🎉 Celebrating the Grand Opening of the Gorlaeus Building! 🎉
Today, we proudly opened our new Gorlaeus Building! With confetti, stilt walkers, and the launch of the stunning Einstein Fountain, it was a day filled with celebration. 🌟
Together, Dean Jasper Knoester and President of the Executive Board Annetje Ottow pressed the button to activate the Einstein Fountain, designed by physicist Vincent Icke. The 74 water sprayers beautifully simulate light in a rotating black hole. ✨ 🌊
Next, Constantijn Van Oranje-Nassau, Special Envoy from Techleap, together with our students, cut the ribbon to mark the occasion. Dean Jasper Knoester highlights: ‘The building is here; now it’s up to our students and researchers to lay the foundation for tomorrow’s knowledge and innovation.’ 🏛️
In a talk show prior to the festivities, various involved people discussed the development of the building and the future of the faculty. In the first part, the architects from INBO, Sweco Architects and EX Interiors, along with project director Ramon Janssen from Heijmans Construction Company, looked back on the design phase and 13 years of construction. Rob van Wijk, now an assistant professor but 13 years back still a student who also happened to be our assessor, looked back on his contribution: at the time, he drove the first sheet pile into the ground to mark the start of construction.
Our new assessor Berber Verhalle, praised the building’s role in enhancing student connections and providing a welcoming space with modern lecture halls, a bar, and study areas. 👩🏽🏫 📚
‘Just as important as the building itself is the impact we aim to achieve with it,’ said Dean Jasper Knoester. The second part of the show focused on the state-of-the-art facilities, innovation, and collaboration within Leiden Bio Science Park and beyond. Together with the faculty's top researchers, this makes the new Gorlaeus Building a starting point for growth and innovation. 🚀🔬
Here’s to a new chapter of growth and discovery! 🎉