A Dutch school is an experiment on sustainability and biodiversity

In Utrecht, EVA architecten has completed SO Fier, a zero impact primary school with a green roof and a brick facade with nest-boxes to encourage biodiversity.  

The seemingly traditional brick cladding must not be misleading: SO Fier is a primary school that puts together a series of functional needs typical of the school type and a sensitivity to the theme of biodiversity. In this new realization in Utrecht, EVA architecten has put into play a language that articulates different materials, from brick to sheet metal, declined them in the two interconnected volumes that make up the energy-neutral building.

The façade, a ribbon that collects the spaces of the school, is divided into four bands that alternate horizontal and vertical arrangement of the bricks. Integrated into the design of the wall thickness are the nesting boxes for local bird species such as the common swift, the bat, and the domestic sparrow. The structure is then crowned by a green roof that implements the energy performance and thermal comfort conditions.

The functional program of the building includes 15 classrooms divided into clusters, a technical room, two gyms, offices for ambulatory care, and additional support spaces. The first volume gathers the classes around a patio, a meeting space for the building’s users. The second contains spaces for sports activities.

Project:
SO Fier
Location:
Utrecht, the Netherlands
Architects:
EVA architecten
Interiors:
NEST
Landscape:
Buro Beuk
Art:
Superuse Studios
Building physics:
Peutz
Visuals:
PF Visual
Installations:
J. van Toorenburg BV
Structures:
Alferink van Schieveen
Contractor:
BM van Houwelingen
Client:
SPO Utrecht
Area:
2,950 sqm
Completion:
2020

Latest on Architecture

Latest on Domus

Read more
China Germany India Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Sri Lanka Korea icon-camera close icon-comments icon-down-sm icon-download icon-facebook icon-heart icon-heart icon-next-sm icon-next icon-pinterest icon-play icon-plus icon-prev-sm icon-prev Search icon-twitter icon-views icon-instagram