This building accommodates an advanced vocational school and has been designed as an ensemble with the neighbouring ROC, on the Stappegoor Campus (Tilburg). The entrance is located on the side of the campus, which creates an omnidirectional building. It has been designed as a split-level volume surrounded by stories in different heights, allowing the various parts of the program to be accommodated in a reliable way that offers flexibility towards the future.
The educational institution offers a wide variety of programs: aside from theoretical subjects and technology, the hospitality, health care and well-being sectors, environmental studies, animal care, economics, trade and logistics are defining features. A continuous educational line towards intermediate vocational education is emphasized. This relationship is also present in a physical way by means of a walkway towards the neighbouring existing ROC building.
At the heart of this design, one can find the entrance and the auditorium, which allow the establishment to benefit from short walking routes. By combining the entrance with the greenhouse of the environmental studies ward, an ensemble that brings light and air to the heart of the building has been achieved. All wards are situated around this entrance hall, creating a visual relationship and a natural transition from crowded to calm spaces.
Through experience, we have learned that the vision of education changes roughly every seven years. Therefore, it is essential for buildings to be able to accommodate these changes. Campus 013 is built using a modular, beams & columns structure with minimal use of load-bearing walls. The arrangement of the façade allows placing a partition every 90 centimetres. The only exceptions to this approach are the rooms that are less prone to changing visions, such as the auditorium or the entrance. These have been designed as special features.
In terms of appearance, the design matches the neighbouring ROC buildings with their black plinth and white envelope. In the design, this results in a black stern construction, in front of which a white façade of expanded metal has been erected: a rain cover, sun shading, and above all, a powerful linkage with the existing buildings. By efficiently designing certain special features, such as the connecting corridor, the auditorium and the entrance, the building gets a face of its own in a deviant manner. Truly a building to be proud of, as it is part of the campus, yet something completely unique.
