Lumion Amsterdam is a secondary school for senior general and pre-university education.
The original building from 1973 was designed by architect J.B. Ingwersen. Its brutalistic design is characterized by the extensive use of concrete, glass and large arches. The city of Amsterdam has listed the premises as a young monument.
To meet the standard of contemporary education a transformation was required. Atelier PRO architects designed a respectful renovation of the monument and a new five-storey building construction of contrasting light material. This led to a robust but coherent combination of 14,100 sq m.
The setup demonstrates a distinct transparency, accommodating spaces for all kinds of learning according to the principle of personalized learning. Reopening the cluttered spaces of the monumental building part created opportunities for inspiring learning spaces for various learning settings.
The monumental facades were respectfully modernized. Single glass is replaced by HR ++double insulation glass and the old wooden window frames have been reused. The concrete has been cleaned, repaired and, where possible, insulated. For the new building parts a different façade material was chosen. Inspired by the rhythm of the existing facade, the new building features horizontal bands with a vertical articulation, executed in custom-made profiled aluminum cladding.
The transparant atmosphere features very few traditional classrooms but many spatial alternatives for group and personalized learning. The eyecatcher of the overwhelming atrium is the massive spiral stair case leading to all clusters. The huge entrance space not only embraces you, but also smoothly connects old with new.
All the information about how to enter the 2020 WAN Awards is here.
We are very happy to offer support so please don’t hesitate to email Georgia, WAN Awards Event Coordinator with any questions at Georgia.Baily@haymarket.com.
Last year more than 40 countries took part in the WAN Awards with strong showings from Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. And we saw some truly outstanding projects, take a look at the winners from last year here.