs on campus also form part of this system. Both the Main Building and the New University Building have a green-blue roof, and the same will soon be true of the Research Building, currently under construction. The Main Building also has a popular rooftop garden. The green roof on the New University Building is in full bloom during summer, attracting a host of insects and birds. Species recently spotted include the green furrow bee, the common redstart, clovers, rattles, poppies, and several species of bumblebees and butterflies.
A welcoming, low-traffic zone
The campus will remain a low-traffic zone thanks to clearly designated logistical processes and walking routes, aimed at keeping motor vehicles off the square as much as possible. Underground parking facilities are being developed for cars and bicycles. The resulting garage offers room for approximately 600 cars and 1,600 bikes.