The Watercampus

The Watercampus in Leeuwarden will function as platform for the development of companies and institutions specializing in water technology, laboratories, consultancy firms etc. For the facade, DP6 proposed a climate modifying skin through which energy can be ‘harvested’. This facade is a direct reference to water droplets and is made of a clear foil that is both sustainable and fully recycled. The Watercampus is mostly a 3-storey structure and can thus be considered a pedestrian building; a building one can comfortably walk through and explore. As the building is compact with a relatively low facade surface area, little energy will be lost.
Daylight permeates deep into the building through green patios. Furthermore, the water-roof is an accessible space, functions as a form of cooling and acts as a buffer for the water system. The isolated building ‘floats’ above the landscape and its autonomous nature is only strengthened by the choice to extend the landscape into a semi-sunken parking area underneath the structure. In such a way, the rugged, natural landscape can be experienced from a different perspective.