Polak building closed immediately due to cracks in floors

The Polak building on campus Woudestein was evacuated and closed immediately on Friday morning. There are cracks in the floors of the building. The university does not expect an acute risk of collapse.

The cause of the cracks is still unclear. The building will remain closed for investigation until 26 September. That investigation should reveal what is needed to make the building safe to use again. The closure applies to the entire building: the teaching spaces, study areas, stores and the Community for Learning and Innovation.

Multiple floors

“This morning, employees of the university’s security and real estate department noticed cracks in the floor”, says university spokesperson Rateb Abawi. These are hairline cracks and some larger cracks in the ceilings of several floors of the building.

Therefore, the building was evacuated immediately this morning, a little after 10 am. That evacuation went off smoothly. Students who have left their belongings behind can collect them from security in the Van der Goot building.

Investigation

“We do not expect an acute risk of collapse from the cracks,” says Abawi. “But we will have that investigated.”

Four years ago Polak was also closed because the safety of the floor construction could not be guaranteed. An investigation showed that a similar construction was used as in the parking garage of the airport near Eindhoven. Part of that parking garage collapsed.

Whether the new cracks are related to the construction is not yet clear. “The problem at the time has been fixed and is constantly being monitored. We don’t know yet if the same problem is occurring”, Abawi said. The university will have that investigated in the coming weeks. Therefore, the Polak Building is closed at least until September 26.