Design for new university facility follows ‘practice what you teach’ principle

Developer Kadans Science Partner has signed the cooperation agreement for ‘The Bridge’, a sustainable laboratory building at Utrecht University designed by Tenderstream member cepezed, alongside BAM and Arcadis. The design follows a ‘practice what you teach’ principle adopted by the university, with an existing building and its materials set to undergo adaptation to accommodate the new facility, which will host companies and institutions within the sustainability sector. 

In the design for The Bridge, cepezed's knowledge of circular construction and the flexibility that Kadans stands for as a developer have come together. "We understand the complexity of redeveloping existing buildings and are determined to meet this challenge with innovative and sustainable solutions and thus contribute to a future-proof campus," says Johan van Gerven, director of development at Kadans Science Partner.

For the transformation, a former university earth sciences building in Utrecht Science Park was stripped down to its concrete shell. Reusing the shell will save more than 1.4 million kilos of CO2 emissions compared to new construction. Cepezed’s design extends the existing two-storey structure to a total of five floors, while adding a passageway and boardwalk. Thirty percent of floor surface is intended for offices, with the rest reserved for low-vibration and daylight-free specialist laboratories with growth chambers and aquariums. An open ground floor is designed to promote interaction and cooperation between the building’s occupants. 

The Bridge will function first as temporary accommodation for two university institutes and part of a biomolecular research centre. This year, work will start on adapting the former earth science building and creating the two new floors. Margot van der Starre, vice-president of Utrecht University, states: "With The Bridge, we are taking a concrete step towards our ambition to realize a sustainable and circular campus. By reusing existing materials and building innovatively, we show that we don't just talk about sustainability, but actually put it into practice.”

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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