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Consortium collaborates on a modular timber building system that can be customised as the school’s needs change.
International architectural practice OMA and Dutch modular timber construction company Circlewood have collaborated on a unique modular timber building system for primary schools in Amsterdam. (main pic: OMA’s and Circlewood’s modular timber building system for schools.)
The innovative initiative aims to create primary schools that are not only of high quality but also flexible and sustainable, aligning with Amsterdam’s ambitious vision of becoming a fully circular city by 2050.
The City of Amsterdam selected the modular timber building system as the foundation to build at least nine, and potentially up to 30, primary schools. As part of the initiative, the schools will prioritise sustainability but also offer flexible learning spaces that can be customised or altered as the schools’ needs evolve.
David Gianotten, OMA’s Managing Partner and Architect, emphasised the collaborative nature of the project: “The prefabricated wood plug-and-play system has been developed through close collaboration between the Circlewood partners. With this [modular] system, the new schools that will be built in Amsterdam, and hopefully elsewhere in the Netherlands, can expand, downscale, or vary in configurations to respond to different needs over time. When a school closes, the building can be fully dismantled, and all the components become construction materials again.”
The modular timber building system comprises standardised mass timber columns and cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor panels, which are then joined using recycled steel joints. These elements are combined to create the building’s structural frameworks, with additional non-load-bearing timber partition walls that allow for versatile spaces, including classrooms, auditoriums, and gardens. The timber partition walls can be adapted to support various activities, such as indoor climbing and vertical farming.
Michael den Otter, OMA’s Project Architect, highlighted the durability and adaptability of the system: “The system components are durable, adaptable, and easily assembled. This offers flexibility for the schools to shape learning environments that suit their identities.”
OMA and Circlewood further envision these schools as pedagogical tools that raise students’ awareness of their impact on the environment. They’ll also feature information screens displaying their carbon footprint and resource consumption. And, the buildings themselves embody circular design principles, aiming to minimise emissions.
A pilot school has already been successfully completed in Amsterdam. It is serving as an integrated children’s centre, and over time, the layout and appearance of the building can be refined and adapted as required.
The modular timber building system will undergo further refinements, with the potential for future applications beyond Amsterdam and the Netherlands.
