multifunctional culture and education center in netherlands by jeanne dekkers architectuur

the new design for a big culture and education center by jeanne dekkers architectuur shows its city’s history by creating a special surface design in combination with bold functional shapes. located in a small dutch town sittard, the complex comprises multiple functions including an academy and a museum. 

on the square outside, a modern tower is present in the sight axis to the old church tower and the facade materials refer to the old inner city by using the same color bricks

sittard’s historic center lies amid medieval ramparts surrounded by a glacis. jeanne dekkers architectuur’s design for the development area around the old town introduces a new town heart that is both visually and physically closely related to this ancient town center.

four shades of bricks which are applied in vertical strips in a light tone, form the pallet of the exterior facades

a large square and meeting point that open onto the glacis and the old town are at the center of the design. together with a series of small and snug shopping plazas, it makes up a vital new heart.

the tower forms the central orientation and accessibility point when entering or exiting the parking garage by offering footbridges to several floors of the new building

footpaths that join up with existing routes create a logical connection between the old and the new. building volumes that house, among other things, the hogeschool zuyd, a new museum, the film house and commercial space form the natural boundary of the central square and the intimate plazas.

a shared inside square is characterized by three big volumes, which house the film and lecture halls

the various functions are tied together in a way that provides the mutual use of the facilities. a modern tower on the square is visually aligned with the church steeple. lending access to the various floors of the new buildings by footbridges, the tower forms the central access point from the car park beneath the square.

the ‘cityhall’ is designed as an extended outdoor space to strengthen the link between the outside square and the inside hall

the cityhall symbolizes how the different functions are interwoven which results in a shared use of facilities

the lecture hall

one of the entrances towards the flowing volumes

a detail of the concrete wall with the pattern of sittard’s city plan

exploded view

project info:

area: 15.000 sqm

location: sittard, the netherlands

project: academy ‘hogeschool zuyd’, museum, cinema, commercial space, housing and parking

office: jeanne dekkers architectuur

team: jeanne dekkers, anton zoetmulder, elise zoetmulder

contractor: bouwontwikkeling jongen

type: newly build

photography: hugo de jong

year: 2016 

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