The renovation has been coordinated with the Student Union and forms part of a broader plan for sports and cultural facilities within the long-term housing strategy, the LTSH. The Executive Board approved the plans this week.
The large halls Agora and the Amphitheatre, as well as the music and dance studios in the Vrijhof, will be upgraded, including improved technology and acoustics. The Agora hall will receive a new fixed stage floor and a durable surface that can better withstand a wide range of activities. The Vrijhof will also be made more accessible for wheelchair users. Once completed, the building should feel more open, ‘to improve social safety’, according to Verburg.
The Sports Centre will be updated as well.
Sports Centre
The Sports Centre will also be renovated. Halls SC1 to SC4 will be refurbished. The aim is to make the spaces ‘socially safer’, more accessible for wheelchair users, and more multifunctional. The building will also receive an updated look. Sightlines will be improved, outdated elements replaced, storage spaces reorganised, and installations renewed.
Improved sightlines include features such as transparent doors, Verburg explains. According to him, this also contributes to greater social safety. To improve sports safety, protruding elements will be removed and escape routes will be enhanced.
The renovations are scheduled as much as possible during the summer holiday period. The work is expected to be completed by the start of the 2026–2027 academic year. These plans are in addition to previously announced renovations at the Sports Centre and the Bastille square.
