Bladergroenschool
Groningen NL | 2024 | 3.000m2 | School
Mevrouw Meijer is an idealistic organization that strives to improve the architecture of Dutch schools. They approached us to develop a spatial strategy for the Bladergroenschool in Groningen. The school dates from the late 60's and is due for an upgrade. We proposed a mixture of demolition and addition in order to create a small 'village' with lots of space for nature. The large, impractically shaped H-building will be covered by a large roof, which results in two covered yards that function as the hearts of the separate age groups. The smaller buildings will restored to their original intentions with pitched roofs and lots of daylight, as professed by the 'Groninger school'.
The situation in the late 60's
New situation
Key Project Details
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- Primary school for special education
- Refurbishment
- Research study
- Landscape integration
​The floor plan is centered around two internal atria, which are separated by a large tribune staircase. The students are grouped by age, each group clustered around one of the atriums. The younger children are housed on the ground floor, the older ones on the first floor. The classrooms have direct access to the gardens and are separated from one another by a shared space for focussed study and a small kitchen. The courtyards are laid out with small pavilions, serving as play rooms and workspace for faculty.
Ground floor
The school is set within a beautiful and diverse natural landscape. A large body of water separates the school grounds from a residential area in the South. The plan aims to give as much space back to nature as possible. We demolish several parts of the building to both improve practical usability and make space for gardens and herb gardens to be maintained by students and faculty.
Section over the H-building
​The classrooms are fitted within the existing grid structure of steel beams and columns. They are spacious and can be used for various purposes and lay-outs. On the first floor we introduce open corridors along the atria to create visual relationships throughout the building. Staff and faculty are also housed on the first floor with meeting rooms and offices. In the heart of the building we placed two large play rooms, meant for shared use.
First floor
On the facade we attach a new pergola structure for shade to prevent overheating. It's simultaneously a climbing structure for plants.
Groninger school type
The flat roofs of the smaller buildings will be replaced with pitched roofs and plants of glass for daylight, inspired by the Groninger school. In front we make a pergola structure and shared herb gardens.
Section over the typical Groninger School building
Rather than one large building, we created a plan for the school as a collection of smaller, more practical buildings set within a lush landscape. This approach was informed by the trope that 'it takes a village to raise a child'. Plus, this way the many involved parties in special education are housed in a far mode dedicated and practical way.
Team Bladergroenschool
Client
User
Architect
Year
Mevrouw Meijer
Gemeente Groningen
Raumplan
2024