DENISE

Vibrant neighborhood dynamics

The DENISE school building is located on Piet Mondriaanplein in Overtoomse Veld, Amsterdam Nieuw-West. This neighborhood is currently undergoing a rapid transition and is undergoing significant upgrades. The renovation of the former Cartesius Lyceum into the new DENISE school building has brought a fresh, vibrant dynamic to the neighborhood. Because De Nieuwe International School Espirt houses both primary and secondary education, our design incorporates a natural and intuitive separation of the two educational formats within the building.

Basement becomes new ground floor

By lowering the ground level and adapting the existing entrance, the basement becomes the new ground floor, providing space for a fully-fledged teaching floor for primary education. All classrooms on this floor are located along the facade and can be clustered together using sliding walls incorporated into the dividing walls. Floor-to-ceiling glass facades provide abundant natural daylight and a wonderful view. Each classroom has its own external door leading directly to the playground. This allows all classes to go outside independently at any time of the day. This creates a sense of calm in the building and encourages outdoor school activities. The playroom forms the heart of this teaching floor. Here, primary school children can play together indoors. The space is acoustically shielded from the surrounding area by a thick wall. This wall is equipped with cozy alcoves on the outside, offering children the opportunity to read a book in peace.

A unified identity through a consistent interior

The upper floors house DENISE's secondary education. The primary education interior is consistently continued here, creating a unified identity focused on functionality and flexibility. Large glass facades on these floors also allow for abundant natural daylight and an open, transparent feel. The wide corridor adjacent to the various classrooms is furnished with study and lounge areas that can be used flexibly throughout the day.

The theater is the beating heart of the school

Drama is an important part of the curriculum for both primary and secondary education at DENISE. The theater is and will remain the beating heart of the school. The current balcony will be converted into a music room, and a new balcony will be installed, encircling the theater. The theater can be used both day and night for educational purposes and large-scale theatrical performances. The beautiful, spacious staircase between the theater and the entrance will also be restored to its original state. On the various floors surrounding the staircase, there will be study and meeting areas for students, which will also serve as break areas.

Natural fresh air supply

To provide the classrooms with a comfortable climate, we are installing a new climate control system. This system relies on the natural supply of oxygen through the facade and mechanical exhaust. This is based on CO2 detection, allowing the system to efficiently provide sufficient fresh air on demand while remaining energy-efficient. The air supply grilles are concealed behind the sunshade elements in the facade. The climate control system is distributed vertically throughout the school and cleverly integrated into the cabinet walls. This eliminates the need to run large ducts throughout the school, and everything is concealed, creating a clean and calming appearance. To further improve the indoor climate, the existing window frames on the upper floors will be replaced with new wooden frames with double glazing. This also reduces energy consumption. To maintain the building's historic appearance, the original dimensions will be retained in the new facade elements. Straight awnings will soon replace the drop-down awnings, giving the exterior a beautifully varied surface division.