Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum (VCL)
Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum (VCL)
Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum (VCL)
A beautiful villa gets acclaim
Location
The VCL, an independent school for HAVO, athenaeum and gymnasium with around 800 students, is located in the Van Stolkpark in The Hague, a neighborhood designed by Louis P. Zocher according to the principles of the English landscape park. Streets wind informally through a green park containing villas in various architectural styles. The van Stolk Park is located in the foothills of the Scheveningen dunes and has unusually large differences in level by Dutch standards. The location of the VCL has a gradient of approximately three meters. This height difference was used to adapt the program to the location in a relaxed way, within a zoning plan.
The question behind the question
The positive consequence of expanding the school was that the old school building had a sense of small scale and a human dimension. In an extensive program of requirements, the school asked for a more practical, compact, accessible and sustainable building. In the first conversation, however, it turned out that they highly appreciated the creep-by-sneak through feeling of the old building and maintaining the identity and positive features of the old school building was just as important for successful new housing.
Zoning plan
In addition, the question was whether it was possible to get the new building within the contour of the zoning plan, afraid of getting bogged down in long procedures in a neighborhood with many empowered residents. Visually impossible because the building area laid down in the zoning plan corresponded exactly to the old building. However, a number of deviations were allowed compared to the border. As a result, we managed to meet the demand.
At some points, the limit of exceeding 3 meters was reached. By the way, exceedances mainly occur in the middle of the location and (almost) not where the wings reach the street. All in all, the so-called footprint of the building is much smaller than that of the current building. In addition, the gymnasiums, changing rooms and a number of storerooms have been placed underground, partly outside the building surface and partly taking advantage of the height difference in the terrain.
Urban integration
For the new building, we looked for a shape that does justice to the green, villa-like identity of the location. By taking advantage of the current height difference in the terrain, part of the program, such as the gymnasiums, can be placed (partly) underground and still remain well connected to the rest of the school. In short: what is on the ground floor on the Van Stolkweg side is on the Parkweg basement side. As a result, more air and space for greenery can remain above ground.
The main shape of the building is a star-shaped volume of up to three floors, measured from the two streets. The villa forms one of the star's legs. Two legs or 'wings' of the new building reach the two streets as if they were villas. In the middle lies the central heart of the school with the entrance (s).
Routing
The sense of small scale in the school has been translated into a compact building on the one hand and the principle of dilution on the other. No large auditorium/traffic room, the trick in many school buildings to gain space, but an intimate entrance on the first floor from where you can wander through the building in various ways.
The multiple choice route actually starts earlier, on site. The location forms a peninsula between the Van Stolkweg and the Parkweg and is accessible by bike from both sides. The school has two front doors: one for daily use on the side of the bike shed and a more formal, ceremonial entrance on the side of the villa. The entrances are on the ground floor from the Parkweg and the villa, but seen from the van Stolkweg on the first floor.
Once inside, you can go down one floor to the basement where the auditorium, canteen, music room and gymnasiums are located. On the Parkweg side, these functions are underground but on the Van Stolkweg side, they are at ground level. This is possible due to the existing level difference in the terrain. Various staff positions are located on the ground floor of the new building, while the main parts of the rooms are on the first and second floors, away from the bustle of the auditorium and entrance.
Connection
The VCL once started in the villa and wanted to use it (more) again for teaching functions. In the new situation, there is only a transparent connection on the first floor. As a result, the new building is separate from the villa. The park runs in between
• Logistically, this is the best place because it keeps the route between classrooms (and the duration between classes) organized.
• The route is in line with the current infrastructure in the villa (national monument)
• The facade of the villa will not be further affected.
Appearance
The building follows the level differences in the terrain, as it were, so that a natural play of height differences in the building is visible.
There are a variety of buildings in the area. Villas but also semi-detached blocks. The identity of the environment is characterized by buildings in the green. Lying back from the lot border but facing the street. The materialization in the neighborhood mainly consists of brickwork and stucco. The new building of the VCL fits into this environment.
The façade consists of brickwork in a light, warm colour. The aluminum frames have a rusty brown color. Like the villas in the neighborhood, the facades and side walls are emphatically related, with the facades having just a little more detail and details. The façade openings (windows) are not strictly lined but more playful, slightly staggered, where the holes are generally larger on the bottom layer and smaller at the top (less high). In a number of places, such as the auditorium, large fronts have been made that are marked in the façade by slender masonry piers. The masonry façade has been enhanced by the addition of ribbed brickwork.
Where the new building is robust and natural on the ground, the footbridge is actually slender, transparent and in a dark gray color. The footbridge was designed and materialized as an intermediary between old and new.
The current front façade houses an artwork by M.C.Escher, 'Pegasus', the VCL logo. In the new building, the artwork will return to almost the same location.
Villa functionality
In the old situation, the villa's spaces were no longer used optimally. The media library is located in the attic, a number of committee rooms in the basement and three classrooms, staff positions, administration and homework assistance are located on the ground floor and first floor. The school explicitly wishes to use the villa as a full part of the school and therefore also to place part of the classrooms there. That is why administration, homework assistance and some of the staff positions have moved to the new building to make way for classrooms. To make the villa suitable for the desired use, a number of adjustments must be made to the interior:
The current sanitary core is being adapted in such a way that a lift can also be installed here to make all layers accessible to the disabled.
Acoustics needs to be improved. On the one hand, this means a floating screed on the first floor and attic and better acoustic absorption in all rooms.
