About four years after the university was founded in 1960, the TU/e fire department opened its doors at the Multi Media Pavilion (MMP). Over the years, the fire station moved to various locations within the MMP, the building now called Disruptor, until the move to Fenix was made in 2019. “Fenix is slowly approaching the end of its lifespan, but it can certainly be left standing until 2029 and will house our fire department until then,” says Annelien Besijn, communications officer at Real Estate.

Changed plans

Until recently, it was unclear whether the TU/e fire department would need to leave Fenix sooner, as there was talk of using the location to build research facilities. “Now we’ve made other plans, it’s clear that won’t be necessary,” says Besijn.

By other plans, she refers to the construction of the new lab building and the cleanroom on De Zaale. The cleanroom will be located in front of Flux, where P6 is now. The lab building will be across from it, next to the Pendulum building. Construction of these buildings will start in 2026 and 2027, respectively, and is expected to be completed in 2028 and 2029.

Relieve pressure

According to Besijn, it’s convenient that Fenix will remain standing until 2029. The building won’t be fully occupied by the fire department. The remaining space in Fenix can be used until 2029 to relieve pressure in other buildings. Ultimately, the arrival of the cleanroom and the lab building on De Zaale should resolve a large part of the shortage in other locations, but it will take until at least 2028 before construction is completed. “That’s why we need Fenix until we have the new buildings,” says Besijn. According to her, the possibility of temporarily moving the laboratories, offices, and practical classrooms of Electrical Engineering from Flux to Fenix is currently being investigated.

New fire station(s)

After 2029, the Fenix building will really be worn out and the TU/e fire department will have to relocate to another location on campus, says Besijn. According to her, it’s still unclear exactly where this will be. “This depends on the results of the TU/e fire department’s future exploration, which an external agency is currently carrying out on behalf of the Executive Board,” adds Gijs Spiele, head of Safety & Security at TU/e.

In addition to the TU/e fire department, the fire brigade for Eindhoven and the Brabant-Zuidoost Security Region (VRBZO) currently has its own 24-hour station in the Fenix building. This station is separate from the TU/e fire department, but is located in the same building. The lease with the VRBZO expires in 2027, but Besijn can confirm that a new location on the TU/e premises is currently being considered together with the regional fire brigade and the municipality. It’s not clear yet whether the stations of the TU/e fire department and the VRBZO will be in the same building again in the future.