Leidsche Rijn College

This school is located in a housing district on the edge of Utrecht named Leidsche Rijn. It is comprised of both an educational and vocational school, and the entire campus is divided into four wings that extend to the outer edges of its site. The campus is wrapped around a central volume that contains a shared library, café, and cultural center. This cavernous central volume was created with a steel and concrete structure that carries four large roof beams, whose floors are suspended in a number of 'zero-zero' levels. It contains the sports facilities of the school; a rock climbing wall, multiple basketball courts, and a running track. An oversized grandstand overlooks this sporting area from above, so that local competitions and events can be independently held. In contrast the load bearing walls of the four wings of the classrooms, the sports area's upper stories are wrapped in glazing, which allows for views into and through it from the walkways that encircle it; this transparency permeates the entire building and contributes to informal interaction amongst educators and students. Numerous open staircases connect and intertwine all levels–most with out-of-the-way areas for casual conversation–which ensures an interior dynamism, or 'interiority'.

Location
Maartvlinder 1-11
3544 DA Utrecht
the Netherlands

Program
School

Size
17.235 m2

Date of design
1998-2004

Date of completion
2006

Project team
Wiel Arets, Rob Willemse, Harold Aspers, Harold Hermans, Peter Kaufmann, Bettina Kraus

Collaborators
Massimo Adario, Pedro Anão, Jacques van Eyck Silke Oetsch, Michiel Vrehen, Peter Kaufmann, Daniel Meier, Franka Böhm, Nikolaj Froelund Thomsen, Francois Steul, Michael Griffiths

Client
Dienst Maatschappelijke Ontwikkeling, Gemeente Utrecht, NUOVO - Stichting Openbaar Voortgezet Onderwijs Utrecht

Consultants
A.T. Osborne BV, ABT BV, Wetering Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV, Heijmans IBC-Bouw BV, GTI Utiliteit Midden BV, W.A. Kemkens BV, Van Wijk Nieuwegein BV, W.A. Kemkens BV, Van Wijk Nieuwegein, Timmerfabriek Gebrs. Bos BV, Loveld BV