Update: Fire in Forum

Update 20 december

We have some good news just before the holidays! All rooms in Forum are back in use. The bicycle basement is open again from Monday, December 23.

This also means that we will end our notices about the aftermath of the fire in Forum. In the new year we still have to some repair work but the inconvenience will be minimal.

We would like to thank you for your understanding and patience and wish you happy holidays!

Update November 22: Good news

Good news! Forum will reopen according to normal opening hours starting Saturday, November 30. That means on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekdays from Monday through Thursday evenings until 11 p.m. It also means that starting Saturday, Nov. 29, education building Aurora will no longer be open on weekends. Finally, extra rooms will be released in Forum in December so that students can have enough study spaces during exam weeks. Unfortunately, the bicycle basement is still closed. It is expected to reopen sometime in January 2025.

Meanwhile, the repair work will continue so there still may be some inconvenience. But we are trying to keep this to a minimum.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding!

Update Thursday November 14: More areas accessible in Forum

Good news! As of this week, floors 5, 6, 7 and 8 in the Forum building Forum are accessible again. All spaces have been reoccupied and the cordons have been removed. For faculty and students, please still check your schedule.

We expect to have everything fully restored in the new year. In this we depend on, among other things, delivery times of new parts. So until everything is repaired, there will still be work to be done and you may experience some inconvenience. You will also see maintenance materials and construction lights here and there. Or pieces of carpet that are missing and still need to be replaced. But even though full restoration may take a little longer, a lot is being done in the background and progress is steady and good.

We do, however, maintain limited opening hours for the time being for November. So Forum will be open in the evenings until 7 p.m. and will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Education Building Aurora will be open until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday evenings and between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays to provide an alternative. So for November, study spots will remain as they are now. For December, more information will follow in a future update.

Once again, we would like to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation so far and for the time ahead. In the picture you can see how happy some students were to be welcomed back into the Library.

Update Wednesday afternoon 30 October

Fortunately, as of Monday 4 November, large parts of the now closed areas in Forum (in part C, see drawing) can be used again. The situation is slightly different than what everyone is used to. For example, you may experience some inconvenience from repair work. But in order to allow education to continue properly, including the provision of study areas, it has been decided to start with this partial opening. It will be indicated on site which rooms are accessible and which are not. For faculty and students, please still check your schedule.

Library services are not yet fully operational but the Library will be largely accessible again starting Monday 4 November.

However, Forum does close every evening at 7 p.m. and the building will also remain closed on weekends for the time being, with the exception of the Open Day on Saturday, November 9. This is due to repair work so that we can minimize any inconvenience during the day.

In order to offer students, student associations and In'to Languages an alternative for the evening hours, as of Monday 4 November, Aurora will be open in the evening hours (Monday through Thursday evenings) until 11 p.m.

We are working very hard to get everything operational again. We thank everyone in advance for their cooperation, flexibility and understanding during the upcoming period when facilities may be slightly different from what you are used to. We will of course keep you informed of further progress.

Update Wednesday 30 October

For the next few days, the situation in Forum will remain the same. Part of the building (Part C, see picture) will remain closed until at least next Friday, and the building will close at 7 p.m. every evening. In addition, Forum will be closed throughout the upcoming weekend, i.e. Saturday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 3, due to repair work. For faculty and students, the following still applies: check your schedule for current education space and if you see Forum listed in your schedule, education will continue there as usual.

In the coming period, rooms in the now closed part of Forum will be put back into use, in phases and where possible. A phased plan is being drawn up for this. As soon as more is known about this, it will be shared in a subsequent update. In addition, we are working hard to be able to provide additional study areas and spaces for student association activities, among other things.

It is safe to work or study in Forum. However, if you are there for a longer period of time, you may experience less comfort in some areas of the building. Because of the smell of fire, for example, but also because of possible inconvenience caused by the repair work. The degree to which people may experience this can vary from person to person. For example, people with lung problems or pregnant women may experience reduced comfort more quickly. We ask these employees and students to report this. Employees to their supervisor and students to the head of the Student Service Center at ssc@wur.nl. Then an appropriate solution can be sought.

Update Monday 28 October

After last weekend's work and inventory, it has become clear that repairing the fire damage around the elevator shaft in Forum will unfortunately take longer. This means that part of the Forum building will remain closed just as today (please also refer to the drawing below for the indication of this part). It has also been decided that Forum will close at 7 p.m. for the time being due to allow the repair work to be conducted with care.

Fortunately, a large part of Forum is still open. For teachers and students, the following still applies: check your timetable for current locations and if you see Forum in the timetable, then education will continue as usual there. Starting Tuesday 29 October, the library will have a desk for issuing of books near the reception desk in the Forum building, which is the leftmost desk if you face the reception desk. The library staff will be there from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Student Service Centre desk and the IT Service Point are both open on the ground floor. They are located on the side of the building that has not been affected.

The next update will follow no later than Wednesday morning and will offer more information on the schedule of the repair work and possible alternative study areas for students.

Update Friday 25 October

Building section C of the Forum building will remain closed Monday through Wednesday due to water damage and the smell of smoke. Section C is, as seen from the main entrance on the square, the right side of the building. Including the 7th floor of building section C and the entire 8th floor of Forum. The remaining building sections (A and B) are accessible and safe, allowing education to continue. Students are again urged to keep an eye on their personal schedule as rooms may still change. Subject coordinators are requested to keep an eye on their email this weekend and also inform their students where necessary.This also means that the library will remain physically closed. The Student Service Center desk -next to the reception desk on the first floor in Forum- and the IT Servicepoint will both be open again starting Monday. They are located on the side of the building that has not been affected.

The sections that are not accessible will be cordoned off. Over the next few days, hard work will be done to continue surveying and repairing any resulting damage as quickly as possible.

Another update will follow next Monday afternoon.

Friday 25 October

Teaching has been relocated to other buildings. Servicepoint IT is in Actio today. Visitors can check in at the reception desk. Library and other services in Forum are not accessible.Teaching period 2 starts next Monday as normal.

Students have been urged to keep an eye on their personal timetable, as it may still change. Subject coordinators are requested to keep an eye on their email this weekend and also inform their students where necessary.