Artist impression. The Plus Ultra III building will be located in the vacant plot between Plus Ultra I and Campus Plaza.
It will have five floors and should be finished within a year. Like Plus Ultra I and II, Plus Ultra III will have both offices and laboratories. Tenants have already been found for the first two floors. Some of the organizations leasing space in Plus Ultra I will move to the new building.
Swamp oaks
Preparations for construction started last week by clearing the site. In particular, that meant the vegetation in front of Plus Ultra II had to make way for construction. In consultation with the campus management, the greenery has been kept where possible. ‘The three best swamp oaks on the site were replanted along the Thymos path,’ says campus manager Elike Wijnheimer.
Other swamp oaks along the bike path between De Bongerd and the campus had to go. ‘There will be two sheds for Plus Ultra in that location. The trees were replanted elsewhere on campus and the greenery was stored to be put back later.’ This work was done deliberately before the nesting season began. Wijnheimer: ‘This is standard practice so that the construction process is not delayed.’
Facilities for fauna
Campus ecologist Wieger Wamelink will be called in for the layout of the greenery around the new building. Wijnheimer says it is mostly about where to locate facilities for fauna. ‘The current facilities aren’t good or not well-placed. The greenery will keep the Plus Ultra style, so with benches, decorative plants and paving.’
WUR staff are told we must accept ever-shrinking office space and ‘flexible’ working arrangements that make it more difficult to do our jobs, because the university will not build more floor space for staff. But the university will build new buildings for startups and venture capitalists. Sometimes the priorities of this university are questionable at best.
Mark,
WUR had very little to do with the building of Plus Ultra III. However, they have everything to do with the building of the new Microbiome Centre.