Het Lichtruim

reflects individual needs and ambitions

The  Cultural Educational Centre ‘Het Lichtruim’ accommodation houses an elementary school, childcare, youth assistance, a music & arts centre, centre for youth & family, public library, theater and gym. The two top floors of the building are home to 20 apartments. This new shared accommodation breathes collectiveness, and yet simultaneously respects each tenant’s unique requirement and individual identity.

An elongated, folded canopy landmarks the collective main entrance on the newly created urban square. Two additional entrances are located along the park side. The main entrance provides access to a public interior space, which then feathers out to the various entrances of the individual users and the shared facilities.

Within the area the building provides a welcome link between the surrounding subareas, melting together in the architecture of the new premises. A robust five layer building volume defines a new urban square in front, mending the urban fabric at the location. Three building volumes of two floors each penetrate into the lush landscape on the parkside. This has resulted in the landscape with its playgrounds being drawn ‘inside’, blurring the transition inside-outside.

Leading in the design was the incorporation of the various distinctive and functional public-private zones, but also of clustered functions, multifunctional spaces and the need to ensure short walking distances. The complete program now embeds a smart modeled building volume, in which incoming daylight, orientation of rooms, accessibility and urban context are paramount.

Facts

Client

Woonstichting SSW

Assignment

New build

Location

Planetenplein 2, de Bilt, NL

Area

10,500 sqm

Function

Cultural Educational Centre

Start design

October 2010

Start construction

March 2012

Completed

October 2014

Photography

Digidaan

The makers of this project

Folkert van Hagen

Folkert van Hagen

folkert@groupa.nl Architect | Partner

Brigitte van der Tuin

Brigitte van der Tuin

brigitte@groupa.nl Interior architect

Paul Geurts

Paul Geurts

Esther Vlasveld

Esther Vlasveld

Roy Grob

Roy Grob

Edo Omerovic

Edo Omerovic

Ines Senghor

Ines Senghor

External stakeholders

Contractor

Hegeman Bouwgroep

Project management

VKZ bv

Installation consultants

VIAC Installatie Adviseurs, Houten

Installation consultants

KKB, Soest

Constructor

Peutz bv