New IKC+ Katwijk combines education, care and reception in one building
IKC+ (the Integral Child Centre) Katwijk is a multifunctional building for a variety of users. It not only houses regular and specialized primary education, but also childcare, family support and – the ‘plus’ in the name – a modern sports hall. The building is therefore much more than just a school.
The challenge was to design a generic building that is logical and flexible. This was also what the users wanted: although there are five different organizations, there is one building for all of them. We also wanted to create a building that would last at least 100 years and fit into the specific environment of Katwijk aan Zee.
A building for connection, collaboration and encounter
Connection is central to the design of IKC+ Katwijk. The architecture encourages encounters between students and collaboration between partners. IKC+ Katwijk is an elongated building with various homely spaces along a central axis – an inner street – that functions as the backbone of the building. This inner street with its niches, little squares and high voids for extra daylight, continues into the sports hall.
The sports, childcare, youth services and education department each have their own domain within the building, but are closely linked by this central axis. This comb-like organization symbolizes the unity of the different functions and provides a physical link between all the spaces in the building.
The hall offers easy orientation. The entrance is at the beginning and the large sports gymnasium at the end, which overlooks the hall. The central halls at the ends are high with a lowered section in between, giving a more intimate feel. The raised central roof allows plenty of daylight into the hall.
The classrooms on the outside are bright and uniform, and are located in multifunctional learning areas. Students from different schools can naturally meet each other in these dynamic, playful spaces
A natural and sturdy façade
IKC+ Katwijk has a sand-coloured façade made of large-format bricks. On the long side it has deep niches with benches where children can sit and hide. A strong connection to the green surroundings has been deliberately created to encourage outdoor play.
The façade is made of special bricks in different bonds, with a neutral, tone-on-tone joint. This blends well with the bronze-coloured anodized aluminum frames and the solid travertine façade benches. These materials create a maintenance-free façade that will age beautifully over time and can withstand the odd knock or two.
On the outside, the inner street is visible through the protruding ‘crest’, which forms a strong silhouette on the gable. In this way, the interior and exterior form a recognizable whole.
Sustainable in many ways
Not only is the building energy-neutral and climate-adaptive, but the green roofs have solar panels to light the classrooms. There is also a collective thermal energy storage system (TES) in the basement that could be used by the whole neighbourhood in the future. In addition, the housing for IKC+ Katwijk is built for growth and is sustainable in that sense as well. For example, the supporting structure takes into account a possible extension of six to eight classrooms on top of the roof.
