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
