Christmas on the building site On 21 December 2012, the UvA and BAM Utiliteitsbouw organised a Christmas event on the Roeterseilandcampus building site. Students, employees, local residents – if fact everyone – was welcome. It was an opportunity to find out how the work was progressing while enjoying a drink and a snack. A number of information stalls were set up and there was a tour of the building site for anyone interested. An activity corner, supervised by students of the Education Theory department, was set up for the little ones to show off their creative talents. A ‘topping-out’ ceremony was also held to mark the highest point of the structure having been reached. All in all, a great afternoon. Paul Doop, Vice-President of the Executive Board UvA- The deans of the faculties ride the topping-out beer to Roeterseilandcampus HvA thanks the construction workers. the construction workers. ISSUE 2 | JANUARY 2013 ‘Stories from my law office Something of a white Christmas at the building site. Domain managers of the Amstel campus Miriam BAM employees in festive mood. The start of the tours was announced in true Leeflang (l) and Roeterseilandcampus Carin Bosboom. Christmas fashion. are the basis’ Professor by Special Appointment of the Legal Profes- sion at the UvA’s Faculty of Law Britta Böhler has also co-authored the first volume of a crime thriller set in Amsterdam, titled Heldhaftig (‘Heroic’), with Rodney Bolt. We caught up with her to talk about writing and her activities as professor. In 2010, Böhler took a sabbati- to do it on my own, so I asked Tour through Building B. Kids decorate their own hard hats. Students sing Christmas carols. Just one more bite then. cal. ‘After 15 years in the legal a good friend of mine, Rodney practice, I was no longer the Bolt, if he was interested. It pioneer I wanted to be, so I turned out he’d been wanting to took a step back to reconsider write a detective novel for ages, ROETERSEILAND BACK THEN my options for the years ahead. but found it difficult to come up I went to Tenerife for a while, with a good plot.’ Collaborating and but found myself bored beyond Roeters and Sarphati belief; there were no bookshops Author duo or anything. Fortunately, there The author duo Britta Bolt com- being there was one small kiosk that sold bines their respective strengths: The Roeterseiland has a rich a doubt one of 19th-century ‘Sarphati makes detective novels, so I began Böhler’s ability to construct history, which we will be Amsterdam’s most colourful reading those.’ Böhler had long a plot and Rodney’s storytell- exploring over the coming figures. He came from a poor the city bloom’ toyed with the idea of writing a ing talent. ‘Our collaboration period. We will be doing Jewish family. It was the finan- novel herself, but her busy law is a totally organic process. We so with the help of local cial support of friends, who office never left enough time. have so much fun writing and residents, employees and noticed his gifts early on, into slowly moving gutters.’ ‘On Tenerife I hit on the idea of coming up with ideas.’ What students that have studied that enabled Samuel to study The stench of the city must writing a detective novel. I have inspired their unusual protago- this historical period. In this medicine. He developed into a have been unbearable. But this so many stories from my job to nist? ‘We heard about a situation part: Roeters and Sarphati, liberal and idealist. The flourish- all changed thanks to Sarphati.’ draw on. But I wasn’t so keen at Amsterdam’s municipal > a story from the book by two ing of the city after 1850 was Also the street named after him, residents Ko van Geemert largely thanks to his efforts. which before then was known Named Professor by Special Appointment of the Legal Profession at the UvA as from 1 January 2012, and Karel Warmenhoven He established the commercial as Schans, was turned into a Britta Böhler is also half of the author duo Britta Bolt. Currently, Böhler has her office in one of the Britta Böhler and Rodney Bolt are the two halves of ‘Van Artis tot Zeeman, de school, the first bread factory, boulevard with, for the time, UvA’s oldest buildings, but that will change when she moves to Roeterseiland. ‘The UvA should never author duo Britta Bolt. Their novel (Heldhaftig) centres on Amsterdamse Plantage en the Agricultural Society, the sunny and airy residences thanks have given me the best office at Oudemanhuispoort. It will be hard to leave. But the plans for the Pieter Posthumus, who works at Amsterdam’s municipal Weesperbuurt van A tot Z’. National Mortgage Bank, the to Sarphati’s efforts in 1870. The Roeterseilandcampus look fantastic, so I can’t wait to see what’s in store.’ undertaker’s office and is responsible for arranging Amstel Hotel, the Palace for Oranje Nassau barracks, built anonymous burials. Plagued by misgivings about two Edward Loos has been enforce guidelines if they’re While we know so much about Industry and an improved in the Sarphatistraat in 1814, Roeterseiland project mana- ignored.’ Samuel Sarphati (1813 – 1866), system for the collection of now houses 180 rented homes such burials, Posthumus is convinced he’s on the trail of a ger for the City Centre urban Since 1 September, the urban we know virtually nothing the city’s rubbish. The latter, and small businesses. Another murderer – even if the police believe otherwise. district since September 2012. district has had teams working about Hendrick Roeters (1617 – in particular, must have rep- former barracks, located in Launch of REC A renovation He is a regular at neigh- on area management, the 1699), the scion of a reformed/ resented a huge leap forward. Sarphatistraat 470, now houses Volume two of the Posthumus trilogy will be published in bourhood meetings and calls members of which collaborate Mennonite Amsterdam fam- A contemporary: ‘In the best the Royal Academy of Visual autumn 2013 by Arbeiderspers. himself ‘the central contact closely in the development, ily. In the 1660s Roeters was a neighbourhoods, on street Arts. In addition to the street, request. Riccardo Hartsink, can only be done by experts’, for the UvA, local residents management and maintenance city sheriff (alderman, ed.) and corners and near churches, were a park, quay and a nursing home construction manager at Hartsink explains. After that, and businesspeople.’ of the public space. This has from 1673 until 1680 he held piles of excrement and trash; were also named in honour of BAM Utiliteitsbouw, explains. the demolition begins. ‘Only the resulted in greater coordination. the position of chief bailiff walls were eroded by urine; Samuel Sarphati. shell of Building A will remain, ‘Working closely with the UvA, Loos: ‘For example, I will attend (mayor, ed.) of Amsterdam. chamber pots were emptied ‘When the UvA asked if we plus the foundation and con- we aim to steer the develop- a neighbourhood meeting on Roetersstraat and Roeterseiland could move up the REC A crete structure. We’ll start with Further information ments in the neighbourhood demolition and the construction were both named after him. In demolition and construction the interior, leaving the existing At the Roeterseiland location, a number of existing university in the right direction and to be of REC A (development) while the 17th century, Roeterseiland works schedule, BAM reviewed façade intact as long as possible buildings are being renovated and the outdoor space there for people when we’re the domain managers in our was a centre of brandy produc- the options and was able to to limit noise levels. Only when redeveloped over the next few years to accommodate the needed. As an Amsterdam team attend a residents’ meeting tion. In 1671, Roeters, acting start preparing the building site we’ve finished with the build- urban district, we of course on subsidence in the street as city sheriff, sold seven- before the Christmas holiday. ing interior will we demolish Faculty of Economics and Business, the Faculty of Social and have public-law tasks such as (management and maintenance).’ teen plots of land to brandy That done, we could get to the external wall.’ The cleanup Behavioural Sciences and the Faculty of Law. The facility is issuing licences for construc- Loos can see that the UvA is distillers, including two to work. As the UvA wishes to and demolition will take 9-12 set to become a lively urban campus with study facilities, tion, business and catering as taking area management very himself. The parcel of land minimise the noise disturbance months, with the number of research labs and catering facilities. The latest information well as amending zoning plans. seriously. ‘For example, the between Weesperplein, Nieuwe of these activities for area users workers onsite to be gradually on the construction activities is available on www.uva.nl/ I approach the neighbourhood university is being a lot clearer Achtergracht, Dwarsgracht (now and residents, our goal is to have scaled up over time, to 150-200 roeterseiland or via Twitter @roeterseiland. from that perspective. If some- and more transparent about the Roetersstraat) and Baangracht the new REC A façade up in when the actual construction thing needs to be arranged or is potential nuisance caused by the (now Sarphatistraat) therefore Riccardo Hartsink summer 2014.’ work gets underway. ‘The faster Visitors are also welcome to drop by the Roeterseiland­ in danger of going wrong, I am work. All studies into vibrations soon acquired the name we work, the earlier the build- campus Information Point in the foyer of Building E the person to see for both the and noise can now be consulted Roeterseiland.