Yisheng Development to design entrance area for Leiden Bio Science Park
Yisheng Development is to design the entrance area to the Leiden Bio Science Park. Leiden University and the municipality of Leiden selected this Amstelveen-based project developer on the basis of their sustainable design for a vibrant campus. The design provides a combination of residential, working and social areas.
Following an extensive selection procedure, Leiden University and the municipality of Leiden have selected an investor for the development of a new part of the Leiden Bio Science Park campus: the entrance area. This part of the park - between Plesmanlaan and Einsteinweg - will provide rented accommodation, shops, restaurants and other communal facilities. A spokesperson for Yisheng Development commented: 'The collaboration with Leiden University and the municipality of Leiden is a perfect match for our core values of creativity, meticulousness and harmony. We want to confirm our desire for a long-term relationship with the Leiden Bio Science Park which we aim to express in our designs, our investment and the way we implement these plans. We will give the entrance to the park a stronger and more cohesive image, making it a place where people will enjoy living and spending time.'
Community
'This plan for the entrance represents a major step in the campus development of the Leiden Bio Science Park,' commented Martijn Ridderbos, Vice-President of the Executive Board of Leiden University. An important aspect of the project is the creation of a community made up of students, residents and companies on the campus. This is one of the ambitions expressed in the masterplan drawn up by the university and the municipality for the further development of the Bio Science Park. This community will be shaped by the addition of communal areas, both inside and outside. A good mix of facilities for students, residents and for the companies on the park can represent considerable added value to the whole area. The entrance area will be free of cars, with pedestrians and cyclists as the main users.
Alderman Paul Dirkse (Knowledge and Education): 'Thanks to the construction of around 1,000 rented homes on the Leiden Bio Science Park, we will be able to offer students, young career-makers, staff and guest researchers at the University, who come to our knowledge city from all parts of the world, a pleasant home on the campus.'
Collaborating parties
Developer and invester Yisheng Group is heading a development team that includes Lingotto, RED+ and Realnomics and a design team including VenhoevenCS, Paul de Ruiter architects and Landlab. These teams will be joined by student housing developer Student Experience, who will manage the acommodation.
The university and municipality will provide land ready for building, and these teams can get to work on the development and construction. Yisheng's sustainable design reflects the principle of the Dutch landscape with long vistas, a lot of greenery and water, and native trees and plants. This is in line with the aim of improving biodiversity on the Bio Science Park.
Other projects in the area
The entrance area will be connected to a campus square that Leiden University is having designed and laid out. Work is also underway on the second phase of the Gorlaeus Building for the Faculty of Science, the demolition of old laboratories, and a new sports centre. Parking garages will be built on both sides of the entrance area.
Upper photo: Artist' s impression of the new entrance area to the Leiden Bio Science Park. (Yisheng Development)