Feringa Building: progress of the final construction phase and planned black-out

Over the past months, construction consortium Friso-Koopmans and installation consortium De Groot-Lammerink have made significant progress on the final part of the Feringa Building. Since June, Wesemann has also started equipping the laboratories, and Kelvin has begun integrating a cleanroom. By the end of this year, a large part of the building will be structurally completed. After that, an important testing phase will begin. All new facilities will be extensively tested and adjusted where necessary. A special part of this phase is a planned power outage for the entire Feringa Building. During this integral test, the emergency systems will be tested as a whole for the first time.

Future users and layout

This final construction phase (building section 5611, approx. 10,500 m²) will house leading institutes such as the space research institute SRON and the Kapteyn Institute for Astronomy. One of the most notable features is a high-quality cleanroom of 150 m² on the ground floor, part of which meets the strict ISO5 standard. Construction of the cleanroom has already begun and will be further equipped by Kelvin Reinraumsysteme in the coming period.

The first floor is largely dedicated to educational spaces. The second and third floors will primarily serve as practical laboratories (together totaling approx. 1,300 m²), while the fourth floor is mainly designated for the Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB). This will include laser laboratories and a radionuclide laboratory, where safe research with radioactive substances can take place.

The building features a patio garden (the only one with a pond), as well as green roofs and solar panels. Additionally, a new entrance has been added on the north side to reduce congestion at the main entrance.

Progress and involved parties

Since June, the laboratory equipment installation has been in full swing. Wesemann Laboeinrichtungen has already equipped the ground floor with fume hoods and lab tables. Kelvin is also working on the installation and setup of the cleanroom for SRON. Both parties are on schedule.

Testing emergency systems: planned black-out

To optimally prepare the building for unexpected situations, a major integral final test will be conducted around the May holiday of 2027 (exact date to be announced): the overall-ISAT. During this test, power will be cut off for an entire day throughout the whole building to verify that the backup systems function properly. This power outage will be carefully prepared in close collaboration with the armico’s. More information will follow later.

Commissioning and relocation

The ISAT of the electrical installation is an important part of the commissioning of various installations to enable the use of all laboratories at the University of Groningen. Once it has been confirmed that all these systems are functioning properly, the relocation preparations will begin. For the research institutes, this means that the move is expected to take place in the second half of 2027. For the lecture halls, the aim is to have them operational by the start of the academic year in September 2027. The practical laboratories will relocate around January 2028 or in the summer of that year, depending on how well this can be coordinated with the teaching schedule.

More information

For more information about the Feringa Building, visit rug.nl/GroundbreakingWork.

Executing parties