Elementary school ‘de Linde’
FELT won the Open Oproep competition for a new primary school in Zarren. The new building aims at blending in with its surroundings and is designed in tune with the adjacent nursery school, the city center and the Zarren valley.
The compact two-story volume is positioned at the edge of the school grounds, maximizing the available open space and creating a big playground that can extend in a public square, linking with the town’s center. A green corridor with a cylce lane circles the building, closely linking exterior and interior and activating the square.
The building itself is characterized by its rational and economic structure consisting of two wings connected by a central hall. This renders a clear and straightforward circulation scheme. The west wing is directed towards the landscape and contains nine classrooms. The other wing houses the more public functions and is directed towards the playground and the town.
The classrooms are divided into two typologies: garden classes, located on the ground floor and fitted with a terrace and roof classes, located on the first floor and featering a generous triangular ceiling that extends in the corridor. Both floors are connected by a central stair case, executed in pink concrete. On the ground floor a green sports hall closely links with an outdoor playing field and is look over by the lunch room, located on the first floor, both fitted with triangular ceilings.
The result is a new elementary school that effortlessly positions itself in its surroundins, excels in its architectural and scenic qualities and opens itself generously to its users.
