Feb 18, 2009: Dormitory

[xoxoxoBruce]

The University of Enschede, in the Netherlands, needed a new dormitory.

Like many Colleges and Universities in the US, they built a nine story building to make good use of the land it takes up.
I'm sure there are stairs, but maybe elevators too, there certainly would be here.


They also made it look kind of spiffy.




But unlike the US the Netherlands is flat, very flat.

“It was a gift from the client to the inhabitants of the campus, because the university of Enschede has a very active and successful mountaineering club – however paradoxical that may sound in the flat Netherlands”, Arons & Gelauff Architects write, “As a climber in the Netherlands, one anyway has to resort to artificially created training spots, so why not combine architecture and climbing wall?”

Wall? Climbing wall?

Yes, climbing wall.

One of the sides of the nine story building features a climbing wall. According to the architect it is the second highest one in the Netherlands.

The addition of the climbing wall is a response to the context of the building. Positioned right next to sports fields, with the wall the building literally absorbs the sports onto its body. The specifications of the wall: 30 meters high, 2500 grips.

Golly, maybe they don't have an elevator.

Stairs?

link