Municipality Yard West-Betuwe is a site of nearly 3 hectares that will be transformed into a sustainable and future-proof site with the goal of becoming the “greenest municipal yard” in the Netherlands. The design includes a functional site layout with an office building, garage, open sheds, salt depot, adequate maneuvering space and room for greenery and water storage. The design aims to strengthen the organizational synergy between the West Betuwe municipality and the province of Gelderland.

For the ensemble of modular wooden buildings, the design strives for maximum visibility and daylighting. A clear layout of the site, long sight lines and transparent facades improve visibility and thus safety for workers. The abundance of daylight also limits the use of artificial light. Slender cantilevers all around prevent overheating and enhance the horizontality of the buildings. The buildings consist largely of wooden materials and are built according to the principles of “open construction”: a radical separation of support, facade, installations and furnishings. This makes the buildings extremely flexible, large sections can be prefabricated and materials are detachable and reusable.

Organizational synergy

By creating common ground and facilitating meetings, we create synergy. A logical arrangement of program components leads to joint activities, unexpected encounters and knowledge exchange. The large canteen on the first floor symbolizes the new cooperation between the two organizations; open, flexible, accessible and in direct relationship with the greenery and the buildings. The upper floors are strategically arranged with concentration, consultation and meeting spaces. The soundproof workspaces have ample views of the municipal yard and surrounding landscape. At the heart of the building, the common entrance hall, generous stairwell and various support functions provide places to meet and connect.

The design addresses a wide range of sustainability themes; energy, materials and lighting obviously play a role, but social sustainability, water, ecology and measurable circularity are also covered. The design was created as part of a tender by an integrated design team consisting of Natrufied Architecture and Keizer Koopmans (architect), Pieters Bouwtechniek (structures), Iv-Infra (civil engineering), Merosch (installations and sustainability) and Alba Concepts (cost and sustainability). Unfortunately, we did not win the tender.