‘We are in a preparatory phase now’, says communication advisor Jeroen de Lezenne Coulander. ‘That means, among other things, that we are working on a study to find the best location for the expansion, like whether to build on the side or the front of the building.’

The Aletta Jacobs Hall will eventually be expanded to include an additional 600 exam spaces in an effort to solve the chronic space shortage. The exam halls are overbooked because all faculties have their exams in the same period. The students also have more regular tests. In years past, the university has rented space at Martiniplaza in order to combat the lack of room on campus, but that is not always available.

Shortage

The VGI expects that the shortage will become even more dramatic if no action is taken. The shortage will only increase as faculties rely more on digital exams and give more tests along the way.

It is not yet known when the expansions will be completed. ‘This is merely the research phase, so there is nothing yet known definitively about what the expansion will be nor when the construction will begin’, according to De Lezenne Coulander.