Shelter on Schiermonnikoog will also shut down
Linnaeusborg to close for several days
Door Christien Boomsma
By Christien Boomsma
The ventilation system at the Linnaeusborg needs an extensive overhaul since the molecular building team belonging to research centre CBBC will be moving in. When the building was constructed ten years ago, the ventilation system was already being run at maximum capacity.
Now that the building needs chemistry labs, the capacity needs to be extended. The entire operation will cost seven million euros.
While the bigger air ventilation system is being installed on the building’s top floor, the current system will have to be shut down. ‘People aren’t allowed to work in the building without ventilation’, says Andrys Weitenberg, housing manager with the Faculty of Science and Engineering. ‘It’s a safety issue; without ventilation, no one is allowed to be in Linnaeusborg.’
He’s trying to keep the inconvenience for students and scientific staff to a minimum, for instance by scheduling the shutdown around the holidays. But closing down during the Christmas vacation will not be possible, says Weitenberg.
Herdershut is worn out
Biologists also have to do without De Herdershut on the island of Schiermonnikoog for an entire season. De Herdershut (Shepherd’s Hut) is a facility where students and researchers can stay when they’re doing field work on the island. The building, which currently has a capacity of 38, will be torn down and a new building will be erected in its place. ‘The whole building is in bad shape. It’s just worn out’, says Weitenberg.
It won’t be possible to build the new facility during the winter, which is when De Herdershut isn’t being used. ‘That was a disappointment’, says Weitenberg.
He’s looking for a solution. When the existing Herdershut will be torn down hasn’t been decided yet.
The Faculty of Science and Engineering is bursting at the seams due to the growing number of students and researchers. How can we solve the complicated puzzle this creates? UKrant will publish a magazine article on the issue on Wednesday.