Kraaijvanger

The American School in The Hague, Netherlands, which was originally a 16th-century farmhouse, was transformed in 2014 into a school complex that could provide a fine learning environment for some 250 children aged 0 to 6. Also, this school complex belonged to the third Accoya project of the Kraaijvanger Architects in Rotterdam. Accoya wood was used in the cladding, windows and doors of the building. Accoya wood was also used in the roofs and wooden substructures of the former barn. This created a perfect synergy between the old building, where the farmhouse and the barn used to be, and the building now.

The classrooms were housed on a sloping hillside to provide the children with adequate daylight, and this has certainly shown itself when we look at how the school complex looks today. Indeed, this year (2021) we revisited the project in the summer and came across a beautiful naturally graying school complex. The building that was first vanilla colored has been given a beautiful silver platinum color, this has really added an extra touch to the school complex.

The design of the complex also serves to not only offer the children a healthy living environment, but also to draw attention to the sustainability aspect. Therefore, the school makes use of water, natural materials and shows how energy is generated. In short, the children are surrounded by this theme in a natural way and have been able to see over the years how natural this building has become!

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