TBA - Time Based Architecture
TBA - Time Based Architecture
T i m e - B a s e d A r c h i t e c t u r e
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
v o l u m e 2
During the 20th century it became increasingly clear that architecture is by no means a timeless medium.
To begin with, artists and architects like Constant, Friedman, Archigram and the Metabolists merely toyed
with the notion of time. In the late 1960s, however, serious research was done into techniques that would
allow buildings to adapt to meet the demands made by time. This was especially true in the
housing
sector where after many years a new rationale emerged described as 'open building' where the
management or users took part in the design process. This open-endedness was not confined to
housing and time based designs spread
to most other building types. The desire for flexibility, per
se, often led to programmatically neutral, characterless buildings. Flexibility became synonymous with
blandness and the word subsequently slipped from the architect's vocabulary.
Society is changing at such speed that buildings are faced with new demands which they should be in a
position to meet. There are times when buildings change function during construction or even during the
design process. For example, the currently weak office market has caused many property developers to
alter ongoing projects for office buildings into housing. This usually means that the plans need
redeveloping from scratch. A new approach, therefore, is to design buildings that are able to cope with
such changes, in other words buildings that respond to the time factor.
Going back to the sixties, designing for the unknown, the unpredictable, was a new challenge facing
architects both then and more so today. What role could and should people play in the design
process. The challenge in time based architectural design was considered even greater than before.
'Form follows function' is giving way to concepts like polyvalence, changeability, flexibility, disassembly and
semi-permanence. The design is becoming an innovative tool for developing new spatial and physical
structures that generate freedom. Another important issue therefore is how does time-based architecture
fit into architectural design education? Not all of these questions can be dealt with in journal format
but
the buildings published will reflect some of these issues and may give rise to some clues which
could have some impact on design disciplines and related activities
TBA International is a full four colour publication. The aim is to publish the work of firms of
architects, from different countries, covering different building types which are time based and may
also have been designed with close collaboration of client management and with user design inputs.
A
T i m e - B a s e d A r c h i t e c t u r e
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
v o l u m e 2
i n t r o d u c t i o n
A u s t r a l i e
B o s t o n
a r chitect
12
DKV architecten
Dolf Dobbelaar, Herman de Kovel, Paul de Vroom
N i e u w e
M i l l i n x b u u r t ,
R o t t e r d a m
a r chitect
20
DKV architecten
Dolf Dobbelaar, Herman de Kovel, Paul de Vroom
K o p
v a n
H a v e n d i e p ,
L e l y s t a d
a r chitect
DKV architecten
Dolf Dobbelaar, Herman de Kovel, Paul de Vroom
26
S c h u t t e r s t o r e n
M e e r
e n
O e v e r ,
a r chitect
32
DKV architecten
Roel Bosch, Herman de Kovel, Wico Valk, Paul de Vroom
I n s u l a
a r chitect
C o l l e g e ,
D o r d r e c h t
DKV architecten
Roel Bosch, Herman de Kovel, Wico Valk, Paul de Vroom
40
A m s t e r d a m
d]
L E U P E N
al to time
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ased]
time-b
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I n t r o d u c t i o n
B E R N A R D
1 model studies
modern-day situations.
Dolf Dobbelaar, Paul de Vroom, 'Herinrichting Sluisjesdijk-Rotterdam' Plan vol.14 no.6 June 1983, p18-26.
DKV was moving away from the family housing unit design
infiltrated its way into the building, and not even its conser-
world."
4 Ammersooiseplein,
Rotterdam.
4a Ammersooiseplein,
Rotterdam floor plan 1-2
4b Ammersooiseplein,
Rotterdam floor plan 3-7
5 Kop st'Janshaven situated
on the river
6 Kop St. Janshaven
Rotterdam, floor plans
4a
4b
The result is housing that can be, and can over time
continue to be, fine-tuned to the specific and changing
needs of its inhabitants. Australi-Boston is the most
radical in this respect, with units that, at the shell
level, are nothing more than empty lofts. The spaces
are fitted with a floor system that provides full access
for laying or rerouting cable networks, thereby making
it possible to arrange the interior in any number of
ways over time. Kop van Havendiep is based on a
straightforward scheme of a succession of dual
housing units. Its load-bearing faade again allows for
a range of different interior layouts. The Schutterstoren
uses the same principle, but with a column structure
abutting the faade and a circular plan that, likewise,
creates endless options for variation.
The Millinxbuurt plan is the single most prominent
example of shell-based thinking. A simple form of
subdivision is transposed into three-dimensional space
via a series of structural walls, which create a skeleton
to be fleshed out by its inhabitants. The need to
establish preconditions for changing usage (i.e. flexibility) played a major role in the design of the Insula
College in Dordrecht. Constantly shifting perspectives
on education call for a new generation of school
buildings such as this one, thus marking a definitive
break with the time-honoured principle of form follows
function. The documented plans for each of these
projects are richly illustrated; emphasising images that
can give a clear impression of their inherent variety of
layout options.
Bern ard Leupen
f
D o b b e l a a r ,
H e r m a n
d e
K o v e l ,
P a u l
d e
V r o o m
c o m b i n a t i e
N i e u w
A m e r i k a /
J o h a n
M a t s e r
Y m e r e
O n t u i k k e l i n g / H e t
O o s t e n
K r i s t a l
V e s t e d a )
Train
At the end of the twentieth century, a start was made on the develop-
ment of the Oostelijke Handelskade (East Trade Quay), the next project
australi-boston
D K V
a r c h i t e c t e n
D o l
C l i e n t
O n t w i k k e l i n g s
P r o j e c t a n t k i k k e l i n g
( B o s t o n
a c q u i r e d
b y
M o noliths
The Rapp & Rapp office drew up a blueprint for the Nieuw Amerika
which the total length of the quay was divided into subsections called
elements into three monolithic volumes for which a zoning plan on the
the through road and railway line, and finally a series of broad volumes
occupied this site and was incorporated into the architectonic concept.
U - s h a pe
The Australi-Boston apartment block was regarded as a single complex
consisting of a new and an existing part. To meet the urban planning regulations, the existing warehouse was extended on both sides to conform to the
street alignment. There is a single system of access for the whole configuration and the new construction was designed in such a way that both parts,
old and new, are always simultaneously visible, regardless of the viewpoint.
On the city side, the new construction volume has a U-shape that embraces
a courtyard with an elevated communal garden. On the waterfront, the new
construction section protrudes out over the warehouse, so that it appears to
float. The old and new sections are interconnected by means of glass
3
surfaces.
3
4
5
6
Australi-Boston, Site
Concept one building
Floor plan first floor
Gallery and balcony, photo Luuk Kramer
the course of the ducts in the floor with the assistance of only a stanley
SHELL
CONSTRUCTION
knife. The vertical entry of the pipes and ducts in the warehouse was kept
outside the apartments. All ducts and meter cupboards are concentrated in
two large central cores.
In the warehouse, the faade was the restricting factor. In order to do full
justice to the architecture of the historical exterior, the division of the interior
had to take the existing faade openings as its basis. None the less, this
apparent restriction resulted in unconventional, good interior variants.
hekwe k
The wooden loading platforms that determine the image from the quay side
are echoed in this faade as balconies with details related to the platforms.
30
BASIC LOFT
wm
wm
PRE-DETERMINED
LAYOUT
hekwe k
hekwe k
30
wm
S hell housin g
Neu t r al
In the interior, too, the building was again regarded as a single indivisible
In the new part, other factors played a role. A rational structure of floors and
its fundament, with a system of ultra-short galleries on the court side. Here,
elements.
too, the route of the pipes and ducts was kept outside the actual living area.
During the development of the project, the loft principle was still a rather
Similar to those in the warehouse section, the horizontal ducts are concealed
uncommon feature of new construction. However, the concept of old and new
in an elevated floor, while all vertical shafts and the meter cupboards are
integrated in the faades on the court side. With neutral floor plans, the
wm
hekwe k
hekwe k
F reedom
each apartment was assigned a large veranda that runs parallel to the gallery
The shell apartment is based on the notion that the flexible layout and
and allows access to the apartment. The apartment faade on the exterior of
the building block is one large French window. An aluminium front can be
This means that, in spatial or technical terms, a solution has to be found for
all objects that may form an obstacle to free partitioning. In this case, design-
system. In this way, the size and use of the exterior space can be determined
OWN LAYOUT
BASED ON LOFT
30
wm
wm
C at al o gu e
cast-iron columns is sufficiently spacious and the floor areas are satisfactorily
For the layout of the apartment, three alternative scenarios were devised from
which the purchaser could choose on the basis of personal preference. First
A principle that guaranteed optimum freedom was developed for the route of
the pipes and ducts. Horizontal ducts are housed in an elevated low-tech
sliding panels and closet walls, and kitchen blocks. These elements were
derived from standard building products and are freely available on the
concrete floor. This material has the advantage that it is light and inexpensive
and can easily accommodate pipes and ducts. If required, it is easy to change
of more passive, less wealthy purchasers who, under the pressure of a busy
tion, a logistics tool ought to be created that enables the client, contractor
career, simply dont get round to designing their own homes. Finally there is
and residents to agree on the way in which responsibilities and liabilities are
the ultimate loft idea: an empty space to which nothing needs to be added
shared, with regard to the communal and individual sections of the construc-
because the residents themselves specify how and with which resources the
apartment should be laid out. A choice in favour of this variant may have
several reasons. With the purchase of the shell structure. Buyers may have
reached the limit of their investment, and regard the emptiness as pure loft
Allure an d fire
habitation until new resources can be drawn upon. Or the residents may be
original enough to conceive a specific layout and may have the time and/or
entire Australia-Boston complex takes its identity from this. The architecture
of the new construction has been designed and materialized in rather
C h a nge a bility
austere fashion, so that old and new construction harmonize well. On the
Just as with the choice of interior features, the changeability of the apart-
ment also has various degrees. For the first resident, the user-freedom in
a filling of glass panels gives the building a robust allure that is akin to the
everyday life is considerable when the layout has largely been determined on
the basis of sliding walls and fronts. In view of the high-level low-tech quality
of the floor and partitioning walls, more substantial changes in the short
term, such as the combination of rooms, the alteration of the route of the
In 2002, with construction in full swing, the Australia warehouse was com-
pletely burned out. Because the building was essential to the complex in
in the long term, where kitchens and bathrooms have to be moved, for
example, are also very feasible although they may require more effort and
Im p l e m e ntation
Housing construction that emphasizes freedom of choice and changeability
tends to meet much resistance. The cause of this lies mainly in the combination of a conservative policy with regard to municipal building permission
and slow certification within the building world. As a consequence, construction plans are only approved when the number of apartments, the differentiation and the size of the houses are precisely defined in advance. Construction system components such as the steel Infra-floor or the styro-foam
Matura floor system, which are systems that have been common in utility
construction for a long time, can only be applied in housing after considerable delays. Once these obstacles have been cleared, organizational and
legal risks continue to play a role in selling shell housing, which is the
greatest source of concern for the developers. In order to avoid clashes
mw
mw
P aul de Vroom
mw
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investment.
between the implementation of the shell housing and the interior construc10
D K V
a r c h i t e c t e n
D o l f
D o b b e l a a r ,
H e r m a n
C l i e n t
P r o j e c t b u r e a u
M a n i f e s t a t i e
5 0 5 0
d e
K o v e l ,
P a u l
d e
V r o o m
Problem area
In the extensive sea of working-class quarters that
jointly make up Rotterdam-Zuid (South Rotterdam),
the Millinxbuurt lies wedged between major northsouth connections, with a broad trunk road to the
east and a lane with a dominant viaduct for the
overhead metro to the west. To the south, the
quarter is abruptly truncated by the large-scale
Zuidplein shopping mall. The map appears to
enclave with its own parcelling logic within the
architectural morphology of Rotterdam-Zuid. It is
actually a collection of parcels that has gradually
evolved into a characterless structure of closed
nieuwe millinxbuurt
A Real-life Blueprint
The plan for the Nieuwe Millinxbuurt (1995) was formulated for an exhibition in which Rotterdam was
presented as people imagined it would be in 50 years time. According to the theories of the Archigram
Group in the sixties, Western citizens would be living in so-called Walking Cities in 1995. This shows that
nothing is quite as dated as a sci-fi-like view of the future. On the contrary, drawing up a real-life blueprint for the coming fifty years is a realistic assignment. In this particular case, it involved developing the
Millinxbuurt (Millinx district) in such a way that it would be flexible enough to accommodate the continually
altering ethnic composition of residents and their ever-changing requirements, while simultaneously taking
into account the limited resources available to the residents of this district.
Four streets that run parallel to the southern periphery form the main streets
and connect to the urban road network by way of gateways. These four
streets communicate via a number of secondary streets that are laid out in
such a way that they discourage through traffic. A fine-meshed network of
paths opens up the entire quarter to slow traffic and provides good links to
the facility zone to the south. Two squares reinforce the identity of the
quarter. In view of their importance to the new district, the main streets and
the squares are the elements that have been allocated a distinctive architectonic context.
Existing Building
Perimeter Buildings
to be Maintained
Primary Connection
Secondary Connection
Tertiary Connection
Pathway
Commercial Area
New structure
The situation along the southern edge will change drastically. The detached
buildings that currently stand with their rears toward the Millinxbuurt will be
the peripheral construction along the north-south roads ensures that the
quarter is screened off. The current substantiation with tenement blocks based
tion will form a link between the Zuidplein and the residential area. A com-
pletely new structure, in which only the traffic circulation and the major urban
present, with the exception of a few adjustments for road junctions. In the
interventions have been architectonically defined, has been formulated for the
4
3 Model of the new Millinxbuurt
4 Reference of Mexico
5 Anatomy of the plan
typology.
5
Matrix
The building regulations have been deliberately restricted in the inner area. A grid of
parcels, mutually separated by walls running in east-west direction, has been laid out
within the street pattern. All incoming pipes and ducts required for housing construction have been installed in these walls. Furthermore, only the dimensions of the walls,
their positions with regard to the street alignment and the maximum construction
height within the walls have been determined in the blueprint, with the aim of avoiding possible conflicts. Within this matrix, it is possible to realize various dwelling
typologies, small-scale commercial enterprises, and workplaces. The intention is to
retain a maximum of freedom while ensuring minimum construction costs. It is
assumed that the future users will bring their own construction plans and packages
to this skeletal matrix, and that they should also be able to alter these installations
relatively simply. To stimulate such activity, a strip has been created on the southern
edge of the area to house a series of companies that sell construction materials and
supply construction elements, as well as companies that concentrate on recycling
these products. In many countries, d-i-y construction is a perfectly normal procedure.
It is only in the Netherlands, with its professional culture of ready-made housing, that
people tend to think of this as an unusual and even undesired way of obtaining a
home.
Image
On the basis of these flexible principles, the Millinxbuurt will become a vital residential area with an image that is subject to permanent change. All future modifications
to the use and internal layout can be accommodated without difficulty, as is the
case with old inner-city premises that have been functioning in this way for centuries.
The Millinxbuurt will become a quarter whose architectonic manifestation is determined by the unexpected convergence of designed academic architecture and
spontaneous self-made architecture. And behind this lies a powerful urban blueprint
that guarantees the identity of the district.
P aul de Vroom
Plan dat a
1995 urban study in the context of the manifestation
50 years of reconstruction 50 years of future
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a r c h i t e c t e n
C l i e n t
L e y t e n
e n
D o l f
D o b b e l a a r ,
H e r m a n
P a r t n e r s ,
R o t t e r d a m
d e
K o v e l ,
P a u l
d e
V r o o m
Ob ject
The required residential brief was really too modest to offer a counterweight to the adjoining mass
of low-rise housing. For this reason, the separate programme components of living, parking and
public exterior space were gathered into a single expressive object that was subsequently situated in
the water.
The substructure of this object is formed by a rectangular car park which is enclosed by water on
three sides and which protrudes just above the water line. As a result, the interior of the garage
benefits from the natural daylight that enters via the glass-panelled faades. The car park has a
sloping roof that issues on to a monumental square in front of the main entrance. The square is
accessible by means of gently sloping ramps at the sides. The car park is accessed via a ramp in
the middle.
of the Havendiep can be gained from the street and from the deck itself. The glass entrance hall
lies in the open space between the substructure and the superstructure. Furthermore, this spot serves
as a covered communal terrace, furnished with benches, on the waterfront.
The nine-storey main volume is elevated in relation to the substructure, so that an unimpeded view
D eaf
Because the sound pollution is extremely intense, especially with regard to current housing norms,
the only solution for this location had to be an unorthodox one. The starting point was that it was
impossible to place the living areas on the railway side. Accordingly, the faade on this side had to
meet the principle of the so-called deaf faade a faade with windows that cannot be opened.
This also applied to both side faades. Fortunately the sun and the view are on the relatively
noiseless west side of the building. The architectural concept of a solitary object in the water thus
led to a slender rectangular main volume in which the apartments were oriented as much as
possible to the sunny western side of the building.
3
R e c l a i m e d l and
The Abacus apartment block is situated in Lelystad, which is the capital of Flevoland, the extensive area of land that has been
reclaimed from the former Zuiderzee. The city has a direct railway link with Amsterdam. The spot where this railway line touches the
Havendiep, a dead straight waterway 3-km long, was designated by the Municipality to accommodate an exceptional building that
1
2
3
4
would function as a landmark indicating the transition from the new Landstrekenwijk district and the previously realized De Tjalk
residential estate. Actually, this spot could hardly be regarded as a real construction location. The water extends almost rightup to
the railway embankment and the trains produce a great deal of sound pollution.
L i ne a r
The storeys of the apartment block are organized in linear fashion. By placing the supporting
structure longitudinally, with supporting faades, which is a structure somewhat unusual for Dutch
housing construction, much freedom could be created. The basic floor plan, which contains two
apartments, is divided into two linear zones. The vertical access of the building the lift and the
staircase is situated at the centre of the building, on the railway side. On either side of this core
there are the bathrooms and toilets, the storage areas and shafts for pipes and ducts, and, in the
corner, the kitchen- dining room combinations. The zone on the sunny west side can be laid out
entirely according to the wishes of the residents. This was made possible by taking a fixeddimension grid as the basis for the construction and the service installations.
A supporting construction of portals with a fixed grid pattern is situated between both zones, and
the service installations are coupled to this. In the corridor zone, the horizontal pipes are ramified in
such a way that warm air is blown into each construction module and there is a connection to the
mains power supply at every pier.
Variants with two, three and four rooms, as well as a version with a single large loft, were proposed
for the layout of the open living zone. These layouts are easily created by installing light metal-stud
walls. Interior walls can be added or removed without having to make radical adjustments. A broad
balcony along the whole length of the west faade emphasizes the orientation of the apartments to
the sun and to the view of the Havendiep.
5
6
7
8
9
Material
The faade design augments the conceptual starting
point. The three faades that have to muffle the
noise are completely closed. The sparse openings in
these faades give the building an abstract, mysterious appearance. This is reinforced by the coating of
zinc, a material whose natural patina and configuration of continuous folds assign a certain scale to the
large, closed faade surfaces. In contrast, the faade
on the Havendiep is as light and open as possible.
Here, the dominant feature is the pattern formed by
the horizontal lines of the balconies and the translucent, moving glass windscreens in the foremost plane
of the balcony zone. The wooden faade coating
behind this, with an aluminium sliding front installed
at a fixed modular distance, ensures a contrast that
brings depth to this faade.
Reality
With the actual implementation of the project, the
design principles could be immediately tested in
real-life practice. The theory of flexible living zones
turned out to work better than anticipated. There
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10
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a r c h i t e c t e n
R o e l
B o s c h ,
H e r m a n
d e
K o v e l ,
C l i e n t
P r o p e r
S t o k
W o n i n g e n / A W V / D e l t a
F o r t e
W i c o
V a l k ,
P a u l
d e
V r o o m
Volume
The building was designed as a cylinder elevated 6.5 metres above ground level. At
cylinder-shaped core. The large overhang means that a view toward the lake from the
residential quarter can be retained. As conceived, the architecture evokes associations
with the archetype of a water tower: a cylinder form on a narrow substructure. This
powerful image is reinforced by the fact that the tower has been situated on a green
Restructuring
The Meer en Oever plan is a part of the large-scale restructuring opera-
blocks on the west side of the Lane incline toward Van Eesterens
objects, each of which would be allocated its own orientation, was the
chosen structure for the east side. One of these objects is an apartment
Eesterens urban design. The renewed Meer en Oever district, which lies
block that had to become the landmark of the quarter. The self-evident
idea of allowing the block to rise above the surrounding construction was
theless, the intended role of the landmark and structural element could
The Laan Meer en Vaart (Meer en Vaart Lane) has been extended and
appearance.
meer en oever
now forms the dividing line between two worlds. The orthogonal building
in Slotervaart]
this height, the building cantilevers out in a spectacular manner around a narrow
artificial mound, a so-called Dutch terp that conceals a sunken car park. In order to
emphasize its exceptional form in the evenings, the building is illuminated from below
so that it appears to float above the landscape.
Urban design
The choice of the cylinder shape is relevant to the entire urban planning structure.
Due to its form, the tower functions within the area as the pivot that brings cohesion
to the many directions in which the surrounding buildings have been scattered. Taking
the cylinder concept a little further, an exceptional design solution was formulated at
planning detail level.
1 Panorama photo DKV
2 Schutterstoren, site
3 Schutterstoren, photo Jeroen Musch
2 APARTMENTS
3 APARTMENTS
4 APARTMENTS
5 APARTMENTS
6 APARTMENTS
3 APARTMENTS
1 APARTMENT
4 APARTMENTS
Because the available ground area was too limited for the apartment block
Fr e e d o m
and the parking facilities, a strategy of double use was employed. The parking
The supporting construction enables a free and flexible layout of the floor
surfaces on the standard storeys. The lifts and staircases are concentrated in
around the concrete core of the block. This car park has been installed one
the concrete core. In circular zones around this core there are the communal
metre below ground level and then covered with a green bank so that the
horizontal access points and, moving outwards, the shafts containing pipes
park-like landscape stretches under the block in the form of a mound under
and ducts. Between these shafts, there are recesses for the entrances to the
the tower.
apartments. Beyond these there are the service areas of the apartments
themselves. The rest of the surface area is completely free, right out to the
Wei gh t w at c h i n g
faade. There are no supporting walls whatsoever in this part of the building,
With this type of building, it is important to ensure that not too much weight
thus allowing a free apartment layout and even a flexible apartment size.
Three storeys deviate from this principle. In the two lower storeys, the free
structure of columns and beams, with a concrete core at the centre. The
columns are set back in relation to the faade so that the span is reduced
top floor, it is limited by the patio-like loggias. In the partitioning of the free
floor areas, use is made of metal-stud separating walls, which are easily
Plaster ceilings have been installed to cover the sheet steel / concrete and
above these can be constructed in the traditional manner. The stacked storey
FREE LAY-OUT
Apartmen t type
The principle of open-plan floor surfaces offers the
freedom to apply any required layout to the apartment, as well as the possibility of creating apartments
of different sizes. After an extensive inventory, a
catalogue was compiled, showing individual apartments
varying in size from 90 m2 to 275 m2. On the basis
of rooms in the form of a circle segment, various
layouts were designed for each type of apartment. An
open loft variant was also developed for each type.
The catalogue subsequently displays the combinations
that can be made on the whole floor of a single
storey.
8a
8b
10 m
10 m
Lig htweight
The design of the faade was also formulated in the
context of weight-watching. The entire faade is made
of materials that are as light as possible. To reinforce
the continuous round form, protruding vertical posts
have been accommodated in the finishing. These
vertical profiles, extending up the entire height of the
building, are made of aluminium while the filling
between them consists of aluminium panels and glass
fronts, similar to a curtain wall principle. The arrangement is based on an ongoing rhythm of transparent
8c
8d
10 m
outdoor space.
To contrast with the light-metal faade, clear-varnished
wood and colours such as bright red have been
applied to the interior, evoking the feeling of being in
a luxury hotel.
8e
8f
2
10 m
10
20 m
Reality
type A
Paul de Vroom
Plan dat a
2001 commission
2005 start construction
type B
Pr ogr am
43-53 apartments
80 parking places
type C
10
1
10 m
type D
insula college
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a r c h i t e c t e n
R o e l
B o s c h ,
C l i e n t
L e e r p a r k
D o r d r e c h t
/
H e r m a n
d e
K o v e l ,
I n s u l a
C o l l e g e
W i c o
V a l k ,
P a u l
d e
V r o o m
Leerpark
On the south-eastern edge of Dordrecht, a city just south of
Rotterdam, a rather characterless area accommodating scattered
schools and commercial premises is currently being transformed
into an extraordinary district. It bears the name of Leerpark,
which is Dutch for Education Park. This area is triangular in
shape and lies wedged between a busy peripheral road to the
south-east and an international railway line to the north-west. As
a consequence, sound levels played an important role in planning the new quarter. As the basis for the transformation, the
landscape architects of West 8 formulated an urban blueprint
that proposed a radical mingling of functions. The fundament of
this plan is the Leerboulevard (Education Boulevard), a broad
centrally situated green avenue, along which all the important
educational buildings will be situated in the future, including four
schools. Furthermore, there will be sports and information
centres, and a hotel. These facilities will be supplemented by
offices, workplaces, houses, and small amenities such as shops
and restaurants. The introduction of so-called 'Leerbedrijven or
schooling firms enables the possibility of a gradual transition
from an educational venue to a work setting. The main concept
behind the scheme is that activity and enterprise will determine
the ambience of this urban district for the major part of the day.
Noi se
Matrix
The definitive site of the Insula College lies at the end of the Leerbou-
levard, along the axis, a position that assigns the building a certain
along the peripheral road and the railway line deaden the intensity of
pre-eminence.
noise for the rest of the quarter, in which living, working, learning and
Vag ue
floor slabs whose corners rest directly upon the columns. This simple
there was a rather vague brief. The first stage of the process concerned
tional programme had not yet been fully determined. But in order to
large span was required at that spot. Accordingly, the limited construc-
H ori z o n t al
The programme of the building itself is organized in
horizontal fashion. The ground floor is extra-high in
order to accommodate communal and public-oriented
areas. At the front, a small auditorium has been
installed and this also functions as a display window
for the work of the pupils. A large auditorium, the
school theatre, lies to the rear. The exceptional height
of the ground floor gives the building a majestic scale
that is uncommon for a school. A spacious entrance
patio is situated at the front, forming the gradual
transition from public space to the inner world. Four
storey-high pivot doors mark the boundary between
the interior and exterior. They represent the physical
separation between the pupils and uninvited passersby, but simultaneously preserve the visual relationship
entrance patio
water patio
wood patio
with water and one with wooden finishing and greenery, enhance the spatiality and transparency of these
floors.
Halls and corridors play an important role on all
storeys. They have been designed in such a way that
they encourage informal gathering, thus stimulating a
sense of community. On the second floor of the
secondary section, the principles of project-based
education have been consistently applied, as far as is
possible. Here the Economics section and the Health
and Welfare section have been laid out as open-plan
offices in which only a few elements are fixed. DKV
created the design for both sections.
ground floor
5 Classrooms versus open space
6 View outside, photo Bastiaan Ingenhousz
6
first floor
7a The entrance patio, photo Jeroen Musch
7b The water patio, photo Jeroen Musch
7c The wood patio, photo DKV
second floor
8a Ground floor plan
8b First floor plan
8c Second floor plan
Image
Changeability and representation determined the
function.
Paul de Vroom
10
A
T i m e - B a s e d A r c h i t e c t u r e
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
v o l u m e 3
S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 8
The
September 2008 issue covers seven well illustrated projects relating to the theme of Living and
Working from Specific to Generic. The issue is jointly edited by Dr. ir.Bernard Leupen and ir.Jasper van
Zwol both from the School of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
The Projects are :