The residents of the Erasmus building knew they’d have to leave ‘their’ building at some point, but for some the fact that they won’t be returning is hard to take in.. ‘The first thing I do when I enter my office, is look outside.’

To a lot of employees, the news at half past nine Thursday morning came as a surprise: the Erasmus building will probably be turned into a student flat, hotel or convention centre – or a combination of the three. The employees who are currently working in the building will probably be transferred to a whole new building, on the spot of the Spinoza building. It should be ready in 2025.

How do the current residents of the Erasmus tower take the news, especially those who have been working there for 45 years?

Elke Leenders, Osiris administrator at FTR (fifteenth floor)

‘I’ve been in this office for very long, so I’ve experienced the last ‘revitalisation’ of the Erasmus building. During the renovation I had to move internally three times. It’s quite an attractive idea to just move once this time, to the new place. I don’t feel so connected to this building, although I’ll probably miss the nice view.’

‘It’s not a very practical building. On this floor we have windows everywhere, but on other floors people can’t see if you’re behind your desk. Also it’s hard to know where you are, you end up walking around the whole floor to get to the coffee corner.’

‘The building should be preserved, as ugly as it is. When I return from a holiday and see the tower from the highway, it feels like coming home.’

Lieke de Jong, lecturer Arabian (seventeenth floor)

‘I’d feel sad if we wouldn’t return, I’ve been in this building for 45 years. The first thing I do when I come in is look outside. You can see the forest of Berg en Dal and the Reichswald from here.’

‘Hopefully I won’t have to live through the move. In five years I’ll retire, just around the time when the new building is supposed to be finished. I wonder if we could fit all our things in the new place. When you see how stuffed this room is! The move could actually serve as a good excuse to clean up the mess.’

‘I do wonder if we should build something new in these times of sustainability. It might not be as expensive as renovating the Erasmus tower, building a new building requires a lot of new materials.’

Yvonne van Rijswijk, employee Student Affairs at Radboud Teachers Academy (twentieth floor)

‘When I applied here a year ago and heard I’d be working on the 20th floor, it put me off a bit. But that feeling disappeared rapidly. This is the most beautiful workplace in Nijmegen, the view is unique.’

‘It’d be a waste if we’d have to leave. In our newsletter there are a lot of photographs we take ourselves, for example of a sunrise. Often students and employees come here just to look out the window. Sometimes even high school students.’

‘The Erasmus building could be a great hotel. At least considering the view, it is a bit far from the centre. I hope that at least one of the top floors will stay accessible for everyone.’