University of Arnhem, Faculty of Education

LIAG have released designs for the new Faculty of Education building at the University of Arnhem and Nijmegen in Nijmegen following a successful European tender. Keeping in line with the ‘sustainability ambitions’ of the university, the new build will include a large heat exchanger – which will hold all of the building’s energy present at that time – and the combination of a ventilation system and the conditioning of the building in an effort to save a significant amount of energy. Also taken into account in the design was water usage, material usage, air quality, acoustics and visual comfort in an effort to produce the most durable structure possible.

The majority of the building’s exterior will be formed of green facades, combined with large amounts of glass in an effort to create an aesthetically pleasing structure. The transparent glass elements have been included to allow exceptional amounts of daylight into the building, whilst on the south side, sunlight will be kept in check by the use of louvers. An artificial landscape is set to be created using synthetic ‘rocks’ in an area which runs between the interior and the exterior. The ‘roofs’ of these rocks are intended for use as study spaces. Two floating educational wings above this landscape are to be connected by an atrium, providing a large amount of daylight and interaction in the building. From within this atrium, all educational spaces will be visible and corridors on every level will be adapted for additional study space.