Koopmans building
The building housing the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) and some services is named after econometrician Tjalling Charles Koopmans (1910–1985).
He was the second Dutchman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, in 1975, together with Russian Kantorovich, for their theoretical work on the optimal use of natural resources.
The 12-story building is the second oldest building on campus and opened in 1972. It is, like the oldest building (Cobbenhagen) a design by Jos. Bedaux. It was inspired by the architecture of Le Corbusier, particularly his high-profile residential building Unité d'Habitation (1952) in Marseille, a high-rise complex on stilts (pilotes). The design incorporates elements that are also found in Cobbenhagen Building: the gray of the concrete, the muschel (shell) limestone and also the white of the balcony slabs in front of the recessed windows. The building has a slender appearance, partly due to the glass facade on the first floor.
Between 2017 and 2020, the building was renovated for the second time, and the number of workstations was greatly increased—a process which did not please everyone. The hall has become a paragon of transparency, now that the natural stone of the back wall has been replaced with glass. In the stairwells, there are works of art by Theo Mols and JCJ van der Heijden, abstract, colorful surfaces that represent the idea of unity in diversity.
More about history and academic heritage
The Tilburg University academic heritage is a very diverse set of archives, visual materials, collections, devices, recorded stories, et cetera that relate to the history of the university.