Quay wall in Univ. Amsterdam collapse was repaired in May; In trouble for weeks

Employees of the University of Amsterdam were given limited access to re-enter two buildings adjacent to a quay wall which crumbled into a canal. The pavement above and along the quay was renovated in May, but it was found to already be sinking on August 18, the university said.

“As a precaution, the UvA closed the back of the building the same day so that the quay was no longer accessible to students and staff. An investigation was also started immediately into the cause of the cave-in,” the university stated.

“This again shows that there is great need to invest in maintenance. We have been doing that since last year,” said Sharon Dijksma, the alderman in charge of infrastructure in Amsterdam. A sinkhole was being investigated as a possible cause.

There were no injuries as a result of Tuesday’s wall collapse. Both buildings, Binnengasthuis 1 and 2, BG1 and BG2 on Turfdraagsterpad, were evacuated immediately after the 1 p.m. incident.

Workers were allowed into the building starting on Thursday to pick up their belongings, the university said. Anyone requiring access was going to be escorted by security because it was still unclear how the buildings were affected.

The buildings house the faculties of Art History and Humanities, and the Education Desk, an administrative team assisting Humanities students with study-related questions. The latter was temporarily moved into the P.C. Hoofthuis.

“We expect to be able to provide more clarity on the reopening of the buildings on Friday,” the university said in a statement.