Molenwiek school

The existing elementary school Dalton Molenwiek in Haarlem dates from 1975 and was built by architect Wiek Röling. A temporary extension was added in the 1990s. In the near future, the number of students will grow significantly and the current extension will no longer fulfill the capacity of the school. In a manner characteristic to school design in the 80s, the existing building is designed from the perspective of the interior. The exterior, therefore, is undefined in its shape and the entrance of the building is very hard to locate from the street.

The extension of the school, with space for extra classrooms, a library and workplaces, is designed as a rectangular frame around the existing building. The school will acquire a strong urban presence in the neighborhood characterized by big building blocks. Some of the new functions will also be open to use for people from the neighborhood and are doubled by a direct entrance from the street. Because of these functions, the school will also stand in as a new community center. In between the existing building and the extension, new patios and gardens will be formed. Every group of students will share one patio for outdoor classes or as a communal playground.