2015 kentalis college utrecht 
utrecht, the netherlands

principal: koninklijke kentalis, sint-michielsgestel, the netherlands
copyright: van den berg architecten houten, the netherlands

This vocational and secondary school offers education (Praktijkroute-VMBO -HAVO) to young students  age 12 – 20 with an auditory and/or communicatory impairment (Hearing Impaired, Deaf, Speach and/or Lingual Difficulty) often combined with Autism Spectre Disorder (ASS).

The school involves 3000 m2. Due to the specific learning- and behaviour difficulties, the number of students in classes are small. A system of adjacent subrooms has been developed to enable further in-group individual tutoring, bringing care to the student rather than the other way around.

Internal routes are close and clear. Daylight seeps deep into the building through transparent windows, façades and skylights. (Class-)rooms are multifunctional. Main stairway, hall and gymnasium are joined together during break times, using the adjacent cooking classroom as the obvious lunch counter.

Interiour finishing is robust and fitting for vocational education, with bare concrete ceilings and visible installation components. However, the abundance of controlled natural light, a clear white interior design and the use of natural oak throughout the building provides a balanced and quiet atmosfere.

Special attention has been given to incorparate sustainable building materials, solar panels and geothermal energy.