“A school is an extension of the home” - Thomas Drenth

In this episode, I talk with Thomas Drenth — an architect with extensive experience in school design in the Netherlands. A graduate of TU Delft, Thomas spent seven years at De Zwarte Hond, worked at Mecanoo, and is currently an architect at Kolpa Architecten. Over the years, he has worked on a wide range of educational buildings — from primary and secondary schools to university campuses.

Together, we dive deep into the world of school architecture:

• What function do schools serve beyond education?
• What are the latest design tendencies and how are they shifting?
• How do different pedagogical philosophies shape spatial design?
• How can the school design support children, teachers, parents, and the surrounding community?
• What makes the Dutch tendering process so tricky for architects working on school projects?

Chosen school projects:

MFA Het Noorderhuis, Noordeloos: https://dezwartehond.nl/projecten/noorderhuis/

CBS De Sleutel, Rotterdam-Zuid: https://dezwartehond.nl/projecten/cbs-de-sleutel/

Gilde Vakcollege Techniek, Gorinchem: https://dezwartehond.nl/projecten/gilde-vakcollege-2/

Apollo Schools designed by Herman Herzberger: https://www.ahh.nl/index.php/en/projects2/9-onderwijs/113-apollo-schools

Open Air Schools (Openluchtscholen): https://www.cultureelerfgoed.nl/actueel/weblogs/adviseurs/2020/openluchtscholen

Iconic Open Air School designed by Jan Duiker: https://hiddenarchitecture.net/open-air-schoo/

Steve Jobs Schools: https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/oct/07/text-books-school-ipad-steve-jobs-classrooms

Enjoy the listening!

Klaudia