Despite its enormous size, Jon de Ruijter, the director of Erasmus Sport, states that the building will still be inviting for social interactions: “It is a very compact building, you will never feel isolated or alone.”
The new sports building will include three halls for competitive sports and workouts, two training halls for group classes, as well as a cafeteria and a large gym that will be divided over two floors. However, De Ruijter mentions that he is critical about whether the new building can be a solution for the long waiting lists at sports associations: “The current demand is so incredible that I am wondering if we can host it all. We will therefore maintain all external contracts with sports venues.”
Multifunctional and sustainable
Even though its primary purpose is sports, the building will have different purposes. Because of the increase in capacity and new technological possibilities, it can also be used to host exams and events and to offer sleeping spaces for upcoming students during the Eurekaweek. Furthermore, de Ruijter mentions that the building will be sustainable because ‘it is going to be built with the highest BREEAM standards’. This entails roof-mounted solar panels, which will make the building fully self-sufficient in power.
The construction will be finished in July, and Erasmus Sport plans to open the new building before Eurekaweek 2022.
