Projects
A new facade that suits an innovative school
Lyceum Oudehoven in Gorinchem is an innovative school for senior general secondary and pre-university education. But its innovative character didn't match the look of the building. “Anyone who walks in here experiences a warm, modern environment. But the facade looked a bit sad,” says principal Jeroen Spek. Together with the school, Embera created a building with real character.
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After several extensions since 1986, the exterior of Lyceum Oudehoven had become a hotchpotch of styles, materials and colours. “With our three different tracks – practical havo, bilingual education and agora education in De Delta – we really stand out from other schools. I wanted the facade to have a look that matches what we do inside,” says Jeroen.
When the new Gilde Vakcollege opened right next to the Lyceum – also part of Willem van Oranje Onderwijsgroep – Jeroen could picture it: two schools with the same style and one recognisable identity, as educational flagships on the campus and in the streetscape of Gorinchem.
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To the point
That meant replacing the window frames, insulating and rendering the entire facade, and giving the north side a new glass wall. For the project management, Jeroen brought in Rudger de Jong, whom he knew from the construction of the Gilde Vakcollege.
“Rudger stood out for his expertise, decisiveness and pleasant way of communicating. He's approachable and refreshingly to the point. Thanks to his experience with education projects, he knew exactly where the challenges lay and what type of contractor we needed. Based on that, he shaped the Engineer & Build tender together with the HEVO expertise centre.”
"Rudger stood out for his expertise, decisiveness and pleasant way of communicating."
Jeroen Spek
Director
Right on schedule
The schedule was a major challenge: students had to be disturbed as little as possible during lessons. And with 1,100 students moving across the schoolyard, safety is extra important. Jeroen: “As much work as possible had to be done during the school holidays. That requires flexibility from all parties and a project manager who draws up and monitors a very precise schedule.”
The schedule was rock solid, but had to be adjusted several times because of ongoing new developments. For example, the project was delayed by a year due to bat nests in the facade. “Rudger was a key figure in getting all parties to move along.”
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Getting your teeth into it
For a while, another year's delay loomed due to backlogs at the Omgevingsdienst (environmental agency). “Our application wouldn't be processed until months later. Rudger and I immediately said to each other: we'll do everything we can to prevent that. He got his teeth into it, brought in a lawyer, and in the end the Omgevingsdienst came round. That saved us another year's delay. Rudger never said: ‘Jeroen, it can't be done.’”
Once the exemption was sorted, Jeroen faced the question of what the new facade should look like. “As a school, you only do something like this once every forty years, so I wanted to make the right choice. Rudger suggested going on a tour of various reference projects. That's what really gave me clarity about what I wanted.”
Because of the specific schedule, decisive communication was essential. “Rudger always communicated very openly and quickly. And if there was an obstacle, he immediately came up with several solutions,” says Jeroen. “What's more, he always looked after our interests. In conversations with a contractor, I'm ultimately just a school principal without technical knowledge. Rudger does have that knowledge. That was enormously valuable and meant we always made the choices that fitted my wishes and the budget.”
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