Friday 26 November sees the official opening of the new Ravelijn building at the University of Twente. The new home of the university's Faculty of Management and Governance will be opened by Theo Rietkerk, a member of the Provincial Executive for Overijssel, during a spectacular opening ceremony to be held at 16.30. The ceremony will follow the Dies Natalis celebrations.
Ravelijn is centrally located on the recently opened Education & Research Plaza at the University of Twente. This unique location makes it an ideal meeting place for staff and students. The architecture of the building is open in design, featuring glass doors, accessible coffee areas, a spacious and open study landscape and multifunctional teaching, project and meeting rooms. The open design promotes natural communication between the university's students and staff.
Various housing studies had shown that the old fire-damaged building was no longer able to adequately serve its purpose. It was therefore decided to demolish the building and create space for a new one. In 2008, demolition was delayed because the building was inhabited by a protected species of bats. The creation of two small bat hotels nearby, however, meant that the demolition work could proceed and in the summer of 2010, this modern, bat-friendly educational facility was completed.
Educational facilities
The new building houses a range of high-tech teaching and research facilities for the Faculty of Management and Governance. The lecture theatres are all equipped with Smartboards and advanced IT facilities. Furthermore, to enhance the learning experience for the faculty's undergraduate and post-graduate students, four of the theatres, seating approximately seventy people, have been designed to follow the layout of the Lower Houses of government. The faculty of Management and Governance numbers a total of 2.225 students and 360 staff.
Design
The new home for the Faculty of Management and Governance was designed by the architecture firm MAS architectuur with Vastgoed groep Drienerlo responsible for the project management. The architecture firm has adopted a highly flexible and generic building design, which allows the office space to be increased or reduced according to need. The Ravelijn building is divided into sections with the offices located in the outside blocks and the various project areas located in the central section with corridors on either side. At various points throughout the central section, open areas have been created next to a pantry to serve as a meeting place for students and staff.
Technical details
The total surface area is 13,500m2 and is made up of two office wings, each with five floors encircling a block of lecture theatres supported in an atrium. The building work was carried out by the construction company Koopmans/Van Dijk, and the installation work by Croon and Wolter&Dros.
Further details
To find out more, please visit: http://www.utwente.nl/vastgoed/lopende_projecten/ravelijn/ Faculty of Management and Governance, or contact Martine van Hillegersberg on +31-(0)53-4892410, or Janneke van den Elshout on +31-(0)53-4895432.
