How to turn a unique building into the ideal learning environment?
Leiden
Leiden University
Cluster Zuid was designed by architect Joop van Stigt in the late 1970s for the Faculty of Humanities of Leiden University. It’s remarkable for its structuralist dimensioning, which corresponds to the ‘grain of the city’ and is expressed in a clear grid of mushroom-shaped concrete columns.
The building is to be renovated and enlarged from 7,850 m² to 11,400 m². It will house more than 700 teaching and self-study spaces, two lecture halls, study and meeting rooms, common rooms and two libraries.
Cluster Zuid originally consisted of seven ‘houses’, but orientation in the building was difficult. The two courtyards were very similar and there was little transparency. In addition, the narrow corridors with too many solid walls made the building feel closed in.
To improve this, the central part of the building was demolished and replaced by a new central heart with a spacious main entrance. In the new situation, visitors can find their way around more easily from the central hall, while the interior of the building forms a more coherent whole thanks to the new atrium, which lets in a lot of daylight. In addition, the entire second floor has been renovated and an eighth ‘house’ in anodised aluminium has been added.
1. Roof light with shading
2. Acoustic warp made of wool felt
3. Reclaimed wood from the same building
4. Existing concrete skeleton with mushroom column
5. New roof for installation floor
Changes to the external façades have been kept to a minimum due to the protected townscape. The prefabricated concrete columns with conical heads, sometimes with a round balcony, are striking feature of the façade. During the renovation, these columns were left fully visible over their entire length.
The renovation of Cluster Zuid complements and reinforces the existing design. The building reflects not only the spirit of Joop van Stigt’s time, but also that of the present. By opting for circular renovation and sustainability, Herta Mohr has gained a new place in the collective memory of Leiden.
© Harryvan
© Harryvan
A renovation that prioritises reuse and sustainability
A special achievement was the reuse of most of the original building and the façade. Three concrete columns from the demolished central ‘house’ were reused in the extension. Other materials were also given a new lease of life. For example, the old sequoia redwood ceiling panels have been transformed into wall cladding in the atrium. These slats were carefully processed, nail-free, and milled in collaboration with the social workshop BWRI. The specific pattern of the battens meant that everything could be prefabricated and installed, leaving as little waste as possible.
Herta Mohr has been awarded a BREEAM Excellent certificate thanks to the use of high-quality materials with low emissions of unhealthy substances throughout the building, as well as the addition of insulation, solar panels and a heat/cold storage system.
New, efficient installations also meet the high sustainability requirements. However, the existing structure could not support these changes, so the second floor was removed and a completely new structure was built on top of the building. This intervention has combined the separate ‘houses’ into one, with the technical installations fully integrated.
Herta Mohr, Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University
In the late 1970s, architect Joop van Stigt designed a special building for the Faculty of Humanities of Leiden University. Cluster Zuid is a beautiful piece of structuralist architecture that is now being thoroughly renovated by De Zwarte Hond. The building has been expanded from 7,850 to 11,400 m² (excluding parking garage).
It now houses more than 700 teaching and self-study places, two lecture halls, work and meeting rooms and common rooms, as well as the libraries of the Africa Study Centre Leiden and Middle Eastern studies. An original aspect of the building is its structuralist dimensions, which match the ‘grain of the city’. The building consists of seven individual ‘houses’, each of which is the width of two Leiden canal houses. The middle house has been demolished and replaced by a new heart with one large main entrance.
In the new situation, everyone can orient themselves from this central hall, with its new roof that lets in abundant daylight. The entire second floor has been replaced and the building has been expanded with an eighth house, made of anodised aluminum. This new addition breathes the architecture of today, so that you can see that the building is growing with the times.
details
- Project
- Herta Mohr, Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University
- Location
- Leiden, NL
- Size
- 11.400 m²
- Period
- 2018-2024
- Client
- Vastgoedbedrijf Universiteit Leiden
- Discipline
- Architecture
- Program
- Culture, Education
- Status
- Completed
- Photography
- De Zwarte Hond, old photo: Jan Versnel & architectenbureau J. van Stigt, Stijn Poelstra, Eva Bloem
- Awards
- Betonprijs
Category: Existing building
- Betonprijs
- More info
- bd@dezwartehond.nl
