Integrated child centre De Bonkelaar

Building with a construction system does not mean that everything has to look the same. By applying standardisation and prefabrication on the right scale, design freedom is hardly restricted at all. The basis of the ‘Schoolvoorbeeld’ is a sophisticated grid measuring 7.2 by 8.4 metres. This dimension is ideal for creating spacious, well-lit classrooms with a good width-to-depth ratio. To achieve this relatively large span, steel I-beams are used in combination with timber columns and solid timber floors (GLT).

In addition to the structure, the façade system, internal walls and climate control systems, amongst other elements, have been standardised. Here too, whilst the fundamental design choices are in place, there remains sufficient scope for project-specific solutions. For example, the façade finish can be freely determined, although there is a strong preference for light-coloured (given the timber-frame façade) and removable (given the circularity requirements of the IPS) materials with low CO₂ emissions.

The system therefore consists of elements (and explicitly not modules), which means that adjustments to the grid are easily possible where necessary. However, by setting certain parameters, aspects such as dimensioning, floor construction, acoustic requirements and CO₂ impact can be easily determined at an early stage.

Moreover, the strength of a building system lies in the ability of the design team to continue to innovate. NEXT architects and the other partners continue to develop the ‘Schoolvoorbeeld’ system with every new project. Lessons learnt from De Bonkelaar are incorporated into the next school. This is efficient both in the design process (there is no need to reinvent every time) and in the construction process (it reduces failure costs as mistakes are not repeated).

Eleven schools are now under development using the ‘Schoolvoorbeeld’ system. These are eleven unique projects designed by three different architectural practices (RU+PA, DP6 and NEXT) in different cities; each school has its own programme of requirements, its own educational vision and its own identity. With ‘Schoolvoorbeeld’, serial construction is not a matter of repeatedly erecting the same building, but of building intelligently on what works.

Designing with the ‘Schoolvoorbeeld’ building system requires very few adjustments on the part of designers. For De Bonkelaar, we were able to focus entirely on designing the right learning environment for the children. From the brief, we concluded that the client was seeking the right balance between openness and spaciousness on the one hand, and a small-scale, cosy atmosphere on the other. We achieved this balance by dividing the lower, middle and upper years into two clusters of three classrooms each, arranged around a learning plaza. The clusters and learning plazas are large enough to allow children to work in small groups, yet small enough to suit the children’s experience of the space. Furthermore, the learning plazas are designed so that teachers can easily oversee them.

The clusters are rotated and offset in relation to one another (to allow for oblique natural light) and grouped around a central core. This creates a playful resemblance to the sails of a windmill in the floor plan. From the double-height centre of the Bonkelaar (the cogwheel at the heart of a windmill), all the clusters are easily accessible yet also somewhat secluded to ensure the necessary tranquillity.