Friday evening and weekend closure
The change in opening hours applies only to buildings that are open on Friday evenings: Aula, Berchmanianum, Elinor Ostrom Building, Erasmus Building, Grotius Building, Huize Heyendael, Huygens Building, Maria Montessori Building, Mercator 1, Villa Oud-Heyendael and Forum. These buildings will now close at 6 pm on Fridays. The Huygens Building and car park will also no longer be open at weekends as of 1 November.
Staff and students in the Huygens Building will receive an email with more information.
The opening hours of buildings that already close at 6 p.m. or earlier on Fridays will remain unchanged. The opening hours of buildings with external tenants at Science Park and Max Planck will also remain unchanged.
Important campus facilities remain available
Buildings with facilities such as study workplaces, sports & culture and catering will maintain their usual opening hours. This applies to the University Library, the CultuurCafé, the sports centre and Theatre Hall C.
Activities outside regular opening hours
Not all activities fit within standard opening hours. In certain situations, exceptions may be made so that teaching, research and other activities can continue outside regular hours when necessary. This applies, for example, to:
- study workplaces during examination periods
- research for which an authorised access pass has been issued
- open days, conferences, PhD defences, inaugural lectures, farewell speeches, ceremonies and events
- sports and cultural activities.
Car parks
The opening hours of the Huygens car park will also be adjusted. From 1 November, the car park will close at 6 pm every Friday and remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
The opening hours of the Grotius and Gymnasion car parks will remain unchanged.
Pilot project: Opening hours in line with usage
With the pilot Opening hours in line with usage, the university aims to better align the use of buildings with actual needs. In addition to closing on Friday evenings and weekends, this pilot also involves adjusting opening hours during holiday periods. The experiences and evaluations – including those from the closure during the upcoming Christmas holidays – will be taken into account in the decision-making process regarding future opening hours. The pilot will run from December 2024 until the summer of 2026.