Kopgebouw in the Leerpark

Dordrecht, Netherlands

Information about the reference project

Type of building:	Education and Culture
Series:	FACID 65, FWS 50, AWS 65
Location:	Dordrecht, Netherlands
Completion:	2021
Architects:	Rau Architecten BV
Specialist company:	Aluvo Geveltechniek B.V.,Vervaeke BVBA
Picture credits:	© Maarten Noordijk

Ingeniously "concealed"

The Leerpark borders on the Dordrecht municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. It was acquired in the 1990s with the aim of bringing education institutions and companies together in the same space. Today the Leerpark is home to teaching institutions and operations as well as housing, retail, sports facilities etc. and has become a vibrant area. The new head building, the Kopgebouw, with its striking appearance is particularly eye-catching. In keeping with the wishes of their clients, RAU Architects created the most eye-catching educational and office building possible with approximately 7545 m² of gross floor area.

Distinctive thanks to the textile façade

The result is a five storey building that looks like it is wrapped in an oversized blanket. This unusual look is achieved with the use of the Schüco FACID 65 textile façade. The three dimensional screening, sun shading, glare and weather protection gives the visual effect of gathered fabric through the clever shaping with different, strongly pronounced waves. The golden colour is the perfect addition to the eye-catching shape and makes the building shine brightly even on grey days.

FACID 65 – always different

The textile façade can be used on all types of buildings and gives them an original exterior appearance. This can be adapted to changing requirements quickly and efficiently, without limiting its function – an important step on the path to the transformative façade. The diversity of shapes like rectangle, square, trapezoid and arches promise a lot of design freedom. The textile façade is also perfect in combination with other Schüco systems, such as on the Kopgebouw building where the AWS 65 Schüco window system and the FWS 50 mullion/transom façade were used.

Product information

FACID 65

Multifunctional textile façade with wide range of uses and designs

Sustainable construction increasingly includes the entire lifecycle of buildings, which means that the demand for functionality and flexibility in façades is always on the rise too. With the Schüco FACID 65 textile façade, the external appearance of a building can be adapted to changing requirements quickly and efficiently at any time, without limiting its function – an important step on the path to the transformative façade.

Be it as a suspended, rear-ventilated façade, as an additional decorative level or as a combined façade, the highly flexible system opens up a wide selection of design options with suitability for digital printing, many different lighting options and three-dimensional malleability.

High-performance mullion/transom façade with 50 mm face width – the basis for a variety of solutions

The Schüco FWS 50 façade system is an impressive basic system for façades and skylight areas with a high level of flexibility and attractive design options, including optimised fabrication and installation processes. Thanks to a broad system range, solutions for the most varied requirements and applications can be implemented.

A transparent system solution integrated in the profile for spandrel safety barriers blends seamlessly and elegantly into the external façade appearance.

High-quality aluminium system with comprehensive range of solutions

As part of the Schüco AWS system platform, the thermally insulated window system offers an extensive range of solutions for the 65 mm basic depth to meet a variety of building envelope requirements.

It is based on the functional, energy-efficiency and design properties of the aluminium construction: perfectly tailored components combine benefits such as good thermal insulation, narrow face widths and concealed, standard manual or electromechanical fittings for inward and outward-opening windows.

The high level of flexibility of the system enables a wide variety of uses as a punched opening, ribbon window or façade insert unit, as well as in combination with Schüco door systems.