Research Building

About the New Research Building

• Labs

  What would Research Building VU be without a range of modern and well-equipped laboratories? With this in mind, VU Amsterdam signed a contract on 31 March 2021 with POTTEAU Labo. POTTEAU won a tender with a strong emphasis on sustainability, safety and innovation.
  
  The Research Building will house the full range of laboratories that are currently housed in the Maths and Physics Building. The building offers a low vibration environment to ensure that the university’s laser labs will experience a minimum of external vibration. This is key to making high-precision measurements. The temperature in the new building can also be kept stable throughout the year, another factor which makes measurement more accurate.
  
  Approximately 500 people will work in the VU Research Building. The new building consists of two structures, a front section and a rear section, the latter being virtually vibration-free. The building as a whole will accommodate a wide range of functions and research facilities. These will include:

  • Radioactive materials labs
    This is an environment where earth scientists mark materials with radioactive substances for imaging purposes. Neuroscientists, for example, carry out research into how our brains function with the aim of detecting Alzheimer’s disease in its earlier stages. The Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR) will also be moving into the new building in a few years’ time.
  • The cleanroom
    This lab will be constructed in such a way that no fine dust can enter. This is especially important for metal particles, which can affect the precision of measurements being made. No metal will be used in the construction of the lab, even down to the screws in the furniture, which will be made of plastic. This environment will even enable scientists to dissolve stones and accurately determine their age and origin by examining the particles present.
  • Isotope lab
    In this lab, earth scientists use sensitive equipment to measure isotopes. Isotopes are in everything you eat and build up in your body over the years. It enables researchers to pinpoint the origin and age of stones, animals, remains and even the pigments used in artworks from the collections of leading museums (e.g. Girl with the Pearl Earring).
  • Laser labs
    The VU Research Building will house no fewer than 65 laser set-ups. Some are intended for research in the field of medicine, while others are dedicated to discovering ways to produce energy sustainably and efficiently. For instance, scientists are trying to observe and ultimately reproduce the way algae convert sunlight, with a view to generating a highly efficient and sustainable form of energy. To reduce vibrations even further, the research teams will bring their air-suspension tables from the old labs with them, each weighing a couple of hundred kilos. The structure of the building itself has also been optimized to prevent vibration.
  • Workshop
    A workshop has been established to support the research, where technicians design and make research set-ups or components. This facility even designs and produces cutting-edge electrical engineering technology.
  • Gas scrubber
    The gas scrubber enables earth scientists working in the building to rid the air of the powerful acids they use in their research. Some of their studies involve dissolving stones in acid, with the aim of identifying the elements that they contain. The resulting fumes make the air in the lab too acidic to be released into the environment and so it has to be purified using a scrubber. The laboratory where the gas scrubber is being installed is completely metal-free; everything it contains is made of plastic. This is a requirement for the type of research that takes place there. Unlike metal, plastic does not rust or erode when it comes into contact with acid in the air.

• Facts

  The opening of the new research building is planned for 2024. Together with the 0|2 Lab building and the New University building, this research building is the replacement for the outdated W&N building, which will be partly demolished in the near future. The building will be situated next to the O|2 Lab building on De Boelelaan.

  Read more in the Factsheet (in Dutch).

• Sustainable development

  Besides a permanent investment in education and research, VU Amsterdam wants to put its sustainable ambitions into practice in this construction project. With the design of this building, VU Amsterdam aspires to reach the level Excellent of the BREEAM certificate. Sustainable measures have been adopted from the start of the design process. There will be an underground thermal energy storage. The roof will be equipped with solar panels. Furthermore, there will be energy-efficient elevators, led lights, and water-saving sanitary facilities.

• More information

  For more information and questions about construction (in Dutch): wijbouwen.nu/onderzoeksgebouw-vu.

  For more information on the project you can visit the Zuidas website. 

  See the opening hours of all VU buildings.