The of the University of Twente, built in a former laboratory on the university’s campus, was awarded the BNA Best Building of the Year award. BNA, the association of Dutch architecture firms, praised the architects involved in the project for achieving an “impressive transformation” by turning a lab into “an inspiring educational space” and paying so much attention to sustainability. According to the jury, Civic Architects & VDNDP, Studio Groen+Schild, and DS Landschapsarchitecten turned the “originally brutalist” building into an “open and light learning landscape.
” The atria are filled with trees, plants, and a water feature, and oak walls and bamboo floors bring warmth into the space. The installation technology has been concealed in the floor, preserving the “attractive indoor climate and atmosphere” created by the plants and wood. The building is also energy-efficient with solar panels for electricity and heat recovery for heating.
“The result is a sustainable, flexible, and future-proof space,” the jury said. “Here, students and researchers feel at home and are encouraged to interact and collaborate.” The ITC Faculty, which is the university's Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, is focused on solving a variety of global issues.
"Our people are engaged worldwide in realising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in food security and agriculture, energy transition, geo-health, climate change adaptation, urban.