Future scenarios for an inspiring EUR campus

The future use of the campus had to be re-examined because of the growth in the number of students at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), different ways of working together and the integration of new activities on campus such as startups, culture, sports and living.

Project facts

Client: Erasmus University Rotterdam 
Challenge: To renew the campus strategy with a number of stakeholders
Date: 2018
Solution: Future scenarios for an integrated and inspiring campus
Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The challenge

The campus is the primary place for teaching and research for Erasmus University. New themes were the reason behind the need to renew the campus strategy and to jointly seek to further integrate mutual cooperation. The possibilities for drawing society further towards the campus have also been explored which will create a more context-rich environment on campus. In the process, the physical link to the city of Rotterdam was an important consideration. The common challenge was how to achieve synergy between the wishes and requirements of the many stakeholders. And how do you then develop concrete scenarios for a liveable and inspiring campus of the future?

The solution

We organised three interactive workshops with all the stakeholders where we established 'Goals & Priorities, Programme Variants and Integration' based on the plan of action. The different points of view were discovered and we worked towards a common denominator together. Striking the right balance and making transparent choices were prerequisites for building support among all parties involved.

The information from the workshops, together with current trends, formed the input for various scenarios. For these, we identified a number of concrete options for the medium term (5 to 15 years). These included the choice of integrated education, the physical location of the campus and its connection to the city of Rotterdam.

Two different scenarios for Erasmus Rotterdam — The information from the workshops, together with current trends, formed the input for various scenarios. For these, we identified a number of concrete options for the medium term (5 to 15 years). These included the choice of integrated education, the physical location of the campus and its connection to the city of Rotterdam.

The workshops gave me good leads for campus development, taking our overall strategy 'Creating positive impact' as the starting point. We translated the drivers from this strategy into concrete consequences for teaching, research, living and relaxing on campus.

Geert GerritseDirector of Real Estate, Erasmus University Rotterdam

The result

Our opinion consisted of two main parts, namely a presentation in which the results were visually displayed and a summary for managers and directors. These gave them a quick insight into the key decisions to be made. The different programme variants were dynamically visualised over time which greatly enhanced insight for the end user.

Guiding principles for the campus

The guiding principles for the real estate strategy are rooted in EUR's strategic objectives and will form the basis for future decisions regarding real estate. Different future scenarios have been modelled based on data from EUR and national trends. This will ensure that the themes for the campus – such as a high level of education and sustainability – are guaranteed both now and in the future. Even if student numbers do not develop as foreseen.

Awareness of campus themes among stakeholders

By inviting a broad group of representatives from the university, the theme of the campus has been brought to life again for everyone and widespread support has been created. Also, the high level of involvement of those education stakeholders allowed us to make better integrated decisions: ones that address the challenges of the campus.