The new community centre in Zwartewaal will host the primary school ’t Want, the existing community centre De Gaffelaar, a multifunctional sports hall, as well as several sports clubs and facilities where social and cultural events can take place interchangeably. The multifunctional building will form the beating heart of the community – a place where people can connect and spend quality time together. The design for the community centre is characterised by an expansive corrugated roof that spans the various buildings and binds all users together. On the one hand, the village centre embodies a human scale that exudes an inviting atmosphere, while embracing an accessible spatial architecture where everyone feels welcome.
The light, mottled bricks, alternated with dark purple-brown shades and colored glass areas, are laid out in different vertical patterns, and give the building a strong architectural identity. The design harks back to the illustrious fishing past to which both the names 't Want and De Gaffelaar refer. The texture in the facade of the adjacent Martinus church has inspired the masonry facade of the centre. A wood-clad core, together with the bar, the grandstand and the identity wall, forms the central and social heart of the community centre. Wooden paneling and fixed furniture form a warm neutral base in the interior of the sports hall and the school.
