Team DP6 designs faculty building for Radboud University

Radboud University in Nijmegen has selected Team DP6 for the renovation and expansion of the Spinoza Building, which will house the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies. In addition to DP6, the design team consists of Nelissen ingenieursbureau, Van Rossum Raadgevende Ingenieurs and Zenber Architecten. On Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, Agnes Muskens, vice president of the Radboud University Board of Governors, and Dick de Gunst, architect-director of DP6 architecture studio, signed the commissioning agreement.

Sustainability ambition
In the coming years, the Spinoza building, which dates back to the 1970s, will be expanded into a modern working and study environment that suits the faculties and meets the high sustainability ambition. The Radboud University aims for a maximally circular and energy-positive building. The brutalist character of the high-rise building is image-defining in its urban cohesion and will therefore be preserved. The sustainable extension will connect the building to the rest of the campus while providing the desired flexibility for the faculties.

The university announced that Team DP6 was selected because of their expertise, innovative design approach and sustainable solutions. The architects, engineers and sustainability experts will work closely with Radboud University to create a suitable work and study environment in accordance with the guidelines and specifications set forth in the Program of Requirements. An energy-positive environment that not only meets the needs of the users, but also has a positive impact on the environment as well as the campus.

Design vision
During an informal meeting, Dick de Gunst presented the design vision and future form of the building: "The powerful existing Spinoza building functions as a bookend for the contemporary sustainable expansion." He was thus referring to the importance of books for these fields.

After the signing, on the terrace of the Spinoza Building with a view on the Erasmus Building, Agnes Muskens expressed her confidence in the cooperation with all parties and made the architect's comparison campus-wide: "The Erasmus Building and Spinoza Building are our two image-defining buildings, which, as bookends, symbolize the knowledge and quality of two of the oldest faculties on campus and maintain the connection".