New student houses next to Van der Goot building

With this new student accommodation, as well as those at Toepad, Brainpark I and Prins Alexander, the municipality hopes to ease the pressure on Rotterdam’s housing market. “We also hope this will reduce the nuisance in Kralingen”, said project manager Mathieu van Waterschoot of the municipality.

The university welcomes the plan. “We’re happy to work with student associations, the municipality and housing associations to address the huge shortage of student accommodation”, said a EUR spokesperson. “Obviously, that means we’re positive about the development of additional student homes on campus. It’s the ideal place for students to live and learn.”

The building will have between 350 and 400 student rooms. “The exact number will depend on the type of house. We don’t know yet whether they will be self-contained or have shared facilities”, Van Waterschoot explained. In self-contained houses, students have their own bathroom and kitchen, while in houses with shared facilities they share a common kitchen and living room.

There will also be houses for students with a disability. “The plan allows for ten to twenty units with, for example, wider corridors for students in wheelchairs. These houses will be on the ground floor”, Van Waterschoot said.

The new student flat will be next to a busy road.  The municipality is aware of this. “One of the factors that the architect will have to take into account is noise. In principle, the façade on Abram van Rijckevorselweg should be closed so that the noise is muffled”, Van Waterschoot explained.

EUR plans to make the building available for first-year international students for a period of one year. “It’s not the job of a university to provide accommodation for students. However, we do bear a responsibility for over four thousand international students who start here every year”, the spokesperson stressed. “It’s difficult for them to find accommodation from abroad, so it would be nice if they can stay here for the first year.” After a year, the students will have to find other accommodation on their own.

The municipality of Rotterdam wants this building to become part of the ‘gateway to the city’ and act as a calling card for campus Woudestein. That is why the entrance will be on Randweg. “At the moment, the view as you drive along Abram van Rijckevorselweg is of the back of a building. Soon you’ll be looking at the front of a building, which is of course much more pleasant”, Van Waterschoot said.