American School of The Hague – 7 years on

A sixteenth-century farm converted in 2014 into a nursery school for around 250 children from 0 to 6 years old, the American School of The Hague illustrates how Accoya wood weathers naturally. The material was used for the cladding, the windows and the doors, but also for the roofs and the substructures of the old barn, creating a synergy between the historic fabric and the contemporary extension. The architects of Kraaijvanger Urbis, for whom this was a third Accoya project, chose the wood for the precision with which it can be worked and for its durability. Revisited in the summer of 2021, the building displays a superb silver-grey patina that underlines its harmony with nature. The main building houses 12 classrooms, a gym and a multi-purpose hall, while the old farm accommodates the management, the canteen and the library. Photographs: Ronald Tilleman.