Construction work starts on new accommodation for international PhDs
Work began on an accommodation complex for international PhD candidates and postdocs at the Leiden Bio Science Park on 10 January. The building will be situated at the new MORE Park that Leiden University has commissioned. The accommodation should be completed by the end of 2025.
Of the 206 high-quality, furnished rental apartments in this building, which comprises two perpendicular blocks, 150 are intended for international PhD candidates and postdocs. The remaining apartments in the complex will fall under the middle rental category. Seven hundred student housing units were already completed last summer at the Leiden Bio Science Park (LBSP).
Community
‘It’s fantastic that there will now be a nice place for our international academics to live’, says Ferdy Poppelier, Director of Real Estate at Leiden University. ‘It’s not always easy for these people to find accommodation in a full city like Leiden, where so many people are looking for somewhere to live. Now they end up scattered throughout the city. This new spot in the middle of the LBSP will soon help them feel at home and meet others, and that will foster a sense of community.’
With the MORE Park, Leiden University wants to transform the LBSP into a vibrant park. The name MORE is not just a nod to the high dynamics in this section of the park. It also refers to Thomas More, a 16th-century statesman who described the ideal society in his book Utopia.
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The first pile for the MORE 5 building at the Leiden Bio Science Park is driven into the ground. Photo: Kelly Verberne -
Artist’s impression of the new MORE 5 building
Sustainability
The challenge is to create the best possible conditions for a neighbourhood in which a transient group of international students, lecturers and academics still form a close-knit community. Collective facilities and plenty of space to meet others are therefore paramount in the development of this new residential area, which will also feature shops and a hotel.
There will also be plenty of green spaces, and sustainability is high on the agenda. This newest building will meet the highest sustainability standards and will feature a green roof, solar panels and a connection to a thermal storage system.
Artist’s impression: Paul de Ruiter Architects