Gorlaeus lecture hall Leiden

The first university in the Netherlands was founded in Leiden in 1575. The institute was always a familiar sight in the historic city centre, but now also beyond. The Gorlaeus Laboratoria were built in the second half of the 20th century, as the starting signal for the development of a modern knowledge campus outside the city centre: today's Leiden Bio Science Park. The now outdated lecture hall building - also known as “De Schotel” (The Dish) – will be renovated into an education and meeting centre with work and study spaces, a restaurant for 400 people and four lecture and event rooms with 250 to 700 seats. Civic is providing both the architectural and interior design, drawing inspiration from the intriguing modernism of the original architects, Drexhage, Sterkenburg, Bodon & Venstra (DSBV).

Specific modernism
The Gorlaeus bears the typical characteristics of a modernist university building, such as the elevated main level and the glass façades. However, it transcends the generic and austere appearance that this genre is usually known for, through the specific constructive aesthetics and exaggerations in design and detailing. This idea of “hyper functionalism” was the starting point for the metamorphosis. A transfiguration in which the concept of “functionality” has been updated: it’s less about autonomy and more about connection - with the environment, the climate and the users.
A key operation is the transformation of the maintenance walkways into a ring of climate-adaptive winter gardens. The characteristic chamfer is reversed to enhance the visual relationship between building and its surroundings. Passers-by will no longer see mainly the reflection of the sky in the glass, but the reflection of the campus itself, and the viewing angle makes it easier to look inside. In addition, there will also be a new entrance staircase connecting the campus ground level directly to the first level. From afar, the staircase has a similar sense of exaggeration in design, just like the existing concrete structure. Up close, however, the small pebbles and sophisticated milling pattern make the stairs more tactile and human.

The centre of the campus
The annex that formed the original entrance to the Gorlaeus will be demolished to ensure access to the surrounding buildings within the campus plan. The new monumental staircase will soon be the main entrance from the central axis of the campus square, clearly visible and accessible for all the users of the campus. The staircase leads to a panoramic restaurant with work and study areas on the first floor, which can also be used for presentations, conferences and awards ceremonies. The staircase is both a staying and meeting place and a gallery for the campus square. Upstairs, it connects to a circular walkway that makes the lecture halls accessible in two directions and provides views. The circular façade enhances the iconic character of the building, allowing it to continue to bear its nickname with dignity.

Climate-adaptive winter gardens
The original façade design by DSBV seems the same throughout, but actually each segment reacts differently to the environment and the sun. This was the inspiration for the energetic preservation of the façade. The steel window frames with single glazing are replaced by a ring of buffered conservatories. Each segment is worked out differently, the whole moving with the rhythm of the days and seasons. On the south and east sides, there’s a series of passively heated - but actively ventilated - winter gardens with additional living spaces; a seating edge with a view of the campus square and a series of benches directly connected to the restaurant. Users can drink coffee with a view, socialise or flip open the laptop before or after lectures. On the north and west sides are window-cleaning walkways with protective canopies, which also incorporate the new emergency stairs.

Construction during lectures
The building will remain in use during construction. Therefore, the phasing for the step-by-step demolition and construction work is linked to the college schedule for the academic year and a specific implementation method was chosen. The segments, measuring 10-metre-wide and 6-metre-high, will be assembled piece by piece on site and suspended in their entirety between the radial truss structures of the existing building. By doing this from the outside, the building can continue to function on the inside. The installations are then carried out in segments, so that only one lecture hall needs to be out of service each time, and teaching can continue for the lectures.

The building is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023 and, in parallel, Civic will be working on the interior design.