As part of the Schools by Circlewood consortium, OMA’s David Gianotten and Michael den Otter, together with Studio A Kwadraat, represented by Jimmy van der Aa, have won the competition to design the Wisperweide school in Weesp. This will become the first school to be built using Schools by Circlewood’s prefabricated wooden modular system, developed in collaboration with OMA. The system has earlier been chosen by the administration of Amsterdam to be employed across the city to provide flexible and sustainable elementary schools.
The plug-and-play system is based on the HoutKern Construction Method, utilizing standardized wooden columns and cross-laminated wooden floor panels connected with smart steel joints. This structural framework ensures flexibility in the disposition of additional movable partitions, allowing its users to create interior spaces of different sizes and uses according to their changing needs.
The Wisperweide School is designed around a central auditorium as the main gathering and event space visible from most parts of the school. The learning spaces surrounding the auditorium are divided into two zones, one for toddlers and one for older children. Each zone benefits from a distinct entrance and an outdoor playground. Spacious 3-meter-wide corridors bring natural light into the building, while the modular partitions allow for different configurations of both the classrooms and the corridor spaces. Additionally, the school space can also be expanded outwards, as the existing northern façade can be disassembled and more structural modules can be added
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OMA / David Gianotten and Circlewood Develop a Modular Wood System to Create Flexible Schools for the City of AmsterdamThe design of Wisperweide demonstrates the potential of the wooden modular system in creating highly adaptable buildings. As all the structural and technical challenges have been resolved when we developed the system, we can focus on working closely with the school to define the different spatial scenarios that suit its vision and to offer a roadmap to improve the education environment over time. - OMA Managing Partner – Architect David Gianotten
Inside the school, the modular framework allows for the integration of different materials and finishes. Biobased partition walls, some 44 centimeters thick, are adapted to provide additional space for lockers, coat racks, and other storage spaces, while others provide an exhibition space for showcasing the pupil’s work. Wooden elements also define the exterior image of the school. Its façade integrates canopies that mark the main entrances, while the large windows are positioned so that small children can easily look outside.
As the first school to be realized under Amsterdam’s Innovation Partnership School program, the Wisperweide School strives to meet the program’s sustainability conditions by using biobased materials and demountable structures. Circlewood’s system is planned to be implemented to build between nine and thirty schools in Amsterdam. The consortium collaborates with young designers, selected by OMA, the Creative Director of Schools by Circlewood. Studio A Kwadraat has been selected as the designer of the first school, and two additional schools have been recently included in the program, De Elementaire School and Het Schoolvoorbeeld.
In addition to the ongoing program in Amsterdam, OMA has also been named the winner of a competition to design a new campus for Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea. The project introduces a cluster of low-rise buildings interconnected by public spaces that are informed by the site’s topography. The office has also recently completed the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, one of the most anticipated projects of 2023.
