Nature as an inspiring learning environment

That students can count on an inspiring place to blossom here is due to the abundance of greenery, natural materials and organic connection to the outdoors.

De Verwondering was developed and realized on behalf of the Municipality of Almere. ORGA Architect created the architectural design and construction specifications. The architectural execution was in the hands of Van Norel Bouwgroep. Rob Wassink, project manager at Van Norel Bouwgroep, explains, "The ecological idea behind this special school building is reflected, among other things, in the wooden construction with laminated trusses, wooden hollow-core slab floors, massive CLT walls and HSB walls. Partly because of our experience in timber construction, we were awarded the contract for the structural part via a tender."

Classroom as a biotope

Inspired by nature, the school building is designed as an ensemble of three clusters, in which the classrooms manifest themselves as pleasant biotopes for the students. Together with an outdoor classroom, a vegetable garden and a natural outdoor playground with water, among other things, they offer the students a pleasant and healthy learning environment.    

Climate shutters, a vegetation roof, PVT panels, tree trunks and wooden slatted awnings as sunshades also contribute to this. Wassink: "I like the inside of the building best. The visible wooden construction, the wooden interior, the playful ceilings and the mud brick walls create an atmospheric experience of the spaces. The central hall has an impressive grandstand staircase and peeled tree trunks as columns. That's very cool to see."

Joint knowledge and experience

Based on the design and specification requirements, Van Norel Bouwgroep, in close cooperation with the architect and the Municipality of Almere, made the translation to execution. The team was soon expanded to include a number of specialist parties. "We came into contact with these parties during our search for the right materials and their processing," says Wassink. "For example, we had Heko for the wooden trusses, Houtbouw 't Zand for the HSB elements and Oldenboom as timber supplier and knowledge partner." Wassink emphasizes that the combined knowledge and experience of all parties was key to the success of this project. "Together we optimized the design on a number of points, to make the building perform better from a building physics point of view. We also made a concerted effort to properly coordinate the installation and construction components. All this caused a slight delay in execution, but was necessary to achieve the desired result."

Different than different

Construction of The Wondering began in late 2019 with the piling, concrete foundation and first floor. The school was then constructed with the wooden hollow-core slab floors, trusses and walls. The facade finishes are varied, with wood, green facades and a curtain wall. The roof is traditionally finished with insulation and a bitumen roofing, partly with a green roof. Inside, the finish mainly consists of wood, clay brick and clay stucco. Wassink: "Partly because of the materials used, this project was different than usual. This sometimes led to us being faced with unfamiliar situations. In good cooperation with the architect, the municipality and the executing parties, we always came to a solution. Everyone put their best foot forward, which led to a beautiful, joint end product."