ITC UT Enschede

The faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) is a unique institute. Students and researchers from all over the world come to Enschede to contribute to a more sustainable world. The faculty is their home address, a meeting place, and a sustainable symbol for their work.

The faculty is housed in the transformed 'Langezijds,' a former laboratory from 1972. Langezijds has an extreme length (220m) and depth (38m), a low ground floor, and a high upper floor. This makes it characteristic but unsuitable for modern education. The new design focuses on creating space and light within these constraints, not by adding but by removing: Four atria - carved out of the structure - provide greenery, fresh air, and daylight, making the building suitable for the new use with a single intervention.

The building is situated on the Drienerlo estate, a beautiful campus with modernist buildings in a green environment. The design for ITC combines architecture and landscape. The atria connect the indoors with the outdoors. One of the atria serves as the new entrance in the middle of the building. Here, the facade recedes, the landscape folds inward, and the trees grow into the building

The atria create habitats for flora and fauna, contribute to clean air, and provide a stress-free working environment. The Wood, Water, and Stone Gardens each have their own character. The landscape is generous, with plants and trees growing in more than a meter of soil. The stable temperature of the atrium is ideal for (sub)tropical vegetation. The V-shaped glass roofs collect rainwater, which visibly flows into the gardens, where it infiltrates and is retained for the irrigation of the plants.

The architecture symbolizes ITC's global sustainable mission. ‘Architecture follows climate’. Preserving the 'brutalist' structure serves as the foundation. Reused sunscreens on the south side prevent overheating in the summer. The installations for both floors are combined in an 'air plenum' in the raised floor. This keeps the beautiful original ceiling visible and maximizes the height of the ground floor without additional ductwork. Fresh air is naturally exhausted through the atria, which serve as the building's green lungs.

Increasingly, university faculties are adopting a generic office building aesthetic, characterized by white stucco and suspended ceilings, where neutrality takes precedence. The new ITC features a more distinctive architecture that embraces the imperfections of the existing building. The concrete and steel structure is visible, bearing their signs of wear and use. Saw cuts reveal the locations of former floor, old columns remain as overgrown ruins in the atria.

Walls, stairs, facades, the roof structure of the atria; all new elements are placed on or suspended from to the existing structure and foundation, resulting in significant material savings. The interior partitions and ground floor facade are made of oak wood, while the raised floor is constructed from bamboo. The demountable partition walls have a distinctive bronze color. The materials are robust, the details refined, and the colors are true to their materials. Construction is finishing; that is the guiding principle.

At the core of the building's organization lies the concept of interaction: among departments, among academics, and between research and education. That's why the building features a 'Social Heart’ in the entrance hall, where everyone meets and shares meals together.

The scientific departments are clustered around the atria, ensuring that all spaces in the building have a view of greenery. Education, offices, labs, and study areas are mixed; teachers, students, and researchers come together in the inner courtyards. The ground floor provides space for concentration and smaller rooms, while upstairs larger spaces offer a more dynamic environment.

The facade juxtaposes the original architecture, featuring a concrete ground floor and a glass upper floor. Wooden frames signify the building's new purpose. The edge of the raised floor at the facade also serves as a seating edge with views over the campus. The new building provides ITC with a sustainable platform to showcase who they are and what they stand for.