22 June 2026

This week, temperatures will rise above 30 degrees almost every day. Not only will this affect how comfortable you feel, but also your focus and well-being. Here's some good advice:

Tips for a cool(er) office when temperatures rise:

• Early in the morning, open windows and doors straight away to let in the cooler air from outside.
• If you have them, lower and close the blinds in your office even though the sun isn’t yet shining on your windows. The outside screens are lowered and raised automatically.
• As soon as the temperature outside is hotter than inside, close all windows so that the cooler air inside isn’t displaced by warmer air from outside. This might feel contradictory, but it really does work!
• Drink enough water.
• Don’t skip your breaks – a change of scene can help to improve focus. Find a nice shady spot (e.g. the Van der Werff Park) to enjoy your lunch.
• Wear loose-fitting, lightweight clothes.
• For our colleagues at the Old Observatory: switch on the electric fan that you’ll find in most offices. The KOG doesn’t have electric fans as the building has better insulation and an effective climate control system.
• Move to a cooler office. Many colleagues will be away over the summer weeks. The cooler offices at the KOG are at the back of the building on the Zonneveldstraat side of the B-wing. If need be, check with your department office about room availability. Staff from the Old Observatory can also consider this option.
• Check with your manager if you can work at the office in the morning and work from home in the afternoon or in the evening when it’s cooler. If you’d rather work from home all the time when the weather’s too hot, check with your manager if this is allowed.

Tips for teaching and classrooms

When temperatures rise, we ask teaching staff to assess whether their assigned classroom is still suitable for teaching. If you think the room is too hot, and where feasible, you could consider:

• Moving the class to a cooler room (check with the timetable coordinator and/or Service Desk).
• Teaching the session online (provided this works for your course).
• Shortening the class, or consulting with the timetable coordinator to see if it can be moved to a cooler time of day.

When considering these ideas, it’s important to think about teaching quality and informing students in good time. Teaching staff must communicate any changes via Brightspace or other usual communication channels.