Broad school de Brink, Vathorst

A Heart for the school


The scale for children as starting point

Broad school de Brink, Vathorst

The Brink is a cluster of buildings supplying care in Vathorst, an area of new houses, near Amersfoort. It consists of a care centre, a church, housing as well as education and leisure facilities. The various institutions wanted to convert a co-operation, in which their own identity was recognized and where in the large scale of the cluster as a total, is room to play and security for the smallest children.
Atelier PRO and SVP architects have achieved in a co-operative effort to design the educational and leisure function integrated into one building. Atelier PRO designed the school   buildings and SVP architects the centre with leisure activities.

For each school, the starting point is the central hall, the heart, where the specific identity of each school is expressed. This central hall consists of a part of the auditorium, the central staircase and a large playroom. Combining these functions provides not just an interesting composition, but also a multifunctional place whit in the school for theme party’s, school theatre, Saint Nicolas and Christmas celebration etc.

The lay-out of the educational clusters is around this central hall. Each cluster consists of 4 class-rooms, providing a central space per cluster. This space is used as an extension of the class-rooms. It is possible to play over here, for self-tuition, for computer-use, to build with bricks, or read, without having the feeling to be outside on the corridor. Each cluster has its own entrance. The massive flow of children is divided in a natural way into smaller groups of children entering the building. The little ones will feel more comfortable and sure.

For atelier PRO the starting point has always been the children’s perspective to the building, with attention to a unity in details and not losing the total concept. Therefore a choice is made for massive graphic volumes combined with refinement and contrast.

Awards and Nominations

- Nomination Scholenbouwprijs 2004

  • Peter de Ruig
    facade
  • Luuk Kramer
    detail in brick
  • Ido de Boer
    behind the trees
  • Luuk Kramer
    facade
  • Joeri van Beek
    playground
  • Luuk Kramer
    stairs and atrium
  • Luuk Kramer
    doubble hight space at stairs
  • Luuk Kramer
    hallway
  • Luuk Kramer
    hallway
  • Luuk Kramer
    hallway upstairs
  • Joeri van Beek
    stairs
  • atelier PRO
    0002 Vathorst sitkleur