ENERGY NEUTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL | Architectenbureau Marlies Rohmer

The main feature of the master plan for Amsterdam’s Houthaven area is the creation of new artificial islands based on the original dock basins. Long lines of sight over the water will establish visual contact between the IJ waterway and the residential district Spaandammerbuurt. Each island has a distinct character. At the landward head of Island 3, the Houthaven Community School will occupy a central position in the new park between the old and new parts of Spaarndammerbuurt. For many people will be like a gateway to the former harbour area behind it. The hallmark of Island 3 consists of closed blocks of building which draw inspiration from Amsterdam School architecture.

The building is a compact, robust block in the Amsterdam School architectural tradition (as required by the Image Quality Plan). It projects an air of openness due to its large oriel with foyer on the street side, inward-curving entrances, a double-height loggia, large windows and 2014double-height out-swinging doors on the ground floor. The block is built up from prefabricated brickwork facade modules detailed with a rosette-shaped relief, together with a pattern of glazed facing bricks of which some are decorated with children’s drawings. The facades also incorporate nesting boxes. The deep reveals and large glazed openings in varied rhythms contribute an additional layer of detail to the facades. The top of the building consists of a cornice with integrated narrow, vertical windows.

The park side of the block has a sun-facing double-height loggia with terrace, which is linked to the restaurant and the (rentable) gym. The terrace with school gardening planters doubles as an area for lunch breaks and for open-air lessons. The loggia can be filled with a projection screen, which on summer nights will be ideal for showing films viewable from the park; in this respect the school will be “contributing something back” to the city. The Houthaven Community School is a building where children can learn, play, take part in sports and feel at home, and which will promote closer bonds of families with the social surroundings.