As of 1 September 2020, the knowledge institutes Movisie, the Netherlands Youth Institute (NJi) and Vilans will rent approximately 5,000 square meters of office space in the Nova Building, which has been renovated and made sustainable by Urban Interest. Sekondant, the shared service center for the three knowledge institutes, is also moving to this new location. Movisie is the national knowledge institute for a coherent approach to social issues. The Netherlands Youth Institute collects, enriches, clarifies and shares current knowledge about youth, craftsmanship and the organisation of the youth field. Vilans is the national knowledge organisation for long-term care. The organisations are renting four linked floors in the centrally located office building for a rental period of 10 years. With this rental, Nova Building has become a real home base for organisations from the social domain. Other organisations in this sector have been located in the office building for years. This concerns, for example, the NSPOH (training institution in the social sector), EEDERIN (network organization for people with a disability or chronic illness) and, on balance, (national association of people with a personal budget).

Ans van de Maat, director of the Netherlands Youth Institute and spokesperson for the three knowledge institutes in the rental transaction:

It feels a bit strange to talk about moving at the time of corona measures. However, this period offers us the opportunity to work in a new and more hybrid way. Our new location is therefore primarily a meeting place where we can work with others to solve various social issues. We found this place at Nova Building. The office building is centrally located and offers us the opportunity to find and keep the connection with other organizations working in the social domain. The interior is in line with current corona measures and is flexible for the future. With this we have taken a nice new step.

Nova Building is part of the multi-year area development for which Urban Interest is committed, together with the municipality of Utrecht, the retailer association of the Nova Shopping Center and local residents. In recent years, the Nova Building (formerly known as the Piet van Dommelenhuis) has been completely gutted, renovated and made sustainable (energy label A). The building is over 70 meters high and has approximately 20,000 square meters. Nova Building is therefore a real Utrecht “Landmark” located on top of the Nova shopping center on Kanaleneiland. With the addition of the three knowledge institutes mentioned above, Nova Building has been fully and long-term rented for the first time.

Bram van Meijl, manager of offices and investments at Urban Interest:

The upgrade and rental of Nova Building is an important pillar in Urban Interest’s long-term strategy to turn Kanaleneiland back into a multifunctional area. Among other things, we have realized four large residential fields aimed at all types of income groups, ages and lifestyles and have improved the infrastructure together with the municipality. We are also continuously working on enriching the range of shops in the Nova Shopping Center. All aimed at making the functions of living, working and shopping a successful mix in this colorful and dynamic part of Utrecht.

The three above-mentioned knowledge institutes were advised by Ans de Wijn Bedrijfshuisvesting when the rental transaction was concluded.