The transformed monastery complex has been made more sustainable using a ground source heat pump, LED lighting and a central balanced ventilation system using air-conditioning units in the roof. All façades and the roof have been insulated on the inside. The existing monumental windows have been fitted with steel secondary windows. Additional skylights have been added in the roof and additional cellar windows in the cellar in order to ensure day light into the various accommodations and educational spaces.

Seventy-eight compact accommodation units have been designed in a wing of the monastery complex. These are self-catering studios, rented out to students and JADS researchers. The wet rooms were installed into the studios as prefab units. Downstairs accommodation units have been designed with a bedroom in the cellar and a living room with an open kitchen on basement level. The other apartments use the height of the space to accommodate a mezzanine with a sleeping area. The coming years will see the refurbishment of adjacent buildings into workstations for companies which prefer to be based close to the university centre.

This project elegantly blends together representation (a ground-breaking collaborative project between two universities) with creativity (repurposing a listed monastery complex and making it more sustainable, with only limited means) and monumental value (a precious historical building in the city centre of ’s-Hertogenbosch). The plan for the JADS was brought into being in a dynamic design process involving client, user and advisers. The programme and framework conditions were adapted and fine-tuned during the course of the process. The functions of the various spaces are easily adaptable to future needs.