SVOBE Academic Building Philipsburg

— arranged colorful durable and strong structure for education

Preliminary Design

The school is located in an area bordered by the Walter A. Nisbeth Road, Voges Street and W.G.Buncamper Road. The main entrance of the school, for students, teachers and suppliers alike, is on Voges Street. The design is characterized by an abstract semi-open semi-closed facade. The pattern is strongly vertical, alternately colored and fairly rhythmic. The function of important spaces such as the auditorium and the open learning center speak in the facade. The volume of the building plays with a coulisse effect on the roundabout and forms an accent for the entrance of the city. The volume wraps around the heart of the school, the green courtyard.

It is proposed to use a prefab steel structure, to reduce construction time and therefor less traffic load for the direct surroundings and busy area of town. The foundation piles as well as the main construction of the ground floor are made of concrete, simply because the terrain can easily get up to 3 feet of water during bad weather or rising sea level. A "wastewater treatment plant" is proposed, with reuse of the gray water for watering the park. The compact and stacked construction also saves on foundation, roof and façade surface and is therefore less harmful to the environment with less material use. Solar panels in the form of a pergola above the square on the roof, rainwater collection for flushing toilets, hand washing, etc. Efficient climate management is more energy efficient and ensures cooler floors and ceilings. The glass in the facade repels the heat and is self-cleaning.

The aim is to develop the school eco-neutral.