Tough but also refined on the outside. Friendly, spacious, human and light on the inside. This is how architect Richelle de Jong describes the new school building of De Nieuwe Veste in Coevorden.
Years of discussions preceded the new construction on a now impoverished industrial estate (Holwert-Midden), at the back of the train station and the supermarkets.
“We are very happy with the design,” responds director/manager Wiko Veenvliet of De Nieuwe Veste. “It is the result of excellent consultation between the architect, the municipality and the school. The building is scheduled to be ready in the summer of 2026, but as far as I’m concerned, we will move into it a year earlier.’
Only short walking routes
The Coevorden fortress was the starting point for the design, which was presented to both school staff and politicians on Tuesday. “Fortified towns are compactly built, with short lines from the center. The school has such a central heart in the form of the auditorium, around which everything is built. Students return to that central space again and again. There are only short walking routes,” says architect Richelle de Jong. Getting lost is no longer an option.
The robust building has two faces on the outside. Urban, sturdy and four storeys on the side of the station, with a high gate that refers to the city gates of the past. The other side, the girth side, consists of three layers and is referred to as the green side. Also including facade plants and nesting boxes.
The advantage of the compact construction is that much less energy is lost than in a school building with long wings with classrooms in a row, such as the current Nieuwe Veste. “More facade means more heat loss,” says De Jong. To make the school energy neutral, solar panels will be placed on the roof, for example.
Lots of daylight
Inside, everything revolves around the human dimension. De Jong wants to create a friendly indoor climate with plenty of daylight, natural and recycled materials, wooden floors and places to retreat. “It should be a nice place to go. A beloved building for successive generations. A building that will be there for a long time, because that is the best guarantee for sustainable construction.”
It is striking that in certain places pipes and pipes are not concealed, but rather shown. That is a conscious choice, to make students aware of the technology.
Worrying times
The same happens when using biobased material, derived from plants such as flax and hemp. The advantage is that these materials are reusable and have much lower CO2 emissions than concrete, steel and cement. “The current times are worrying for some students,” says Veenvliet, with a view to climate change. “We want to inspire students by showing what possibilities there are to do things differently in the new building. Our building can function as a guide.”
The impoverished environment is being tackled at the same time as the new construction. The aim is to start construction at the beginning of 2025, so that the school can be put into use after the summer holidays of 2026. The municipality is currently conducting an expropriation procedure for three landowners in the area.
Residential construction
The current location of the school on Van Heeckerenlaan is being considered for housing development, but the municipal council will decide on this later.
Numbers
– school construction costs: 36 million euros
– costs of renovation of the environment: 4.3 million
– start of construction: early 2025
– ready in: summer 2026
– for how many students: 1050-1100
– number of square meters: 10,000