Who are our board members? What do they focus on, and what drives them in their work? These are all questions that are answered in our online video series Boardwalk. Every quarter, we visit a special place on campus with a board member and speak to them about one of their core themes. In the third episode, Vice President Patrick Groothuis tells us more about the future of our campus.
Two new buildings will be built on the TU/e campus over the coming years. A cleanroom and a new laboratory building. They're adding quite a bit of extra space: a total of 5,000 m² for labs, 3,000 m² for offices, and 1,500 m² for educational facilities.
These additional square meters are urgently needed to provide the growing number of students and researchers with proper facilities. The university is investing around 200 million euros in the new cleanroom and lab building. "This will make the university fit for the future again," says Patrick Groothuis , Vice President of the Executive Board, who oversees campus development and finances.
Growth in semiconductors
Our university is located at the heart of the rapidly growing Brainport region. We're growing along with it, as there is a significant demand for more engineers.
The number of students is expected to increase from approximately 13,000 to 15,000 by 2030. Naturally, they'll need a place to study and work. Growth is particularly strong in the semiconductor sector, so the new buildings will primarily be designed for students and researchers in this field.
New buildings
The new cleanroom will be built on Parking Lot 6, next to Flux. The new lab building will be located on the grass area across the road, near the Traverse building. The buildings will be connected to each other and the rest of the campus via walkways (see illustration).
"The lab building will include office and research spaces and educational facilities. Plus, something we've long wished for: a large lecture hall for 600 students," says Groothuis. The Departments of Applied Physics and Science Education, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering will primarily use the new lab building starting in 2029.
New cleanroom
Groothuis continues: "The current cleanroom is outdated and too small, which is why it was decided to construct a new building, which will be one and a half times bigger than the current building."
The brand new nanolab building including 1,200 m2 of lab space will soon be built at parking area P6, which is next to the Flux buillding. Groothuis: "The new facilities will be made available to our researchers, new students, and start-ups. It will increase their capacity in terms of new and innovative research in the field of semicon." The new cleanroom should be completed sometime in 2028.
Budget cuts
But how does this substantial investment reconcile with the cutbacks ( Multi-Annual Budget ) that TU/e is also facing? "The cost-cutting measures have partly been implemented to allow us to continue investing in our growth." Groothuis emphasizes that the departments do not have to make extra sacrifices to make these new buildings possible. Funds had already been set aside for campus development. Additionally, part of the extra funds from Project Beethoven (€90 million) will be used.
Gemini North
In the meantime, an extensive renovation of Gemini North (low-rise) is almost complete. This will lead to the provision of 13,000 m2 of work space, and act as the home for the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The building has been made more sustainable because it no longer uses gas as a source of power for the building. "The only gas that is still used in the building is by the researchers," says Groothuis.
After the summer of 2025, Gemini North will be ready to house the Department of Mechanical Engineering again. Thereafter, the builders will start with the renovation of Gemini South (high-rise).
During this renovation, which will last until 2027, the Department of Biomedical Engineering will move to the Fontys TF building, which is located across the ring road near the TU/e Student Sports Center.
So, with all of these construction plans on the future agenda for the campus, you can expect to see one or two construction cranes dotted around the TU/e campus for a while to come.
