The long-anticipated move of the Faculty of Law into one central building is nearly complete. UKrant went on a tour of the new Röling building.
Family photos, abstract paintings and many, many plants have already been brought in to personalise the glass cubicles in the Röling building. The garden is still just muddy terrain and the state-of-the-art LED screens have yet to be fixed to the walls, but the new domain of the Faculty of Law is ‘98 percent finished’, says dean Wilbert Kolkman.
Space issue
The Röling building welcomes its staff and students just in time for the start of the new academic year. The main motivation for this move, next to merging multiple scattered buildings, was to solve the space issue the faculty was dealing with.
Now, with the budget stretched to its maximum, there is just enough space in the former public library in the Oude Boteringestraat to fit all of the faculty’s staff as well as their books. ‘Some staff members were anxious that there wouldn’t be enough bookshelves for their books, but fortunately, we were able accommodate all their needs’, Kolkman says jokingly.
Shared offices
Since not every employee is in the office all week, offices are shared and employees are matched with other members of staff who have opposite office days. Via this system, Kolkman explains, even shared offices are mostly occupied by one person at a time.
What Kolkman is most thrilled about? ‘The fantastic views!’ Those lucky enough to work in one of the corner offices on the newly added top floor have a panoramic view of Groningen, stretching from the central station to the Sint-Jozef church and the towering buildings of the UMCG.
VIDEO BY RIANNE AALBERS