19 January 2026

Using workspace more efficiently will be an important task for the entire university in the coming years, not least in light of our sustainability objectives. For the Faculty of Humanities, this means that the available square metres will need to be aligned with a changing staff profile in the years ahead. This requires careful consideration: how do we ensure an appropriate allocation of space within an organisation in transition, without compromising a pleasant and functional working environment for everyone.

Conclusions from the occupancy survey

To gain a clearer understanding of how our buildings are currently being used, an occupancy survey was carried out between 21 November and 4 December 2025 in the Herta Mohr, Huizinga, PJ Veth and Reuvens buildings. Over a two‑week period, the use of all workspaces and meeting areas was recorded four times a day. In total, the surveyed buildings contained 896 workspaces — divided across 208 single‑occupancy offices, 193 two‑person offices and approximately 67 multi‑occupancy rooms — and 117 meeting spaces, including meeting rooms, seminar rooms, in‑office meeting areas and phone booths. The use of communal areas, such as common rooms and student association spaces, was also monitored.

The key findings

Meeting spaces were used on average 14% of the time, and workspaces 29%. This includes both actual physical presence and moments when a workspace appeared occupied because belongings were present. There were no major differences between the buildings surveyed. Average occupancy ranged from 25.3% (Huizinga) to 29.4% (PJ Veth).

Tuesday busiest day, Friday very quiet

During the survey period, Tuesday was the busiest day, with an occupancy of 47.3% (based on belongings present) and an actual physical presence of 29.7%. Fridays were, unsurprisingly, the quietest working days, with an occupancy of 21% (14% physical presence). There were hardly any differences between room types: the results show no trend indicating that single‑, double‑ or multi‑occupancy rooms are used more or less frequently.

Use meeting rooms and common rooms

Meeting rooms had an occupancy rate of around 20%, with a peak of approximately 47% (69 of the 117 rooms were in use at that moment). This indicates that in the vast majority of cases, a meeting room is available nearby.

The survey also revealed large differences in the use of common rooms across the buildings. A common room was counted as ‘in use’ when at least one person was present at the time of observation. Common rooms located off the main circulation routes — such as those of ACPA and Philosophy in the PJ Veth building — were used significantly less (2.5% occupancy) than, for example, the LIAS common room, which had an occupancy of 72.5%.

The results of the occupancy survey will be discussed with the management teams of the institutes in the near future.

Drop in session on 22 January

For staff who would like to hear more about future developments on the Humanities Campus, including plans for the Aleida Nijland building, a drop‑in session will be held on 22 January. All staff are welcome between 15:00 and 17:00 in the Common Room of the Reuvens building. You can put questions to colleagues from Real Estate and IFZ and pick up information. You can also experience what the Aleida Nijland will look like through a VR presentation. Register for the VR tour via this form.

• humanities campus