In mid-September, Polak was evacuated and closed down immediately. During an inspection, hairline cracks and larger cracks were found in the ceilings of several floors of the building.
External factors
“The floor is able to carry the occurring loads at the location of the cracks”, the Erasmus University states. “The investigation shows that the cracks are part of the behaviour of concrete structures and do not cause any reduction in the load-bearing capacity of the floors.”
Royal HaskoningDHV investigated the cracking in Polak. The company also checked whether the construction activities next to Polak could be the cause. No indications for this were found, according to the company. They also see no connection with the low water level of the leaking pond.
Study places
The study areas, classrooms, businesses and recording studio can be reopened as of Monday. “EUR staff will prepare the rooms in the Polak building for use again in the coming days”, the EUR announced. Students were particularly affected by the closure because they could not find study spots. In addition to the study areas in Polak, over five hundred study places will be added to the University Library on Monday.
