The common space De Nieuwe Veste will be the heart of the school

Coevorden – Richelle de Jong, Director/Architect of DP6 Architectuurstudio from Delft, gave further clarifications this afternoon at De Nieuwe Veste about the design of the new building in Holwert-Midden. The plans were presented to the city council this evening and this afternoon school staff also received clarification.

The first offer was made in May. In comparison, the details are detailed and refined. School staff participate in this and students are given a role in designing the building. De Nieuwe Veste wants to be an inclusive school where all children have a good time at school.

daylight

“The school’s learning profiles have now been laid out and the windows have been placed in such a way as to let in a lot of daylight. In addition, daylight comes from above,” says Reichel. “Just like the former Coevorden Castle, the building will be compact.” There will also be works Beautiful bricks.

The building will have a gate on the side of the station, and greenery at the back. “The star shape of the castle is restored by a row of trees. The school will have four floors in the front and three in the back,” Reichel said.

She continued: “The building will be energy neutral and gas-free, solar panels will be installed and gargoyles will be installed at the back to supply water to the green spaces and water will be collected for reuse.” There will be climbing boards and nesting boxes for bats, and it will also be a comprehensive nature school. The current building is very large, the number of students has declined sharply due to downturn, and it is not a sustainable building.

Heart of the school

The school will have a common space in the middle, at the heart of the school. Classes are grouped around this. The training rooms are located behind the “shop windows” that the new building will contain. The design becomes flexible by placing the walls.

The interior, also designed by DP6 Architecture Studio, uses so-called biomaterials, which are environmentally responsible materials. “It would be great if we could source the materials from local companies,” says Rachel de Jong.

In addition to the architectural company, the construction team consists of housing consultants Lindhorst from Hoogeveen, the engineering firm Huisman & Van Muijen from ‘s-Hertogenbosch and BoschSlabbers Landschapsarchitecten, located in The Hague, among others. “The teacher Annick Rolofs plays a very important role in this process,” says director Wiko Venvliet. “As a building, living and interior design teacher, she also has knowledge of spatial planning. This design makes me happy and warm. It is a plan for all of us.”

it costs

Initially, the new construction will cost 31.1 million euros according to 2021 calculations. Huizing said construction costs have increased by 12.5 percent. This means construction costs are about $35 million. Adding 500 m2 costs 1.7 million. In addition, a loan of €4.3 million has already been made available for the demolition.

Land tenure

The municipality can proceed with the expropriation process, but discussions are currently taking place with three parties about acquiring the plots of land. Councilor Jeroen Huizing said: “It is the moment of acquisition that determines the time of demolition. If we can acquire the plots in February, the process can begin. We aim to put the new Nieuwe Veste into use in the 2025/2026 academic year.”

A traffic study is being conducted to separate users from the roads. “We have to prevent them from crossing each other,” Huizing says.

Surface

The school has an area of ​​approximately 10,000 square metres, and is designed to accommodate approximately 1,150 students. The same number currently use the existing school building in Van Heeckerenlaan/Graaf van Heiden Reinesteinlaan. A 500 square meter space for education in art and culture was recently added. The City Council initially rejected it, but recently a majority of the council agreed.

current location

Consultant Huizing expects to have a plan in place for the current site before the end of the year. Housing space is often mentioned in this context.

Finally, site manager Wim Sliema said: “The teachers’ wishes have been translated into the new building.” In May he already announced: “There will be a new inspiring environment for students and teachers. A school is more than just an organization that transmits knowledge. This goes hand in hand with students’ personal growth. It should be a beautiful place where you feel at home and are seen. I see this as our social mission. This will be a pearl in our society.

Main image: A view of the back of the school.