The next VU Amsterdam new-build project has begun. The first sheet piling for the construction of the new lab building broke ground this week. Even well before construction began, it became known that the building was going to be a lot more expensive than initially budgeted.
The new VU Research Building will facilitate scientific-medical research.A significant number of departments now housed in the Mathematics and Physics Building, such as Neurosciences, Physics and Earth Sciences will move to the new addition on campus. The central animal facility, the Laser Lab and the electron microscopes will also be relocating. Construction is scheduled for completion in mid-2023.
Last year, estimates showed that the building would cost 43 million euros more than originally budgeted, adding up to a grand total of 183 million euros. The contractors who signed up for the public procurement project had projected construction costs much higher than estimated by VU Amsterdam. According to board member Marcel Nollen, the overheated construction market is to blame: workers and materials cost more.
Inadequate facilities
Although the participation councils wondered how the estimate could have been that much lower and made it clear that they do not want to be faced with a surprise like this again, they agreed to the higher budget. After all, the alternative is even less appealing: use the Mathematics and Physics Building for even longer, resulting in higher fees for maintenance and renovation while students and scientists are forced to continue using faulty facilities.
VU Amsterdam will be paying the extra costs out of pocket. In recent years the university had a considerable positive annual balance and more students enrolled than expected, which also yielded more income. According to Nollen these funds are enough to supplement the deficit in the new-build budget.