De Klif

In Nijmegen's new residential area Oosterhout, service centre 'De Klif' stands out like a beacon. The building is shared by a primary school, a day care centre, a sports centre, art classes and a youth club and community centre. The organizations are clustered round the central courtyard, the heart of the building. Spaces that are used during the day are located in the extremities, spaces that are open to the public are located centrally. Colour is used to mark the various facilities. The theatre and the sports centre are housed inside 'boxes' on platforms that face the courtyard. Here, the Eternit façade cladding continues in the interior. Large skylights illuminate the traffic routes and junctions. The long interior wall subsides and this creates an unexpected spatial effect, as does the undulating entrance façade. A spacious staircase leads to the entrance, where the façade panels curve inward. As a result, the entrance stands out from afar. The façade construction consists of steel with Eternit board cladding, a smart solution with simple materials. All installations were incorporated in the building to maximize the spatial effect.