Wooden school completed in just a few months

The wooden school the Epos in Rotterdam has been in use since June 2020. Both teachers and students are very pleased with the fresh and at the same time cozy building.

The Epos is an elementary school of Stichting De Verre Bergen. The foundation wants to make Rotterdam stronger and better and therefore started a school in Rotterdam Zuidwijk, an area of the city that is socially and economically less developed, where teachers have more time for the children and can better guide them based on their personal needs.

A new way to build - completion in just a few months

SeARCH, together with manufacturer and contractor De Groot Vroomshoop, has developed a circular and all-wood school that can be easily disassembled, moved, enlarged and expanded. By working with prefabricated modules, construction time is kept to a minimum and we install a completely new school building in just a few months, while the slower process of urban renewal continues around it. The school is constructed with the building concept Modulinn.

SeARCH designed a building for the foundation with two wings of stacked wooden classrooms surrounding the gymnasium and central atrium. The atrium acts as the heart of the building and houses both the entrance and access to the upper floor.

The multi-purpose wide staircase serves as a grandstand at times, a stage at other times, or simply as an informal meeting place during school hours. The first floor also houses the media library, cooking studio and 2 large classrooms, each of which can be divided into 2 smaller units.

On the second floor there are 3 more large classrooms including a technology room, a canteen and work areas for the teachers and other staff. The district partners also have 4 separately accessible offices available here.

75 wooden modules

The Epos is made up of 75 prefabricated wooden modules that can be moved and stacked again at a different location if necessary, making the school future-proof.

The installations are integrated, which not only increases the degree of prefabrication in the factory, but also further improves the visual quality.

The interior is an interplay of wooden surfaces and glass openings, creating a fresh, yet warm and cozy atmosphere where children can learn in a safe and protected environment.

The facade is clad in vertical wooden slats mounted close to the weatherproof skin. By varying the distance between the slats, a kind of filter is created for the partly reflective, partly black skin, making the building look different depending on the position of the observer and the weather.

Without being too conspicuous, this project also physically demonstrates the foundation's goal of adding value to (this part of) the city.

M'DAM in Monnickendam

Largest wooden residential building in NL

The construction of the wooden residential building M'DAM at the Pierebaan in Monnickendam is in full swing. Waterland will soon be the first municipality in the region with a completely circular wooden residential building. The plan was developed by BMB Development B.V. of Limmen (part of VolkerWessels).

M'DAM is a design by product developer and architect Finch Buildings from Amsterdam. The co-engineering, prefabrication and construction of this unusual timber building concept is being carried out by De Groot Vroomshoop (also part of VolkerWessels). M'DAM will be completed in October 2021.

The project in Monnickendam is unique.

Never before has a large-scale residential building been built in the Netherlands that is constructed almost entirely of CLT (cross laminated timber). The 62 apartments are almost entirely built in the factory.

Due to the use of solid wood, the modular design and the industrial manufacturing process, the building has, on balance, a negative CO2 footprint: the sum of the emissions is smaller than the amount of CO2 saved and buffered in the CLT.

Moreover, by using wood from sustainably managed production forests, the construction partners are planting back more trees than are being used.

Short construction time

Thanks to the industrial manufacturing process, the houses are already produced while the groundwork is still taking place. This also limits the inconvenience of construction. The total construction process takes only five months.

The facade of the U-shaped building consists largely of wood, partly of traditional brickwork and partly of aluminum facade elements. The wood construction concept reduces CO2 emissions and is therefore much more sustainable and environmentally friendly than traditional construction projects and provides a healthier living environment.

The use of wood and the re-usable construction method mean that the raw materials can be reused in the future. The owner-occupied dwellings are financed through individual private mortgages and are

Wood stores CO2

Wooden buildings are an important solution in the fight against climate change. Wood is the only building material that stores CO2. All apartments consist largely of solid wood (Cross Laminated Timber). An apartment of 78 m2, for example, stores as much CO2 as is emitted by driving 45,000 kilometers.

M'DAM leads the way in modular and innovative construction with the lowest possible footprint. This wood construction concept reduces CO2 emissions and is therefore much more sustainable and environmentally friendly than traditional construction projects.

Housing needs and innovation in the municipality of Waterland

Alderman Jelle Kaars: "M'DAM meets the great demand for housing in the municipality of Waterland. With M'DAM we are also leading the way in innovative construction with the lowest possible footprint".

Corporatie Wooncompagnie, which will offer 20 social housing units from the plan, wants to realize sufficient affordable rental housing and ensure a sustainable and diverse supply.

Director-director Stefan van Schaik: "Both the renovation and new construction tasks we fill in with bio-based materials, such as wood, where possible. All new construction counts for us, but this project is close to our hearts because we really had to stick our necks out for it. We were happy to do so, because we believe that the current housing shortage is crying out for innovative solutions like this".