Construction of new RIVM building €136 million over budget, delayed by years

The construction of a new RIVM building at the Science Park in Utrecht is taking much longer and costing much more than expected. The project is already 136 million euros over budget, and RIVM employees may only be able to move in next year, while the original opening was set for 2018, RTV Utrecht reported.

Construction of the new home for the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) suffered numerous delays. Part of the problem was that insufficient account was taken of the vibrations caused by a nearby tram line and how that would impact laboratories in the building. Coming up with a solution to that cost a lot of time and money.

Seven years after the set opening date and 136 million euros over budget, the building is done, but RIVM employees can’t yet move in. “The security system is not yet working properly,” a spokesperson for the Central Government Real Estate Agency (Rijksvastgoedbedrijf) told RTV Utrecht. “Construction company Meet Strukton is working on getting this sorted out. However, it is not yet clear how much time they will need for this. As long as clarity is lacking, we cannot give an exact moving date.”

Until that time, the 2,200 RIVM employees will remain at their current location in Bilthoven. That is very frustrating for everyone involved, an RIVM spokesperson told the broadcaster. “We really want to know for sure when we will have the key in our hands. Then we can make a good plan. We hope that can happen in the coming weeks,” the spokesperson said. “The move could be in 2025, but it could also be 2026.”