The renovated building will be inhabited mainly by students and staff of the Mechanical Engineering (ME) department. For example, the laboratories and workplaces of the research groups Dynamics and Control, Robotics, Energy Technology, Power & Flow, Control Systems Technology, and Microsystems will move here. And also the Darcy Lab will once again be found in Gemini North, says Corine Spoor, deputy director of ME.

“In addition, several classrooms, OGO rooms and the SEL education are on the first floor. PhD and graduate student workstations are on several floors in the open areas. And also the two pubs of the ME and BmE student associations have been given a nice spot,” she says.

Fifty years

Gemini-North was built - along with its twin brother Gemini-South - in the 1970s. Back then, the buildings were called W-Low (low-rise) and W-High (high-rise), respectively. In 2011, they were renamed Gemini, Latin for twins.

The renovation of the 50-year-old building was done in two parts, first the north section and then south. The stripping of Gemini-North started gradually in 2021 and in April 2023 construction company Heijmans began the renovation. Originally, the building was to be completed in September 2024, but due to expanding Heijmans' assignment, that was delayed by six months. Finally it happened last Friday, making the renovation last just under two years.

Down to the shell

During the renovation, Gemini-North was demolished down to the shell, says Roderik van Doorn, project manager at Real Estate. “Only the concrete structure remained. This involved removing heavy concrete elements from the basement, waterproofing the basement and starting to build the new design and all new installations.”

With the new design, Gemini-North already achieved the so-called BREEAM Excellent design certificate in 2023. This is an international sustainability label awarded to sustainable buildings. For example, in the design and during the renovation, efforts were made to minimize the impact on the environment, including by maintaining existing elements such as the concrete construction and the use of sustainable materials.

The building is also connected to the heat and heat cold storage system (ATES) located underground of the TU/e campus. With this, the building is heated and cooled in a sustainable way, and is completely gas-free.

Moving

Now that Gemini-North has been officially completed, the move-in and hook-up - connecting the moved equipment to the building installations - can begin. About a month and a half has been planned for this. “An inventory of what needs to be moved has been made with the users and a relocation schedule has been drawn up. The goal is to be finished with all moves by May 1,” Van Doorn says.