Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Generally
Generally
NTNU Campus Development is a program that consists of several development projects related to NTNU’s campuses. The purpose of the campus development is to ensure that NTNU’s campus becomes a strategic tool for realizing NTNU’s academic ambitions, by ensuring that buildings and surroundings facilitate the desired academic development at the university.
Unified campus is the leading project in the campus development, both in time and scope. Unified campus is a project that over the next ten years will gather NTNU’s academic environment in Trondheim from scattered locations to one single campus in the area around Gløshaugen. The state will finance new buildings in the area up to 92,000 square meters and rebuild up to 45,000 square meters of existing land at NTNU. Statsbygg is responsible for the building project, on behalf of the government.
Campus development is often confused with the co-location project. Co-location of academic environments as a result of the merger with former HiST was approved by the Rector in spring 2017. The co-location project moves and co-locates academic environments as a result of the merger and in accordance with the changed faculty and department structure from 1.1.2017.
Location of academic functions
Location of academic functions
Rector has adopted a recommendation for overall placement of the academic clusters in the future co-located campus in Trondheim. The Rector's decision is in line with the Committee for location of academic functions’ Alternative C.
Location as described in Alternative C:
- Location of the HumSam cluster in the south-eastern part of the Gløshaug plateau:
The inputs from the consultation of the report on location of academic functions give broad support to placing the HumSam cluster in line with alternative C. - The KAMD cluster is placed in the north along Høyskolebakken:
Through the project development it will be discussed with the affected academic communities how KAMD can be realized along Høyskolebakken. Restrictions might occur through the political treatment of the planning programme and later regulation of the area may limit the area capacity here. - The economy cluster is located in the south-west with an innovation center.
- Health and social work is located at Øya, as part of the integrated University Hospital.
- Teacher education is located at Kalvskinnet.
It is recommended that further work on co-locating NTNUs campus in Trondheim should happen in accordance to the following principles:
- The eight main academic clusters, the subsidiarity principle (Interim report 2 p.18, Interim report 3 p. 8) and the geographical axes where the main structure of Gløshaugen seeks to be preserved as much as possible.
The main clusters are defined as:
- HumSam
- Health and social work
- Teacher education
- KAMD
- Economy
- Natural science
- Information technology and electrical engineering, including mathematics
- Engineering
- An increased scope of hub functions and learning areas along the central axis of Gløshaugen to ensure variation in space and function. There will also be learning areas related to the specific academic clusters in local hubs.
The following aspects need to be further explored:
- Student housing on campus; scope and location.
- Content and scope of the innovation center and the connection with other innovation infrastructures on campus.
- Space for external partners in the academic clusters, including SINTEF and SIT.
- Alternative locations for the sports building from Dragvoll.
- Space for student welfare, student democracy and student volunteerism.
- Joint administration; structure and location.
- Laboratories, workshops and other areas with specific academic needs which are directly affected by the co-location will be assessed in relation to the ability for operational experimental infrastructure and activities both during the construction period and after new buildings have been put into use.
The main findings from the consultation responses are:
- Broad support for alternative C.
- Widespread support for:
- The Interim reports’ principles, premises and priorities for academic localization, including academic clusters and the subsidiarity principle.
- A central location of the HumSam cluster.
- Location of the KAM cluster (KAM + D) in the north, along Høyskolebakken. - Widespread agreement on preserving, strengthening and further developing the cooperation with external partners, as long as this does not happen at the expense of NTNU's professional activities.
- Most external partners are positive to establishing an innovation center.
- A majority of those who comment on student housing at Gløshaugen are sceptical - for different reasons. Sit and some students, however, support the establishment of student housing.
- There are several suggestions that the main building should be used as a signal and symbol building, and that it is less suitable for research and teaching.
- There are concerns related to the construction process and needs for relocating as a result of the construction, especially regarding the influence on existing experimental activities.
The committee has worked in three phases resulting in three reports:
• First phase - autumn 2017: Interim report 1: Principles and criteria for academic location, 10.11.2017 (pdf in Norwegian)
• Second phase - spring 2018: Interim report 2: Principles and premises for planning, 15.06.2018 (pdf in Norwegian)
• Third phase - autumn 2018: Interim report 3: Main grip, models and solutions 14.12.2018 (pdf in Norwegian)
The goal of academic localization is to clarify which academic communities will be placed where when the communities from Dragvoll and the center move together with NTNU's other academic communities in the area around Gløshaugen.
The main task of the committee has been to do a study at an overall level. First through defining different principles and criteria for professional localization, then defining principles and premises for planning, and finally suggesting mainstream models and solutions.
The committee has provided input to the work on the physical plan, and has primarily given advice on where academic activities and environments should be placed in a unified campus in Trondheim.
Elgesetergate 10
Elgesetergate 10
Park
Park
No! We have explored the possibility of building two buildings which will affect the edge of the park in the south, in the area called Vestskråningen. We are exploring this area because we believe that we can shorten the distance between our academic communities within economics (at Handelshøyskolen) and technology (on the Gløshaug plateau) and because we see that we can create an active and attractive area where the park is integrated with the university.
Høyskoleparken is an important part of the campus that we want to use even more. We want it better integrated into the campus when we are further expanding the university in the area around Gløshaugen. There will be more people in this area in the future, and we want to add outward-looking functions in the buildings closest to the park. This will help attract more people and make the park a natural outdoor area for those who will use the new university buildings as well.
New buildings require higher quality outdoor areas and increased requirements for accessibility. The building process can be used as an opportunity to improve the quality, availability and connections in the park area itself. The more people in the area, the greater the need for an upgrade.
Vestskråningen and Hesthagen is one of the possible areas we have explored for new university buildings. This is because we more university in this area will have much better effect for NTNU than if the estimated square meters here were to be placed elsewhere. NTNU needs large enough buildings or clusters of buildings to gather relevant academic environments. The area Hesthagen and Vestskråningen have a key role in linking NTNU’s academic environment within finance and management with the technology environments up on the Gløshaug plateau.
Developing this area is also significant for being able to connect the campus at Teknobyen west of Elgesetergate. These are attractive areas for companies in the private or public sector that want to establish themselves close to NTNU. It is possible to think of the development of an innovation axis between Gløshaugen and Teknobyen. One success criteria is increased academic activity in the area, not just improving paths for walking and cycling.
The maximum alternative for new buildings in Vestskråningen will mean a construction area of approximately 2050 square meters of the 17,200 square meters park enclosing Gløshaugen (includes Elgeseter park, Høgskoleparken and Høgskoledalen). In return, we will be able to add over 13,000 new square meters (gross area) to the university in addition to the buildings we have here from before and the 30 000 squared metres planned in the parking lot in Hesthagen. This is why we want to explore further the possibilities in this area.
The Building Council opened up to investigate the possibility of building in the south area of the park, between the parking lot in Hesthagen and up to the Gløshaug plateau. They stated in March 2018 that the connection between Gløshaugen and Hesthagen to the greatest extent possible should be planned with open solutions without buildings. Therefore we have explored various solutions and possible sizes of clusters of buildings in addition to solutions without buildings in Vestskråningen.
On April 25th the City Council will decide which areas can be explored further for possible new buildings through zoning plans.
We have looked at solutions for connecting Hesthagen and the Gløshaug plateau without buildings. We have looked at the possibility of an elevator and a bridge connection, as well as a universally designed walkway on ground level. All the options are in the consultation material form March 2018 and is included in the material for political finalization.
Illustration: The sketches are from the study of the possible areas for new university buildings around Gløshaugen - 10 September 2018.
Building in Høgskolebakken
Building in Høgskolebakken
NTNU is unifying its activities in the area around Gløshaugen. It has been a long time goal to gather the creative and artistic subjects; art, architecture, music and design, in a separate KAMD center. With over 1800 students and 380 employees, this can become the country’s largest environment for creative subjects.
The location is also an important step towards achieving the stated goal of an urban and a city integrated campus. A location in Høgskolebakken, close to Studentersamfundet makes the center easily accessible for students and other people. It makes for many opportunities for opening up the university for the public and for cultural experiences.
There are some dilemmas in this area because some buildings have cultural heritage value. Studies done by architects on behalf of NTNU show that it is possible to achieve just over 40,000 square meters which is needed to realize this center with sufficient space for partners, and at the same time keep most of the existing buildings in the area. Such a solution will also preserve the view between the main building and Nidarosdomen which has a national heritage value. This means that Thingvallagården, Vollan gård and parts of the State Archives will be preserved, together with parts of the remaining wooden buildings in Grensen. Some buildings may have to be moved, while some buildings may have to be demolished in order to achieve the required amount of space to make this creative center. In any case the area will be investigated in more detail through future zoning plans.
Cautions map for cultural heritagesClick to enlarge photo.