The development of the new Hogekamp Square is well under way. As scheduled, it should be largely completed by the end of this year, depending on the weather circumstances. In the meantime, a lot of activities are already accomplished. The parking area behind the Hogekamp is ready and has a direct connection to the paved area around the Hogekamp building. The gardens around the hotel and the parking areas are landscaped and the terrace of the U Parkhotel and Campus 053 (Camelot student housing) is realised. The paving around the High Tech Factory is currently being laid, and the retaining wall around the pond is being replaced.
The renovation of Hogekamp Tower was completed in early July. Once the site huts placed by Van Wijnen are removed, the area can be used to store building materials for the square project. The supplier of the tribune stairs has been selected (Geurs Beton). On the HTF side the tribune stairs will be placed in August and September, and the stairs in front of Drienerburght will be placed in September and October. The sky-blue Triflex coating will be applied once the concrete is dry enough. The asphalt on the square will be laid from October onwards, weather permitting. The link between the square and the boulevard will be constructed between November 2019 and January 2020.
The total cost of the square project will exceed the original budget about €300,000, which amounts to approximately eight percent of the total budget. The main reason for this overspend is the accelerated rise in building costs due to the development of a larger square than previously envisaged, combined with the creation of the parking area behind the Hogekamp. In addition, around €700,000 has been spent on necessary additional construction activities, not directly related to the development of the square itself. For example, the construction of underground infrastructure, facilities to improve accessibility to and mitigate nuisance at the High Tech Factory, clean-up operations at the Hogekamp building and the creation of a suitable plinth course to connect the building seamlessly with the paved areas around it. Therefore, the Executive Board has approved this additional expenditure since it considers a high-quality square to be of great importance for the U Parkhotel, for Camelot’s student housing, for the HTF and for the appearance of the campus as a whole. Moreover, it accords with the frameworks and principles set out in the Long-Term Housing Strategy (LTSH). All the extra outlay can be met within the LTSH budget, and is matching the financial frameworks.
More information: https://www.utwente.nl/en/ltsh/
Questions about housing projects on campus? The contact person for this topic is Bertyl Lankhaar, spokesperson of the Executive Board, tel. +31 53 489 2210.
