Eliciting positive reactions
Architecten|en|en designed the interior and exterior of the new building. Architect-designer Frans Benjamins: ‘We wanted to elicit positive reactions among students. In its essence, the building exudes tranquillity. Routes have been shorted for as far as possible. The auditorium, for example, is not located on the ground floor, as one would expect, but on the first floor in the centre of the building. On the lower levels, you will find some eye-catching features, such as the large greenhouse (for the green programmes) which you can’t miss when standing outside right beside the entrance. On ground level, you will also find large practice classrooms where students are always busy at work. And the higher you get, the more lecture rooms you will come across – separated from the hustle and bustle.’
Tight deadline, large numbers
Gispen translated the design and colour schemes of Architecten|en|en into a carefully selected array of furniture. Maarten Houdijk, Gispen Accountmanager: ‘Gispen has been the main furniture supplier of Onderwijsgroep Tilburg for quite some time now. It was great to have also been able to contribute to the Campus 013 project. We furnished multiple atmospheric areas as well as all the lecturers’ rooms. We were faced with tight deadlines, with large amounts of furniture to supply. For the two cafeterias alone – one designated for the students, the other for the lecturers – we supplied seating for 250 people, in various shapes and sizes. For the restaurant, where students show off their cooking skills to those who come visit, we installed seating for 50. In addition, we installed 100 workstations for the lecturers and we equipped a theatre hall with fully-sized theatre seats and a podium.’
Student-proof furniture
The classroom furniture from the previous building could, for the most part, be reused. An important requirement for the areas where Gispen installed new furniture was that the materials had to be student-proof. At the student cafeteria, for example, you will find train booths from Davant with sturdy Sylverguard and Blotaflex upholstery. We installed eye-catching purple sofas to create contrast to the tranquil design of the school. We gave every sofa throughout the school this same colour to create unity; prominent as they may be, the overall ambience of tranquillity still remains intact. Combine this with the orange window frames and one can conclude that a rich atmosphere is created. Tables have been equipped with solid-core tops – a sturdier material than chipboard, for example. In addition, the student desks have been given stronger frames.
Lecturers’ work area
Whenever the lecturers of Campus 013 are not busy teaching, they can find a spot in one of the open work environments. Harrie Vermeulen: ‘This was new to us. We transitioned from a traditional office space with fixed desktops to a flexible office environment where one can find a random spot and plug in a laptop.’ Sitting high up, sitting low, concentrating or lounging together – it is all possible. Digitisation automatically led to fewer (filing)cabinets and more room for different activities, in a modern business environment. Gispen supplied TM workstations for-two, TM desks (TMNL is the furniture line in which TM is implemented) in both Sit- and Stand variants, Zinn office chairs and Triennial chairs and bar stools. The lecturers’ cafeteria was given a homelier atmosphere with furniture including TST sofas, Thunderball lamps and ASY tables.
Photography: Chris van Koeverden
