the "Wereld op Zuid"
N2 Architecten - Theo Kupers
-
Status:
Realized
-
Education level:
Primary Education (pre-school + primary)
-
Address:
Schere 39, 3085 Rotterdam
-
Client:
Woningcorporatie Vestia
-
Keywords:
Community school
-
Programme:
multipurpose central hall, 39 classrooms, office space, therapy spaces, learning/playing/lecturing area, individual workplaces, playing area, galleries, gymnastics room, dressing room, semi-professional kitchen, children cooking area, parents’ room, caretaker, teachers’ room, sleeping area, multimedia centre, subject room, meeting space, school grounds
-
Area:
7330m2
-
Number of classrooms:
39
-
Completion:
2009
A story of 1+1=3
The ‘Wereld op Zuid’ community school is the product of a wide-scale regeneration programme in Rotterdam-Zuid in the area of housing, education, work and social cohesion. It is a real neighbourhood building with facilities for young people, parents, neighbourhood activities and neighbourhood improvement. The low building consisting of different wings in brick is perfectly in line with the profile and character of the surrounding buildings. The school grounds are characterised by a multitude of atmospheres ranging from natural playground, to sport, to protected playgrounds. Some sections are laid out as public space, which is available for use by the school and the neighbourhood 24 hours a day, whereas other playgrounds rather have the hidden character of a non-public area.
In the ‘Wereld op Zuid’ fi ve partners work together under one single roof on the broad development of children aged 0 to 12. The building accommodates 2 schools, a day-care centre for disabled children, a childcare organisation, a children’s library, a welfare group for preschool and school social work, and sports associations. The different schools provide a complementary programme. The partners jointly work on one vision and programme within one single organisational context, i.e. the ‘Stichting Wereld op Zuid’.
This collaboration is translated in the design. The building reveals the search for a balance between collectivity and the individuality of the partners. The building exudes one single identity through its uniform architectural design. Still, each partner can express its individuality with a clearly demarcated section and its own design. The different partners in the building are oriented around the joint programme. Under the guidance of a project director the different partners have searched for similarities and differences in order to achieve a joint programme of requirements.
Through an intelligent game of the designers this extended school offers room for additional programme: a media centre, a parents’ room, a learning and playing area, etc. Each partner of the extended school ‘donated’ some of its square metres in favour of the common spaces. A well-thought-out circulation plan and a bundling of functions, such as the copying room, kitchen, reception and gymnastics room, provide additional square metres. The architect also generates added value from the multifunctional use. The large central hall is used as reception area, dining area, waiting room for parents, etc. The gymnastics room is fi tted with slidable glass walls, as a result of which it can form one single multipurpose room with the hall.
The ‘Wereld op Zuid’ is also a reference project in terms of collaboration between the housing corporation, the municipality and the community school partners in the fi nancing and management. The housing corporation Vestia has, in addition to the costs for process management, invested 14 million Euro, and is the owner of the building. The municipality contributed 2 million Euro and can re-buy the building after 20 years. Thanks to the co-fi nancing by the municipality the gymnastics room can be used for competition sports. Vestia covered the cost for 4 additional classrooms to provide greater fl exibility for the possible future extension of the schools. It is managed by the ‘Stipchting Wereld op Zuid’ foundation, in which all extended school partners are represented. This foundation rents from Vestia, and the different participants contribute their rent to the foundation, either with or without a contribution from the municipality. By means of a digital key control system and a central reception system the design anticipates a simple management. The building’s exploitation is not expected to cover all costs, but creates a different kind of (indirect)profi t for the corporation: additional opportunities for children and young people, and an added value for the neighbourhood and the attractiveness of the houses under their management.