Extension Rietveld Lyceum

The Rietveld Lyceum school is housed in one of the last buildings designed by the famous Dutch architect, Gerrit Rietveld. The introduction of the educational concept of study centres and the loss of the use of an annexe meant that an extension was required. The new facilities will provide some 900 square metres of space to accommodate 7 classrooms as well as reading rooms for 2 study centres.

The basic concept of the extension is to treat the building and its environment as an integral unit by looking for a solution that not only provides more room while at the same time creating a focal point for the school, but also adds to the quality of the parkland. The solution was to lower most of the extension below ground level. The resulting view is of a timber-clad volume that rises out of its surroundings. Daylight is provided by patios, which also act as points of orientation where the study centres find a place of their own.

Lying on the edge of a vast grass field in Doetinchem, the Netherlands is one of the last buildings of Gerrit Rietveld. The high school with the same name was greatly expanded with seven classrooms and two study centres. Further, DP6 Architectuur studio had as an objective to seize the expansion so that it could make a ‘heart’ for the school in combination with a quality improvement to the park. DP6 found the solution by situating the expansions in the armpit of the existing building. With the fundamental idea to preserve the experience of the green surrounding landscape as much as possible. The roof is fitted with 900 square metres of wooden plank bridges, gravel and roof lights. Given the large contrast that arises between the park and the platform roof, this is a very surprising choice of materials.