Textile School Expertex De Maere remains today as one of the historical landmarks of the city’s rich past in the textile industry. The building of this educational institute was initiated in 1922 by Charles De Maere, an important figure in the Dutch textile industry and designed by Dutch architect WK de Wijs, who is also famous for the ‘Pathmos’ neighbourhood in the city, where local factory workers lived with their families.
In this collaboration project, IAA Architects and Space Craft Architects in London were appointed by a Client consortium to refurbish and extend the original building to provide state of the art, flexible teaching spaces, offices, laboratories and support facilities within the existing National Monument. The design draws a clear distinction between the original school and the new facilities, with the same attention to detail paid to the restorations of the 1920’s building as to the new laboratories. Working closely with the ‘Dutch Heritage’, approval was secured for a new wing containing climatically controlled laboratory space with highly intensive plant and services requirements. This new laboratory building utilises efficient and innovative concrete technologies such as pre-cast window reveals carefully designed to control light levels within the laboratories, and the ‘Bubble Deck’ structural floors developed to reduce concrete weight and deliver economy and rapid erection. Solar shading is provided by a three storey woven stainless steel mesh, selected as a durable textile.
The project was delivered in discrete phases to minimise disruption to the college and commercial facilities housed within the Institute. Our partnering approach provided our Client with a comprehensive service accessing our experience of delivering projects within the Netherlands, including Dutch Planning and Building Regulations.