Современная архитектура и строительство. Рябцева Е.В - 30 стр.

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– We have witnessed a change since the 1990s. In the past, the Ministry of Education was the central au-
thority responsible for schools and teaching. Seven or eight years ago, this responsibility was transferred to lo-
cal authorities. The state now grants only basic funding. The rest has to be provided by the municipalities. Un-
fortunately, very few of them are interested in qualitative school building. Politically, the situation is problem-
atic, but schools are a hobbyhorse of mine.
– Is the lack of interest in building high-quality schools a socio-political problem?
– Yes. We have to invest much more in education in the Netherlands. We have to specialise and export
knowledge. Schools should not be just a series of classrooms and corridors; they should provide a kind of
"home base". It is not enough just to learn mathematics and languages. In a multicultural society, it is important
for children to learn to live together rather than attacking each other.
– How do you implement your school concepts architecturally?
– I believe a school should be a kind of polls, a microcosm. In my spatial concepts, therefore, I am particu-
larly concerned with the zones outside the classrooms. Through greater openness spatially, I ensure that corri-
dors are not just circulation routes. In the Apollo School in Amsterdam, for example, just as many activities
take place outside the classrooms as within them.
– Maria Montessori was also concerned with space in her educational theory. Is your architectural approach
related to this in any way?
– No, not really. But I'm convinced that liberty can exist only within a certain framework. According to
Montessori, pupils should be allowed as much latitude as possible within certain limits. I see my school archi-
tecture in that light: I provide the framework within which the pupils can develop freely.
– To what extent does the age of the children affect the architecture?
– Too much emphasis is placed on that aspect sometimes. People speak of finding the right scale for chil-
dren, but they climb stairs just like adults. I am not aware that children need smaller steps. Of course, things
like tables and chairs will be lower for younger children, but other aspects like natural lighting, visual links and
spaces for withdrawal are more important. In traditional school types, there are usually long corridors that serve
solely as access routes. From the very outset, we wanted to develop a different type. In the Atlas College in
Hoorn (2002-04), there will be study areas outside the actual classrooms - divided off by folding doors. In the
Be Elanden School in Amsterdam (1996-2002), we used sliding doors for this purpose.
– Do you involve teachers and pupils in the design process?
– I always attempt to develop a school design in collaboration with the teachers and pupils. This helps to
achieve a stronger sense of identity with the school. In the case of the Montessori College Oost in Amsterdam,
we sat down with 30 or 40 teachers every month. But that did not prove to be very productive. For the most
part, they fought for the interests of their own classes. They were concerned with having as many socket outlets
as possible, hot water, light and so on.
– Do the different nationalities of the pupils play a role in your design?
– No. I am interested in fundamental forms: that is what Structuralism means to me today. I attempt to de-
velop a common spatial programme for all pupils. There are two main aspects to this: enclosure or protection,
and openness. In many cultures, "space" implies something enclosed, but to us as a seafaring nation, it can also
mean something that extends over the horizon.
– Can one trace your personal architectural development in your buildings?
– As a rule, I design from the inside out. From the very beginning, I have provided a vertical link in all
buildings that are more than two storeys high. In the Ministry of Social Affairs in The Hague (1979-90), I real-
ised the concept of a large central hall, a space that links all parts of the building; but regrettably, I did not take
the idea to its logical conclusion. That building marks the end of a certain line in my design development. Since
then, there has been a bolder gesture and a larger urban-planning element in my architecture.
– Are there any differences between building in Germany and the Netherlands?
– I have built schools only in the Netherlands, so I cannot make direct comparisons in that respect. German
schools, which I admire very much, usually draw on a much bigger budget. We are building a large project in
Germany at the moment, the Media Park Office Building in Cologne. Maybe I should not say this, but I find the
Dutch are more pernickety and stingier. People are more open in Germany. On the other hand, we do not have
the notion that a building can bestow dignity and power.
– What is your favourite school project?
– The newest project I am working on always means most to me and that is the De Elan-den School. It was
a difficult project, because the dwellings above the school were not planned by us. Crazy conditions, but one
invests a great deal of time in difficult projects and is always delighted at unexpected successes. It is the same
as with one's children.

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