'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague
Marlies Rohmer
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-(Kees Rutten).jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague computer space, corridor and classroom seem to merge")
-(Kees Rutten).jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague multifunctional hall")
.jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague outdoor activities on de school ground")
-(Kees Rutten).jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague view of the school")
)-(Christian Ri.jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague view of the school")
)-(Christian Ri.jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague view of the school")
-(Kees Rutten).jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague computer space, corridor and classroom seem to merge")
-(Kees Rutten).jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague multifunctional hall")
.jpg "'De Vijver' Primary School The Hague outdoor activities on de school ground")
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Status:
Realized
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Education type:
Municipal Education
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Education level:
Primary Education (pre-school + primary)
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Address:
Kikkerbeetlaan 27, 2548 Den Haag
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Client:
Education, Culture and Science Department (OC&W) The Hague, De Compaan
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Programme:
primary school, daycare centre for children with multiple disabilities, swimming pool, sports hall
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Area:
5098m2
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Number of classrooms:
28 classrooms
A “school for climbing” in the heart of the neighbourhood
The De Vijver primary school is in Wateringseveld, a new suburb of The Hague. The building has an H-shaped ground plan, which fits into the radial plot in the new urban plan. The day centre for disabled children was built against the back of a primary school for Dalton education. The school for special education is a more enclosed school on the ground floor around the inner courtyard between the tapering wings of the building. The primary school however has a playground which opens on to the neighbourhood. A long bench forms a safe separation. At the same time, the bench serves as a seat and as playground furniture for the children and for parents picking up their children at the end of the school day. The open feeling both between the school and the neighbourhood and between the individual classrooms characterises the specific approach of Dalton educational psychology. The entrance to the school is in the open playground in the middle under the sports tower. A broad wooden staircase leads to a higher playground on the roof of the cycle sheds and continues up to an extra outdoor sports field on the roof of the sports hall. This sports field is surrounded by a high fence and is a landmark that sticks out above the surrounding buildings. From the roof the children look out over the neighbourhood, and from the neighbourhood you can see this playground, which is also used intensively by local residents after school hours.
The designer adopted an inventive approach by providing a great deal of space for multiple uses. The open space of the school can be used by local residents outside school hours. The roof of the sports hall and the cycle shed provide extra play area in addition to the limited outdoor area. The broad wooden staircase which leads there serves as seating for a theatre and celebrations in the playground. The entrance hall of the school was also designed as a multifunctional area. On either side of the entrance hall there are lowered areas which can be used either as a reception area, covered sports or play area, but also for theatre. The path from the entrance area then serves as a sort of catwalk or stage. The more public parts, the multifunctional area and the sports hall are situated close to the entrance and can be used for after-school activities without much disturbance for the school.
All the classrooms of the primary school in the two long two-storey wings are on the street side. The broad corridor becomes narrower towards the ends of the buildings. On the playground side there are small recesses which can be used for group work, as a computer corner or a craft corner. In addition to traditional education, these places can be used for independent work or work in small groups. The contact between the classrooms and the corridor, and between the classrooms themselves, is encouraged by the broad sliding doors, which can easily be left open. The large windows above the cloakrooms provide a view into the classrooms.
With this design the architect wished to make a “school which could be climbed” to stimulate sports and games and help to combat the phenomenon of obesity in young people. In this way, the design of the building also confronts children with “danger”, something which parents and society try to protect them from as much as possible nowadays. However, the initial idea of the designer to place climbing frames on the walls of the sports tower was not carried out.