New VU building Initium ready at the start of 2011

Initium, the new VU building in Buitenveldertselaan, will be ready for use at the start of 2011.

Completion will be later than originally planned because the procedures for obtaining permits took more time than expected. Considerable time was needed to obtain the municipal planning committee’s agreement on the appearance of the building. Requesting permission to fell some of the trees also cost extra time. During the coming year, trees will be planted on the VU Campus to compensate for those felled in order to build Initium. VU is consulting the Dutch Tree Foundation about how to do this. 

In order to reduce the inconvenience caused by the construction work, prefabricated building elements are being used where possible; this will help to reduce the duration of the building period. Furthermore, the foundation piles are not being driven into the ground. Instead, the policy is to use drilling and on-site casting, thus reducing the problem of noise and vibration. A separate e-mail address has been created for sending any questions or complaints about the construction activities: bouwinfocampus@vu.nl