Handsome facade curves in HPL with wood decor

Project of the Year 2024

Some completed projects simply remain special. Like elementary school CKC De Ark, winner of the 'Trespa/Archicomm Project of the Year 2024' award in the Netherlands. The architecture there stands out for its playful shapes and rounded corners, combined with a natural look thanks to HPL panels with warm wood decor. It is an inviting and award-winning building that blends harmoniously into its surroundings.

For this project we travel to the province of Utrecht, to Rengerswetering to be precise, a special new housing estate in the village of Bunschoten-Spakenburg. The district comprises seven islands. On the fourth island all facilities are brought together: a supermarket, a park and this school, designed by Bureau Bos from Spakenburg.

Soft shapes 

The school building, which also serves as a connecting community center, is one with its surroundings. It was designed as a pavilion where the schoolyard flows seamlessly into a park. In doing so, the green playground feels like an organic part of this park and contributes to the bigger picture. The building itself was also designed in dialogue with its surroundings. Thus, it has an inviting appearance all around. "The soft shapes of the design, with sloping lines, rounded corners and wood-look cladding, allow the school to blend into its green surroundings," said the architect. "Large window frames down to the floor also ensure that the school interior connects with the surroundings and what is happening in the school is visible from the outside as well." It is a striking and inviting building, as a special part of
a bigger picture.

HPL with realistic wood decor

Trespa® Meteon® Wood Decors in Harmony Oak with satin finish were chosen for the facade cladding. The warm, realistic oak decor combines a natural look with the known benefits of compact laminate: weather and UV resistant, scratch and impact resistant - no luxury in a school environment with adjacent playground. The very extensive HPL collection also allows you to put your very own stamp on the project. Within the Trespa® Meteon® Wood collection alone, there are 28 wood decors available: from the light Elegant Oak to the characterful Dark Mahogany. The range is also regularly expanded, for example with Western Red Cedar. This is often chosen for its typical red-brown color and subtle grain pattern. So there is no shortage of creative facade options.

Clever corner solution combined with mock joints

The angled lines and rounded corners give the façade a distinct character, but at the same time presented a technical challenge. Therefore, vertical Trespa® strips were chosen at the corners, combined with large Trespa® panels with milled false joints on the straight facade sections. These varying 'false joints' simulate planks of different widths, contributing to a varied and lively facade appearance. The result is a contemporary school building with a warm appearance and an expressive facade that reinforces the architectural concept with a dynamic facade image. Assignment completed!