By Sophie Staal
Over the past three months, construction work in the Academic Building has been impossible to miss. Students had to use the emergency staircase to get to class, dealt with noise disruptions from drilling, and witnessed precautions taken in the cafeteria to protect food from dust and debris. The renovations are now done: the reception area has a different lay-out, consisting of two separate desks as opposed to one straight line, and the common room’s curtains have been replaced with a glass-and-wood partition wall.
But what prompted these changes? With discussions of budget constraints going around, some students have questioned the necessity of these renovations. To provide clarity, The Herring spoke with Ingrid van Loon, AUC’s Head of Operations and Finance, to learn more about the project’s purpose and funding.
The reconstruction of the AB can be summarized as serving three main purposes: practicality, maintenance, and aesthetics. According to van Loon, the goal of the partition wall is to prevent noise pollution from the rest of the AB during events in the common room, but also the other way around. “The curtains are nice but they do not block noise,” van Loon states. The glass-and-wood partition wall will hopefully solve this problem, allowing for a more diverse usage of the common room without disturbing anyone.
The biggest upgrade of the reception area is the new physical separation between the student service desk and the reception to help avoid confusion. The student service desk is the place to go for anything related to your studies—like questions about courses—while the reception is there for all other general questions.
On top of that, van Loon mentions that some maintenance had to be done. “The whole area, but especially the wooden wall opposite the reception, as well as the floor, was old and run-down,” she explains. Additionally, even though less visible, there was a need for a wheelchair-accessible desk. The last major structural change van Loon mentions is the creation of a new workspace for housemasters behind the reception area, allowing them to assist the receptionist more easily by helping staff and students when needed.
Sustainability played a moderate role in the project. Van Loon mentions how the wood used in the renovations comes from sustainably managed forests, in line with UvA’s standard policies. While the project did not introduce major technological sustainability upgrades, smaller improvements were made, such as an “infrared panel under the receptionist’s desk,” as van Loon lists. Another supposed sustainability benefit is that the improved common room setup allows for private events, reducing the need to rent external venues, even though it was already largely possible without the partition wall.
When it comes to funding, van Loon clarifies that the project was financed through an annual round organised by UvA Facility Services, a budget allocation process that allows faculties and institutions like AUC to apply for funding for functional building improvements. This means that AUC’s own budget did not contribute to this project.
On a similar note, van Loon reveals that AUC has been successful in acquiring funding through the Facility Services rounds once again. This time it is for the enclosing of two study balconies (1.16 and 1.19), which will be done with a glass screen like the ones in rooms 1.17 and 1.18. “In this way, we will create two spaces with much less disturbance from the canteen and where students can study in silence,” van Loon explains.
An additional project van Loon mentions is the replacing of old furniture in the common room and / or the canteen. This initiative, however, will have to be funded through alternative resources, which AUC is still trying to secure. “If there are any students who want to think along with us, they can always contact me,” van Loon states, encouraging students interested in the process to reach out to her through info@AUC.nl.
The Herring 