Designed with nature and sustainability as core principles, this biophilic elementary school fosters a natural learning environment for children. The client's ambition for sustainability is realized in a fully detachable wooden building designed for a circular economy, emphasizing the natural cycle. Constructed largely from bio-based materials, including cross-laminated timber and timber frame, the building features bio-based insulation, cladding, and furniture. Components are easily detachable for reuse, and a material passport catalogs all materials.

Innovative sustainable elements include shaved tree log columns, wooden hollow-core floor slabs, unbaked loam brick inner walls, acoustic cork panels, natural ventilation shutters, an ice-based temperature buffering system, and indoor/outdoor green walls.

Low-carbon strategies include optimized orientation, passive sun shading, bio-based materials, and natural ventilation. The design process prioritized sustainability and functionality, maximizing the natural strengths of the materials.

Prefabricated, primarily bio-based elements enabled efficient construction. Horizontal canopies and bio-based insulation maintain a comfortable indoor climate. Burglar-resistant ventilation hatches facilitate safe, natural airflow, especially at night.

Wooden hollow-core slab floors integrate acoustics and service integration. Perforations enhance sound absorption, while the timber structure allows for column-free spans. The hollow cores are filled with crushed stone for sound insulation, and a floating screed mitigates impact noise. Lighting and data provisions are seamlessly integrated. Exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) walls form the lateral load-resisting system, sourced from manufacturers capable of producing exposed-grade CLT panels.

The project incorporates 875 cubic meters of bio-based materials, primarily structural timber and insulation. The structural timber stores the majority of the carbon, totaling approximately 346 tons for the building’s lifespan. An MPG assessment indicates the building's environmental impact, and it has achieved an A+++ energy label. Renewable sources provide 55.4 percent of the energy demand, with the remaining fossil energy use resulting in approximately 30 tons of carbon emissions per year.

Spatial configuration with circularity

The building has been designed with floor-to-ceiling heights exceeding statutory minimums, both to enhance natural daylight penetration and ventilation, and to provide long-term adaptability for the spaces.

The superstructure is constructed entirely from timber, employing exclusively dry connections through screws and bolts. This approach ensures that all structural joints are fully demountable, enabling the disassembly and reuse of building elements at the end of their service life. Wherever possible, the timber structure has been intentionally left exposed, including the connection details, ensuring visual accessibility and facilitating future disassembly and material recovery.

The building’s spatial configuration consists of three interconnected clusters organized around a central core, offering a high degree of functional flexibility. This arrangement supports multiple use scenarios, both now and in the future. When the building is not operating as a school, the central space can function independently as a community facility. Each cluster can be separately secured, allowing controlled access and preventing unintended use of restricted areas.

The structural system of columns and beams provides open floor plans, supporting flexible interior layouts. Internal partition walls can be easily repositioned to accommodate changing functional requirements and fluctuations in the age composition of the students. Classrooms can be interconnected through operable partitions, and corridors have been deliberately oversized to allow for the creation of additional informal workspaces.

In De Verwondering, nature is integrated throughout the design to stimulate curiosity, improve focus, and foster a sense of identity in children. The project is an example of a new generation of biophilic schools leveraging natural principles to enhance learning.