New housing plan focuses on collaboration and optimisation
We use university buildings differently from ten years ago. Students spend more time on campus, staff work more hybrid. At the same time, declining student numbers in the Netherlands and cutbacks call for smarter use of space. The new Strategic Housing plan sees a solution in collaboration among faculties.
The Real Estate Expertise Centre draws up a Strategic Housing plan for Leiden University every year. The plan sets the direction for the development and use of university premises and helps make choices about teaching spaces, workplaces study places,, facilities and campus development. The new plan covers the 2026-2035 period and has a different approach due to changes in trends and developments.
Futureproof campus
Whereas earlier plans prioritised growth, the attention is now shifting to collaboration and optimisation. This is needed to create attractive and futureproof campuses and to keep the housing costs manageable. The expected decline in student numbers in the Netherlads and the financial pressure on higher education make this change urgent. The university is working towards having fewer buildings and making better use of the remaining space. The coming period will focus on further planning, discussions and tailored solutions for each campus and each building.
One university
An important principle in the plan for 2026-2035 is to strengthen the position of Leiden University as one university in two cities with three recognisable clusters: the city centre campus, the Science campus in Leiden and the so-called Campus The Hague. The three campuses each have their own profile and identity, fitting for the education and research that take place there. The new plan builds further on the 2016-2025 Strategic Housing plan, in which the university made the move to a more campus-oriented approach.
What is new is that the university is looking beyond the boundaries of individual faculties to a greater extent. Space and facilities are increasingly being considered at campus level. This means that faculties and other users of university buildings more often seek joint solutions for teaching, research, workspaces and social interaction. Students’ need for places to study, work together and remain on campus between lectures also plays an important role in this.
Shifting role of Real Estate
For the Real Estate Expertise Centre, the new plan means a stronger strategic role. Real Estate will play a greater role as a partner in the university’s spatial development, working closely with faculties, services and users. This role does not mean dictating from above what needs to be done, nor does it involve simply carrying out isolated spatial requests. The emphasis is on discussing spatial issues earlier and in a more collaborative manner.
According to Ilse Koreman, head of Sustainability at the Real Estate Expertise Centre, this calls for a different approach. ‘The question is no longer simply: what developments are taking place within my faculty or department? We are increasingly looking together at what the campus as a whole needs. This calls for a different way of working, in which the Real Estate Department contributes ideas, acts as a link and provides advice.’
Campus boards give advice
To ensure that these discussions are properly organised, each campus will have a campus board. Under the leadership of the Real Estate Department, representatives from faculties, services and expertise centres will work together on spatial and strategic challenges for each campus. The campus boards will have an advisory role. Based on these discussions, the Real Estate Department will draw up comprehensive recommendations for the Executive Board, which remains responsible for decision-making.
The assessment of staff space requirements is also changing. Rather than applying a single fixed standard for office space, the Real Estate Department, faculties and support services are increasingly looking at the actual use of a building, what is and isn’t possible there, and where opportunities lie for smarter or shared use. They will be working out what this means for each campus and each building in the coming period, in consultation with users.
Curious about the plans? Take a look at the Strategic Housing plan (in Dutch).