Erasmus University Rotterdam Art Collection
Erasmus University Rotterdam holds a collection of approximately 2,000 artworks, distributed across the Woudestein campus and Erasmus University College. The collection includes a wide range of art forms, such as paintings, photographs, drawings, prints, sculptures, installations, and monumental art. At the end of 2024, the university initiated the process of creating large-scale murals on the walls of the two stairwells in the Langeveld Building.

Langeveld Building
Under the motto 'Building new perspectives', the Executive Board of Erasmus University Rotterdam is investing in a future-proof and sustainable Woudestein campus. As part of this vision, a new multifunctional educational building—the Langeveld Building—was completed in 2022. The six-story building is a model of sustainable and circular construction, featuring innovative technologies, including a revolutionary new ventilation system driven by wind and solar energy.

In addition to lecture halls and educational spaces, the Langeveld Building also houses a lounge area and numerous study spaces, accommodating around 3,000 students from various faculties.

On this page, we present three outstanding mural concepts for the six-storey stairwells of the Langeveld Building, created by two individual artists and one artist duo, namely:

Christine Rusche

Hadassah Emmerich

3TWINS (Yuri & Anatoly Zelensky)

Concept sketches by Christine Rusche

Sketch Design ‘CASCADES / Room-Drawing’ (working title)
Building as Climate Machine

Movement motif from dynamic forms:
The black shapes follow the vertical flow of invisible air currents moving through shafts and solar chimneys behind the stairwell walls. This imagined dynamic motif extends across all floors, with each level revealing a different part, giving each floor its own identity. The graphic forms act as a visual notation, responding to the location and guiding movement through the stairwell. The continuous shapes invite a spatial and sensory exploration.

The mural CASCADE (working title) integrates an imagined, site-specific visual space into the physical architecture, blending visually with its surroundings to create an immersive artwork and physical art experience. CASCADES refers to the dynamic, vertically flowing movement within the stairwell—a transitional space, a place of passage and temporary pause. The mural highlights and enhances this architectural zone, marking the Langeveld Building with a distinctive, location-specific image. Through its color fields and open visual composition, the mural also represents the opening of ideal spaces—spaces for thought and imagination.

Color concept:

Blue (matte): Applied to the outward-facing wall next to the EWF system shafts—symbolizing air supply and water cooling.
Yellow-Orange (matte): Refers to the solar chimney behind the central south-facing wall, where air heats up and rises.
Silver-Grey (satin): On the inward-facing wall behind which teaching spaces are located. The silver-grey, with its visibly hand-painted texture, reflects colors, space, and surroundings, dynamically shifting with light, movement, and viewing angle—referring to the processes of learning, reflection, and the exchange of knowledge and experience.
Black (matte): Directional forms representing movement, applied to all three stairwell walls.

Motivation concept sketches by Christine Rusche

Sketch Design ‘CASCADES / Room-Drawing’ (working title)
Building as Climate Machine

The Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) concept by Ben Bronsema (2013) harnesses natural energy sources—geothermal energy, wind, and sun—to transform a building into a climate machine powered by nature.

This climate machine is shaped by three responsive architectural elements:

The Ventec Roof, which uses wind pressure to supply fresh air via a pressurization chamber and extract it through a venturi ejector.

The Climate Cascade, which conditions the ventilation air—cooling and dehumidifying in summer, heating and humidifying in winter—while also generating overpressure for air distribution.

The Solar Chimney, which extracts used air and captures solar heat. Combined with high-performance thermal insulation, this minimizes energy use, reduces the need for renewable energy systems, and supports energy neutrality.

(Source: www.bouwtotaal.nl/2023/01/earth-wind-fire-concept-als-klimaatsysteem)

Concept sketches Hadassah Emmerich

Motivation concept sketches by Hadassah Emmerich

Murals for Langeveld Building
This proposal presents two murals for the stairwells of the Langeveld Building. While both share a common visual language, each stairwell is distinguished by its own color palette: cool tones on the left and warm tones on the right. These color temperatures are not just aesthetic but also reflect the building’s energy systems, reinforcing its sustainable design philosophy.

The murals feature organic, abstracted forms—buds, stems, leaves—that contrast with the building’s rigid concrete structure. Muted colors ensure the artwork integrates seamlessly into the space without overpowering it. Monumental in scale, some motifs span multiple floors, guiding movement and offering subtle orientation in otherwise repetitive spaces. They also echo the natural forms of the green cascade in the central hall, enhancing the building’s dialogue between architecture and nature.

User Experience
For students, staff, and visitors, the murals introduce rhythm, direction, and personality. Soft, layered color tones blend with the concrete surroundings. Flowing shapes add warmth and contrast to the linear space. The artwork enhances identity without overwhelming it. The stairwells become more welcoming and easier to navigate.

Technique & Sustainability
The murals are created using a hand-printing technique: paint is applied to vinyl stencils with rollers and transferred to the wall. The ink is low-odor, water-washable, and dries to a durable, industrial-grade finish. Underlying acrylic fields unify the printed elements.

Stencils are produced off-site, transported rolled, and reused for future artworks—minimizing waste. The method suits a future-focused building:

Durable & maintainable: Touch-ups are simple, and cleaning is easy with mild soap.

Safe & robust: No protruding parts, fire-safe materials.

Long lifespan: No varnish needed, colors remain stable out of direct sunlight.

Conclusion
These murals offer more than visual enhancement—they express the core values of the Langeveld Building: sustainability, integration with nature, and a human-centered spatial experience.

Concept sketches by 3TWINS (Yuri & Anatoly Zelensky)

Motivation concept sketches by 3TWINS (Yuri & Anatoly Zelensky)

The synthesis of technology and nature
The murals represent a balance between technological and natural environments, illustrating how innovation and sustainable solutions become an integral part of contemporary architecture. They address global challenges such as urbanization and climate change.

Technological foundation
Interwoven white lines and columns evoke the building’s load-bearing structures, engineering networks, and digital flows, symbolizing technological progress and sustainable architecture. By integrating these elements, we highlight innovative solutions, such as energy-efficient systems and advanced ventilation, embedded within the Langeveld Building.

The idea of sustainable development
The use of graphics with varying densities illustrates the interconnection between technology and ecology. This project reflects the sustainable architectural philosophy of the Langeveld Building at Erasmus University Rotterdam. It aims to emphasize the harmony between technology and nature, demonstrating that innovative solutions can coexist with the environment, creating a balance between urbanism and nature.

On the important role of visual art in the buildings and outdoor spaces of campus Woudestein by Anne Clement van Vugt – Coordinator / Advisor Art Affairs, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Since the early development of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) at Woudestein, the university has aimed to create a distinctive and inspiring environment. Visual art has played a key role in this vision from the beginning, as reflected in the high quality and diversity of artworks visible throughout the university's buildings and outdoor spaces. Together, these works form the EUR art collection.

The initiative to establish the EUR art collection was launched in 1963 by legal scholar Professor Mr. Piet Sanders (1912–2012). Sanders was not only a jurist but also a prominent private art collector and patron. Along with his wife Ida Sanders, he supported many emerging artists, some of whom later achieved international recognition. For Sanders, the EUR art collection was a unique expression of the university’s evolving identity. He also firmly believed that the art collection contributed to the broad academic and societal development of students—a belief that continues to underpin the university’s current art policy. After more than 55 years, the EUR collection now consists of over 2,000 artworks.

During the early development of the Woudestein campus, Sanders also served as building dean. In that role, he was closely involved in selecting artists who were commissioned to create works funded through construction budgets—better known as the 'one percent for art' scheme. A remarkable example of a work made possible by Sanders is the large painted tile mural on the Tinbergen Building (1968) by artist Karel Appel, a personal acquaintance of Sanders.

Two recurring themes can be traced through the commissioned artworks at EUR: in the early years, the optimism of postwar reconstruction and the modern urban history of Rotterdam; and in later periods, science and academia as central motifs.

In light of the university’s expansion, the EUR Executive Board reintroduced the one percent art scheme in August 2010. Under the 'Campus in Development' program, new site-specific art commissions have since been initiated and, in part, realized at various locations across the campus.