De Kasteeltuin 'Work in progress'
Transformation
De Kasteeltuin
Primary school De Kasteeltuin is a green oasis in the Roermond district of Donderberg. The school pays a lot of time and care to outdoor activities and in particular the school garden. As a result, the building from 1971-1972, expanded in 1974-1975, is embedded in greenery. The building has an elongated shape around a courtyard.
After fifty years, the school was ready for a thorough renovation. This also offered the opportunity to realize new functional wishes and to remedy defects: an auditorium as the heart of the school, better use of the corridor space, a better energy score. Also, the school building is larger than it should be according to current standards; should part of it be demolished, or are there other options? After the design research by Mevrouw Meijer, De Nieuwe Context received the follow-up assignment for this in 2023. The design is currently being further developed.
De Nieuwe Context
Architects
The corridor, or ‘roundabout’, is widened in a number of places, so that space is created for, among other things, individual workstations and a play hall. Outside, the roundabout is continued with a pergola around the courtyard. Internally, functions are rearranged, and for the time being all parts of the building remain; if demolition is unavoidable, it can be done in future. Most additions are made of wood. The building is effectively made more sustainable.
Because the existing building remains largely intact, the outside space hardly changes. The green oasis remains.
Client: Municipality of Roermond and Stichting Swalm & Roer