A wierde tower
ZOETMULDER, in collaboration with Schoots Architecten, designs IKC Meeroevers: an all-round, recognizable and iconic child centre in the newest neighbourhood of Meerstad. The robust red building is both contemporary and timeless in appearance. The horizontally lined volume, with its vertical tower accent, becomes a literal reference point in the neighborhood. Hereby, we were inspired by the well-known Groningen Bouma schools. Furthermore, the school is placed on a raised landscape, giving the building a prominent position position in the neighbourhood, just like the raised towns called ‘wierdedorpen’ in Groningen. This height difference around the school gives rise to challenging playing- and learning activities integrated in the landscape.
The urban setting, designed by West 8, forms around the recognizable child center. The tower marks the main entrance on the green village square. The activities of IKC Meeroevers become visible here by placing the playground, the cooking studio with meeting space and the technology classroom along the facade. There are several sub-entrances around the building, giving the building all-round functionality. The facades of the educational spaces are tailored to the needs of the underlying functions and the orientation to the sun with seating areas and canopies. Up close, the robust materialization of reused smooth Groningen bricks becomes recognizable. The horizontal canopies and lines are made of bio-composite containing the lively fiber texture of flax.
IKC Meeroevers will be a particularly sustainable building. The goal set by the Municipality of Groningen, a building that will remain standing for at least 100 years in which it is flexible for various functions, requires a specific sustainable elaboration. We chose a robust shell of masoned bricks that protects the building for its lifespan. These smooth Groningen bricks are reused and locally found. Inside, we chose for a wooden construction. This wooden supporting structure provides the most CO2 reduction at building level since it relatively costs the most material. The main supporting structure consists of laminated columns and beams. The walls, floors and inner leaves are made of timber frame construction (HSB). This creates an extremely flexible shell that can easily be repurposed into housing, a community center, a care center or other future neighborhood functions. The inner layer of the facade is modularly constructed from HSB modules with bio-based flax insulation grown in Groningen soil. This gives the child center a base that is vapor-permeable, breathable, and healthy. The height of the tower also contributes to attracting a wide diversity of birds, bats and insects.
The building has a triangular floor plan which is rational in terms of structural design. The repetition of constructive elements makes a sustainable timber construction affordable and feasible. Upon entering, there are views of the various activities in the building, so you immediately feel welcome. The meeting rooms of the child centre are clustered along a wide boulevard. The cooking studio, the grandstand stairs, the library and the playroom are connected in an accessible manner. On the ground floor, all the classrooms of the daycare centre and school are located along the facade. On the first floor there is an open learning landscape centered around a structural wooden ‘tree.’ At the edges, you’ll find the various home bases for the upper grades and concentration workstations. Voids around the tree and grandstand stairs provide playful sightlines to the ground floor. The upper grades feature a large learning terrace facing west, which includes two outdoor classrooms. The learning terrace has an external staircase that connects to the green play area at ground level.
Fixed furniture has been designed for the interior of the IKC for storage, wardrobe, peek through views and teaching and learning areas. These furniture pieces are designed as modules that connect to the wooden construction. They form multifunctional walls that provide support and flexibility to the educational spaces. On the ground floor there is a continuous furniture wall that connects the heart with the daycare center and the lower grades. The furniture wall encloses the central zone in which all facility areas, consultation rooms and toilets are housed. On the upper floor, the multifunctional furniture blocks create various learning spaces, ranging from large to intimate.
With its prominent tower and landscape elevation, IKC Meeroevers forms an icon for Meerstad. The child centre is designed for a lifespan of 100 years and is therefore particularly sustainable with locally reused facade bricks, wooden construction, solar chimney and modular construction of HSB modules with bio-based wood fibre insulation. The interior consists of fixed modular furniture, specifically designed for each location, to provide flexibility for the education of the future.