Where a two-storey car park once stood, there is now a brand new Sports Building. But not just any Sports Building – one with three competition halls, two training rooms and a fully equipped gymnasium. Covering 8,800 m² (94,700 sq ft), the Sports Building will provide facilities to some 11,000 members and twenty-five clubs across fifty or so sports.
Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is the owner of the building, and the Erasmus Sport foundation is responsible for the day-to-day management. The new Sports Building will provide inspirational surroundings for staff and students to train and relax. As such, it forms part of the EUR’s plans to encourage physical exercise on campus.
Erasmus Sport’s director, Jon de Ruiter, summed it up perfectly, explaining, ‘Sport is the best supplement to studying at the EUR. And this building’s facilities will be the best imaginable!’
‘Sport is the best supplement to studying at the EUR. And this building’s facilities will be the best imaginable!’
John de Ruijter
Director Erasmus Sport
Time for renewal
One of the reasons for planning and building the new Sports Building was the growing number of people applying to Erasmus Sport every year. What’s more, the existing building – dating back to 1969 – was incredibly outdated and becoming very expensive to maintain. The new building provides every facility conceivable for a wide range of sports at every level. Top Dutch athletes Stephan Veen, Fatima Moreira de Melo and Koos Maasdijk were once Erasmus Sports members, too!
A unique characteristic of the new sports complex will be the interior walkway that connects its two halves. The covered walkway serves a logistical purpose and acts as a meeting point for the building’s visitors.
Read more about the Sports Building’s design from its architect, VenhoevenCS.
Impressions and floor plans
Energy-neutral
The new Sports Building also excels in sustainability – a step towards achieving the EUR’s goals of creating a sustainable and CO2-neutral campus. It will be 100% self-sufficient in power thanks to its roof-mounted solar panels and will partly be realized according to the principles of circular construction. For example, the wooden wall panels are made of recycled floors coming from an old Sports Building elsewhere in the Netherlands. Furthermore, there is a lot of greenery in the new Sports Building, such as a green wall, lots of plants and even a real tree! Read more about sustainable aspects of the Sports Building in the Build Updates.
Timeline
Preparation of the vacant plot next to the Sanders Building started at the end of 2020, and construction in 2021. The building was completed and taken into use during the summer holiday of 2022. It was officially opened in September 2022. The campus’s previous sports center will be transformed into temporary examination space before final demolition.
Questions?
- Email address
- tomorrowscampus@eur.nl
Press enquiries
- Email address
- press@eur.nl
