Concept : tactile patchwork
The school is situated, from the
perspective of urban planning, on an essential site. The front-side is situated
in an urban tissue of streets in a ribbon development. The school zone itself
is by means of its campus morphology part of a larger green area.
The building site for the new school
building is characterised by its large differences in height, rising backwards
from the street. The open structure of the plot was a gaping wound in the
urban tissue. Additionally, there was a significant difference in building on
both sides of the plot.
Urban concept
The building is interpreted as a
fusion of two typologies.
Along the street side it is, because
of its three levels, a continuation as well as a closing of the existing ribbon
development. At the backside the elongated building consists of two levels and
is partly sunk into the terrain. This way it refers to the existing pavilions
on the plot.
Together with the blurring of boundaries
between the two building-typologies, the line between city and nature vanishes.
Between the new school building and the existing pavilion, an internal street
penetrates the school area. A big entrance gate closes this street, meanwhile
the main building maintains accessible after school hours.
Architectural concept
Duality between restrictive
urbanisation and frivolity of the spread pavilions is one of discipline and
chaos, hard and soft, knowledge and creativity, strain and relaxation, studying
and playing. Teaching children to coop with this duality is an important
training instruction. This duality is reflected in the design and materiality
of the building.
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