Levensstrijdweg

The new regional centre of Natuurmonumenten aims to become a part of its natural surroudings: plan Tureluur. With Plan Tureluur Natuurmonumenten recreates a natural landscape, north of the Oosterschelde, out of former agrarian fields which were retrieved from the sea by dikes in the dark ages. The built object has no gable, no gutters and no windows. Its architectural shape reduced and minimalised thus enforces innate decay and vegetation.

The built object is made out of lightweight foamglass concrete, creating a solid monolithic shell of half a meter thick that performs all the functions that are necessary: construction, insulation, physics.
To exploit the nature of this special type of concrete the walls and roof were poured in the same fashion: horizontally. Due to this the structure of the foamglass lumps is exposed giving the building a rough “natural” character.

Inside its interior walls are all completely made out of glass: transparent, reflecting and frosted. Opening up it’s interior to the surroundings. Cornering the centre a patio connects heaven and earth.

client : Natuurmonumenten, Tony de Haan
size : 100 sqm
project : 2015-2016
construction : 2016-2017
engineering : Richard Fielt, B2CO
construction : Braspenning Wernhout
sustainability : Steven Schultze, Ron Stet, Aart van Hell
photography : Matthijs Labadie