Lecture and Exam Hall Zernike of the University of Groningen

Lecture and Exam Hall Zernike of the University of Groningen: a multifunctional gatehouse to the Zernike campus grounds of the University of Groningen.

The way the Zernike Building is situated on the Zernike campus grounds, as a meaningful gatehouse next to the main entrance, is reminiscent of a keystone. West 8 is
responsible for the Master plan according to which the buildings have been placed in this green campus like individual chessmen. The Zernike Building houses faculty-
transcending functions: the largest lecture-theatre in the Netherlands, as well as two examination halls that offer room to 1,250 students. In addition the building has been
designed as a students’ meeting place amidst an orange interior landscape located between the examination halls and the lecture-theatre. The building has a fully translucent façade allowing a maximum incidence of daylight and functions as a beacon of light in the dark. This function is intensified by its location at the waterside, so that the light is reflected in the water.

Flexible use.
The concept consists of a central ‘ascending’ street opening up the area, and which is centrally situated between the main functions of the building, i.e. the auditorium and the
examination halls. The large lecture-theatre has a sloping floor that connects the higher and the lower levels of the complex, creating a loop-shaped routing with the access street. On the other side of the ‘street’ are the examination halls, one on top of the other and raised above ground level, so as to enable a large-scale facility underneath the building to put up bicycles. This fixed lay-out of the basic programme offers the opportunity to compartmentalize and use the building in a variety of ways. The space is ready for surprising and alternative applications.

The Zernike Building may be called a sustainable tailor-made suit when it comes to its functions. This appears first and foremost from the design of this ‘light building’, the heat source of which is capable of swiftly anticipating changes in use. In addition, by allowing a generous incidence of daylight on all sides, a pleasant space has been created where artificial light is hardly necessary if at all, and which is also suitable for a multitude of other applications. A building has been erected with modest means that is flexible and pleasant and makes all sorts of other uses appealing. The building is fully booked for next year, which is ample proof of its popularity. The fact that we as architects remain involved in terms of follow-up care, will definitely contribute to the sustainability of the building.

Gross floor area: 5,950 m2
Building period: January to December 2009
User: University of Groningen
Occupation date: December 2009
Firm of architects: Onix
Project architects: Berit Ann Roos, Alex van de Beld
Other members of project team: Fadi Alnajar, Myriam
Lopez Rodero
Relevant advisors: AT Osborne, Baarn; Deerns
Raadgevende Ingenieurs, Groningen; DGMR Raadgevende
Ingenieurs, Drachten; Wassenaar Ingenieursbureau, Haren;
BFB Nova Nederland bv, Joure
Contractor: Rottinghuis, Groningen