Utrecht Science Park (also known asDe Uithof) is a neighbourhood inUtrecht and the largestscience park in theNetherlands.[1] It is located to the east of the city. It is the largest campus ofUtrecht University.[2] Apart from the faculties of Law, Humanities andUniversity College Utrecht, most of the university buildings are located in Utrecht Science Park. It is also a main location of theHU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and theUniversity Medical Center Utrecht, and houses the main university library, student housing and botanical gardens.
The Dutch government purchased a plot of land of approximately 300hectares for Utrecht University in 1958.[3] The area was named "De Uithof", after a local farm. The first building, currently known as the Marinus Ruppert Building, opened in 1961.
The city council decided to officially rename De Uithof to "Utrecht Science Park" in 2018.[4][5]
On 14 December 2019, theUithoflijn line 22 of theUtrecht sneltram (light rail) system opened, connectingUtrecht Centraal railway station to De Uithof. It replaced bus line 12 which usedbi-articulated buses.[6] TheUithoflijn has 5 tram stops in De Uithof: Padualaan, Heidelberglaan, UMC, WKZ / Máxima and the tram terminal P+R Science Park.[7]
The tram stop P+R Science Park has a largepark-and-ride facility, designed byKCAP, construction of which began in August 2011.[8]
Some of the buildings on De Uithof have an unusual architecture, and some have won prizes for their architecture. The Educatorium, designed byRem Koolhaas (1997), contains a glass-bottomed walking bridge and circular walls. The Minnaertgebouw used to contain a large basin that was used to collect rain water, and its outer wall is supported by large characters, M, I, N, N, A, E, R, T. The Universiteitsbibliotheek (University Library), designed byWiel Arets (2004), is known for its spacious interior and black exterior. All three of these buildings are featured in the book1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die.[1]
This is a partial list of buildings at the Utrecht Science Park. The official names of all of the buildings are found here.[9] Many of the buildings are named after scientists that worked in a field which is similar to the specialization of the occupants of the building. The Dutch word "gebouw" means "building".
There are five housing locations with a total of around 3000 rooms, with more under development:[10]
52°05′11″N5°10′21″E / 52.08639°N 5.17250°E /52.08639; 5.17250