The renovation of the Horst complex, which consists of the Horst Tower, the Ring, the Kleinhorst, and the interior of the Westhorst, will be carried out in phases. ‘The project is too large and complex to tackle all at once,’ says Stef Migchelbrink, project manager at Campus Facility Management (CFM). ‘We are currently assessing the implications of temporarily relocating students and staff.’
The six lecture halls in the Horst Tower will move to the Ring. ‘That is the biggest change. This will improve the flow of people through the building. The Horst Tower will also serve as a robotics centre,’ Migchelbrink explains. The wind tunnel will also be given a new home, moving to the hangar.
Final design
The parties involved are currently working on the final design. At this stage, the focus is mainly on ironing out the details. ‘This includes questions such as: exactly how large should the meeting rooms be? How many toilets will be needed? And what kind of carpet should go on the floor?’
The parties involved will make a final decision on the design in early 2027. This will be followed by the tendering and permitting procedures. ‘If everything goes according to plan, construction work will start in the first quarter of 2028.’
It is not yet clear where work on the Horst complex will begin. ‘We are currently assessing where we expect the greatest disruption. The East Horst and North Horst, among other areas, will be affected. We therefore need to determine how much disruption students and staff can reasonably be expected to tolerate. We will know more about the phasing and the starting location early next year,’ says Migchelbrink.
Temporary relocation
As the renovation will be carried out in phases, students and staff may have to move temporarily to another location. This could be somewhere else on campus or even outside the UT grounds. ‘We are mapping out exactly how many workspaces we will need and which locations will become available,’ says Migchelbrink.
The renovation of the Horst complex is expected to take three to four years. Completion is scheduled for 2030 or 2031.
Drawings of the preliminary design.
