Healthy Ageing Campus

The North Entrance Healthy Ageing Campus is set to become a lively, sustainable and welcoming city square where teaching, research, culture, sports and recreation come together . The entire area – that belongs to Campus Groningen - is being developed in phases.

The campus will be built around (0) a dynamic city square and will include several buildings: a (1) large teaching centre, primarily for Pharmacy and the Medical Science Faculty, (2) a location to accommodate the University College Groningen and (3) student culture centre Usva. There will also be room for (4 & 5) future UMCG development plans.

Vibrant campus around new city square (0)

Alongside the new buildings, the public space will feature an attractive design with an open connection to the city centre. A dynamic, car-free city square will be the focal point of the area which as a whole measures some 27,000 m ² . The ground floors of the buildings surrounding the square will house restaurants, cafés and shops. This has all been set out in a Spatial Masterplan. A sophisticated public transportation hub will be constructed to improve accessibility. In addition, underground and indoor bicycle parking has been incorporated in the plans.

Teaching centre | Anda Kerkhoven Centre (1)

As of 2 September 2024, the Anda Kerkhoven is being used for education. The new building accommodates more than 2,000 students and staff. Pharmacy and medicine students in particular will attend their lectures here.

The Anda Kerkhoven Centre is built next to ERIBA building, near the UMCG's Proton Therapy Centre and is part of the Healthy Ageing Campus. The north side of the Healthy Ageing Campus will be a vibrant, sustainable and welcoming urban environment for education, research, culture, sports and leisure.

Set foot in the building and see how sustainability has been integrated. It has solar panels, green rooftops and rainwater is captured for toilet flushing. The new education building is named after Anda Kerkhoven, a Groningen resistance heroine and medicine student in World War II. The naming of this building commemorates her courage and ideals.

University College Groningen (2)

University College Groningen (UCG), temporarily located on the Hoendiepskade, will move to Bloemsingel 1 on the Healthy Ageing Campus. The façade of the building is a protected townscape and will of course be retained. The building itself will be renovated and an extension will be added at the back. Alternative accommodation for the current occupants of Bloemsingel 1 (the UMCG IT department and LifeLines) is being sought.

The student housing agency SSH will build student housing near the end of the Vrydemalaan. The UCG students will be accommodated here, meaning that they will learn, relax and also live on campus.

Student culture centre Usva (3)

The current ADL2 building will be stripped and adapted to suit businesses with a connection to the UMCG (Health Data Center) and the student culture centre Usva. Adjacent will be a new student theatre. For years, the Usva has been longing for more adaptable accommodation with better sound-proofing and a larger auditorium, for 200 visitors. At the new campus location, students and visitors will have access to a number of auditoriums, studios and classrooms. Combined with attractive eateries and an outdoor terrace, this will enliven the campus both during the day and in the evenings, and there will be plenty of opportunities for collaboration and exchange with other cultural organizations in the vicinity.

Room for future UMCG development (4&5)

The agreement reserves some locations for the UMCG for future development. Meanwhile, block 4 will be used for construction logistics and block 5 is available to be used temporarily in connection with a particular theme.

Planning

Architects are tackling the various design trajectories since 2018, and the preparatory infrastructure work and demolition is taking place. In addition, the construction of the public transport hub has commenced. With the infrastructure prepared and demolition completed, the first components of the development plan are expected to be realized in 2021.

General Agreement UG and UMCG

In the summer of 2018, Sibrand Poppema of the UG and Jos Aartsen of the UMCG signed a general agreement on the development of the area around the Antonius Deusinglaan. The agreement set out the development plans, the future underground infrastructure and the exchange of land to which the parties have agreed.