Amsterdam’s new VU research building keeps vibrations out

Vrije Universiteit opened a new research building for highly precise physics and biomedical studies on Friday 2 October.

Construction began in 2017, and the building was designed so that outside vibrations, such as those from trams and buses, cannot affect work in its labs.

Its features include laser installations and a 26-metre-deep concrete wall.

Keeping vibrations out of the labs

Concrete blocks in the basement help stop vibrations, and each weighs 350,000 kilos, according to Paul Goossens, the building’s head of housing.

Few places have more vibrations than the site, which is close to the A10 motorway and to train, bus and tram routes.

Goossens said it would be hard to find a vibration-free spot anywhere in the Netherlands, let alone Amsterdam, so the university built it on its campus anyway.

Kjeld Eikema, a physics professor and director of the laser lab, works in one of the rooms the vibrations cannot reach, so his research is not disrupted.

Eikema said the work is so precise that researchers sometimes work at the scale of a billionth of a second.

To find out more about higher education in the city, check out our guide to Amsterdam’s universities.

Source: AT5