Last week, the first pile for the new research building of the Free University Amsterdam (VU) went into the ground. This summer, the construction activities took off already with the construction of the diaphragm walls and sheet piling required for the project.
470 piles
Up to a depth of 23 m below Amsterdam gauge, a total of 470 soil displacement grout injection piles will be put into the ground. These form the basis for the vibration-free research environment that the building will be. The building will have a lot of sophisticated measuring equipment that must be set up vibration-free. This while the environment with busy car, train and tram traffic will actually generate a lot of vibrations.
life sciences
The building will offer a variety of functions and facilities for education and research in the field of human life sciences. Scientists from the Free University and Amsterdam University Medical Centre will work on new imaging techniques for medical diagnosis and a better understanding and treatment of diseases. They work closely with physicists, chemists, biologists and doctors.
world top
The new research building measuring over 25.000 m2 is one of the new buildings in the Innovation District Zuidas, also known as the Knowledge Quarter. A great deal of medical and beta knowledge is clustered in it and it is among the world's best in e.g. medical imaging and drug development for oncology and neurology.
sustainable campus
The new research building also makes an important contribution to rendering the campus more sustainable. The design is BREEAM Excellent certified. It will receive a lot of daylight and have PV panels, energy-efficient equipment and elevators, presence detection as well as an aquifer thermal energy storage installation for heat and cold storage in the ground. Water-saving sanitary facilities, good waste separation and a green roof also contribute to sustainability.
start pile driving new research building VU
