Zilverkamp school

Zilverkamp school

Huissen
By adding a greenhouse, abundant extra space is created for in- and outdoor activities such as a wood workshop, vegetable gardens and a ‘Kosmos’ playground.
By placing the entire building inside a greenhouse, an intermediate climate is created that reduces the demands for thermal insulation of the original roofs and façades
At the same time an abundance of extra space is created for numerous semi-outdoor activities. There are spaces to play, of course, but also easy vegetable patches and workshops

Year

2014
Status
Design

About

Set within the characteristic 1970s housing estate de Zilverkamp, which was built along the lines of what in the Netherlands is known as the ‘cauliflower principle’, the Zilverkamp school houses three separate elementary schools of individual denominations. The school complex was constructed accordingly: a crystalline juxtaposition of classrooms and corridors set around as many small schoolyards. This shape adorns the complex with excessive amounts of exterior roof and wall surfaces, which means that attempts to raise thermal insulation values to a contemporary level become a prohibitively expensive undertaking. By placing the entire building inside a greenhouse, an intermediate climate is created that reduces the demands for thermal insulation of the original roofs and façades. At the same time an abundance of extra space is created for numerous semi-outdoor activities. There are spaces to play, of course, but also easy vegetable patches and workshops. The ‘cauliflower structure’ remains intact as do the corridors. Simultaneously, new forms of functional flexibility are introduced. The new exterior appearance, which basically disguises the school as a greenhouse, match perfectly with the agricultural industry around the village of Huissen. Theoretical project: www.mevrouwmeijer.nu

Specifications

Project
Extension and restructuring of a primary school
Team
Addy de Boer, Wilbert de Haan, Arjan Wanders, Mireia Cases
Client
Zilverkampschool, Huissen
Images
NEXIT

Location