Ecosystem for people and the environment

'Care for the earth and life on it' can be regarded as the overarching idea behind education and research on the campus of Wageningen University and Research Centre. Emphasis is on research into and education regarding the possibilities that the earth with all its natural sources has to offer, taking into consideration the fragile balance in which it stands. The university has organised a contest requesting that a vision be presented for the development of the Second Educational Building.

The Second Educational Building should be an icon for 'care for the earth and life on it' according to Wiegerinck. In addition to the powerful images of the Forum Building and the Atlas Building that are already present on the campus, we imagine the Second Educational Building as a translucent cube that absorbs the light from the sun and converts it into energy.

The design fits the master plan that provides for buildings as strong, autonomous elements in the green surroundings; each building can take on its own powerful identity.

Three transparent public spaces, each three stories high, together form the heart of the building. These spaces have a strong green character that serves the climate control of the building. From top to bottom, the programme evolves increasingly from public to private. Each type of working, studying or meeting requires its own typical spatial conditions. The flexibility of floor plan and structure allow the building to act like an urban sponge that can soak up and release those functions.

In the Second Education Building, we introduce bionic elements to limit the building's energy needs and to meet the remaining energy demands in a natural manner. The bent façade sections allow for optimum collection of sunlight on the one hand and create shade on the other. This zigzag profile varies depending on the orientation of the façade, a principle that was based on some types of cactus. The large, high public spaces form the lungs of the building. They are part of the ventilation principle. In addition, rainwater is used for internal irrigation of green walls. Together with concrete core activation and cold and heat storage, the building forms an entire ecosystem. In short, a building as ecosystem where the relationship between people themselves and between people and the surroundings is reinforced.