Peters is no stranger to TU/e. She studied at the Department of the Built Environment from 1982 to 1988 and spent six months at the Industrial Development and Research Council in Atlanta doing research on user-conscious design and facility management as part of her graduation project.

She is very pleased with her return to TU/e, which she describes as going ‘back to the roots.’ “TU/e has become a completely different university since I left. More international and much livelier. TU/e is leading in education and research, and many high-profile technical innovations take place here. I visited the university a few times during the last couple of years and I was struck by the new campus experience every time. I would like to contribute to that, together with my colleagues, by offering housing that is both suitable and inspiring.”

Allround

After her graduation, Peters worked for architectural consultancy firm Inbo Consult and later switched to KPN Vastgoed, which she describes as “the client’s side”. Peters: “At KPN, I learned how real estate can be of added value to a primary process, in this case postal and telecommunication services, and I learned how to operate within a large, political concern. After almost ten years, I added planned economy and analysis of real estate portfolios to my field of activities at consultancy firm Brink Groep. Not much later, I handled interim management assignments for several municipalities and became interim head of Real Estate Management at the University of Tilburg.”

In 2011, Peters became self-employed, working on different projects, with a long-term contract as Manager of Real Estate at healthcare institution Emergis in the province of Zeeland.

Circular building

“Sustainability has been a recurring theme in my work during the past nine years. It started with the construction of the first passive energy-neutral school building in the Netherlands on the site of Emergis, and during the last three years, I was involved with the energy-neutral and circular built children’s and youth clinic of Emergis,” Peters says.

Set an example

One of the things on her agenda is TU/e’s integral housing program, which also includes the Campus 2030 strategy. Peters: “In my role as provider of housing accommodation, I feel intrinsically motivated and passionate about contributing to a healthier world. In my view, TU/e should set an example in sustainability that matches its ambition and strategic plans. I say: Practice what you preach.”

Her goal is for her and her colleagues to find smart - financial - solutions at faculties and services, and to keep searching for “the win-win situation for everyone involved.” Does she still have friends at TU/e from her student days? “I will be working with Elphi Nelissen, dean of the Department of the Built Environment. I still have to discover whether other people from those days work at TU/e.”