American School of The Hague: a farm restored with Accoya

In The Hague, a sixteenth-century farm named “Ter Weer” has been spectacularly restored to form part of the new American School complex, an inspiring place for the education of 250 children from 0 to 6 years old, with a nursery, twelve classrooms, a gym and a multi-purpose hall. It is the third project by the Rotterdam architects Kraaijvanger Urbis to use Accoya, a material certified Cradle to Cradle Gold. A monumental entrance links the historic farm and the “barn” reworked into classrooms bathed in natural light. Around 130 m³ of Accoya, supplied by the distributor Boogaerdt, were used for the cladding, window frames and roof elements; the windows were made by the joinery Webo and construction carried out by Blanksma Bouw. The sustainable building combines solar energy, LED lighting, thermal storage and wastewater recycling. Photographs: Ronald Tilleman.