CONCEPT – GUIDING IDEA
Over time the original building has been extended several times, so that it now gives the impression that its routes and room functions have reached their limits because of the growing building volume, pushing many qualities into the background. For this reason we propose adapting the internal circulation and path network to allow further spatial and functional expansion.
To achieve this, the design takes an unconventional approach and creates a new access level at basement level. This new campus square is defined as a central meeting point and place of encounter that will give the education campus a welcoming atmosphere.
The extension buildings, made up of several volumes, complement the existing building as a small-scale ensemble. Care is taken that the extensive functional programme is not only stacked vertically but also embedded harmoniously in the terrain. To this end, the square level of the circulation is brought forward to street level to strengthen and clarify the relationship between the education campus and the city.
IMPLEMENTATION (developed in more detail in the 2nd competition stage)
At the jury's suggestion, the entrance area was completely revised to make it more attractive and better lit. This was achieved by reducing the depth of the covered area and demolishing part of the external staircase, without affecting the striking silhouette of the existing building. Openings in the slab bring more light into the new entrance level, making it bright and full of light. This proposed intervention will further emphasise the openness and transparency of the building's interior.
The striking silhouette that gives the building its identity is preserved!
Several cubic blocks of staggered height, placed in front of the existing building, create an interplay whose ensemble effect lets the campus square grow into a communicative centre. The open arrangement of the buildings unpretentiously expresses the merging with nature and the enlivening inflow of the surrounding landscape from different directions.
WE KEEP BUILDING, …
To strengthen the relationship with the “city” and the public, lively character of the campus square, the entrance area is brought forward, creating a new frame for the education campus.
The flanking buildings and the central reception form an attractive, lively unit that encloses the campus square on three sides and shapes it into a busy meeting point with an urban character. Students are thus welcomed on the large forecourt and led through the inviting glazed entrance into a bright, clearly laid-out, central circulation core. The entire base zone (campus square) becomes a social space for communication and encounter that invites people to linger and exchange ideas.
