KAAN architecten has completed CUBE, a new education and self study center at tilburg university in the netherlands. located in the north-west corner of the campus, which is characterized by an orthogonal plan, the 11.000 square-meter building serves all faculties and it is in constant use by some 2.200 students and lecturers that cross its spaces every day. the compact structure blends into its surrounding landscape and into the larger architectural ensemble of the dutch educational campus.
photos by simone bossi and sebastian van damme
KAAN architecten‘s design approach takes into account not only current users, but also future generations and development of the university, creating an open, elegant and robust education and self study center. CUBE is anchored to the landscape by paved pathways that guide users to its entrances on the south-side corners, and into its secluded interior, which feels like an opening in the woods. the heart of the building includes a spacious indoor study plaza, flanked by a transparent auditorium and two patios.
the ground floor of CUBE is welcoming and feels like an inviting public space thanks to the high ceilings and abundant daylight. its layout includes open study and circulation spaces, lounges, and a catering area, as well as a white rounded spiral staircase that gives the building a sense of serenity.
surrounded by glass walls, the auditorium adds to the building’s dynamic ensemble. alongside the green patios, independent study spaces with lower ceilings are recessed, dedicated to concentrated work. on both floors, all fully-equipped lecture rooms run alongside the west, north and east facades highlighting the strong orthogonal orientation of CUBE. with the exception of the main spiral staircase, all stairs and canopies are dark in color, forming a common thread throughout the building, while all the public areas have concrete floors and light grey expanded metal ceilings.
project info:
name: CUBE
main use: education and self study center
location: campus tilburg university, tilburg (netherlands)
architect: kees kaan, vincent panhuysen, dikkie scipio
project team: allard assies, dennis bruijn, timo cardol, sebastian van damme, michael geensen, alejandro gonzáles pérez, marlon jonkers, rense kerkvliet, martina margini, kevin park, roland reemaa, maria stamati, yiannis tsoskounoglou, noëmi vos, yang zhang
client: tilburg university
program: study square, auditorium, lecture rooms, tutorial rooms, meeting rooms, cafeteria, exam rooms, lounge area, virtual reality laboratory
GFA: 11.000 sqm
main contractor: vorm bouw, papendrecht
project management: vorm ontwikkeling, papendrecht
advisor construction: pieters bouwtechniek, delft
advisor technical installations: j. van toorenburg installatieadviseur, the hague
water installations: a. de jong installatietechniek, schiedam
electrical installations: steegman elektrotechniek, the hague
fire control, acoustics: buro bouwfysica, capelle aan den ijssel
sustainability: ABT, velp
quality management: OPPS, utrecht
landscape: mtd landschapsarchitecten, ’s-hertogenbosch
sofia lekka angelopoulou I designboom
sep 25, 2018