With all the talk of moving to a new campus, a concern some students have raised is: “Are we getting
cramped? Is the new place smaller?” Let’s clear the air. It’s true that Aarhus BSS has to reduce its
occupied area by about 10% when moving to University City, due to a government rent cap. But
this doesn’t mean you’ll be packed into tiny classrooms or lose your favorite study spot.
AU planned this thoroughly: the space optimization primarily affects offices and administrative areas, not student areas. In other words, they’ve shaved off square meters by designing more efficient staff offices (for example, slightly smaller individual offices or more shared offices) and consolidating service functions, so that student-facing spaces – like lecture halls, classrooms, libraries, group rooms – are impacted as
little as possible.
The goal was to make the campus leaner without compromising the quality of our study environment. From what we’ve seen, study spaces might actually increase in quality and usage: clever layouts mean fewer dead corridors and more usable nooks for studying.
Think of it this way: if a professor’s office is a bit smaller but the classroom next door has better tech and lighting, that’s a trade-off made in favor of us students. AU’s project lead even noted that this optimization makes the move more sustainable – we’re not heating and maintaining 10% extra space that isn’t needed, which is eco-friendly and cost-effective. It’s like trimming fat while keeping muscle. The savings on rent and utilities can be channeled into things that matter more, like student services or events.
You might notice some differences: for example, at Fuglesangs Allé we had some fairly roomy hallways
and perhaps underutilized corners. In the new buildings, every area is designed with purpose. Lounge
areas might double as meeting spots, etc. These changes reflect modern needs – we don’t necessarily need more space, but smarter space. Crucially, study areas were protected as a priority during this planning. So you won’t have fewer reading seats; in fact, you’ll likely have more seats but distributed in different ways (library, open zones, department lounges).
The new campus still abides by the principle of having “many study places” for a flexible study environment. Also, let’s not forget: Fuglesangs Allé was one faculty on a separate site. In University City, we share common spaces with Arts and others. So while BSS’s dedicated area is a bit smaller, students can roam and use various buildings – the whole campus becomes your space to some extent. There will be shared lecture halls, cafeterias, etc. If one building is full, you go next door. It’s a more integrated environment.
In summary, don’t worry about getting squeezed. The planners have done the number crunching to
ensure the space is used efficiently and that your experience (as a student needing lecture halls, study
rooms, social space) remains excellent. As evidence, they outright said the reduction was aimed at office
space “so study areas are affected as little as possible”.
So no there will not be less space for the students. They are cutting excess, not essentials.
Campus 2.0 is all about smart use of space – which ultimately benefits the students by providing
sustainable, comfortable, and well-utilized environments for all of us students.
