Maaklab

The existing industrial building was built according to the principles of a prefab concrete skeleton. After a technical analysis of the existing construction, the building was stripped to its essence: a double-height space consisting of concrete columns, beams and floor slabs. By locally adding a new intermediate floor, an open inner street is created, surrounded by ateliers; workplaces and classrooms. In the side aisles there are spaces with heavy machinery. These remain physically closed but are visually engaging with the inner street because of the glass windows.

By using ready-mades dmvA highlights the accessibility and proves that even on a low budget you can achieve interesting results. For example, scaffolds were used as a tribune. The sectional gates and the use of pine wood for the added elements also indicate a no-nonsense approach.

Floating wooden stair elements and a multifunctional tribune, which at the same time is a staircase, auditorium and a meeting place, ensure cross-fertilization between the various departments, but also transform the central inner street into the beating heart of Maaklab. Maaklab is an example of how interior can influence the urban development. The inner street responds to the circulation of the campus through the buildings and functions as a forum on the school grounds.