A Grand Atrium at the Core

Stimulating connection with space

Opened in 2022, the Jakoba Mulderhuis building at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences accommodates up to 7000 students from the Faculty of Technology. Designed in collaboration between Powerhouse Company, Marc Koehler Architects, and de Architekten Cie, the BREEAM "Excellent" building comprises a 13-storey tower and a low-rise 6-storey section across 25 000 square metres. An impressive atrium forms the "pivot" of the building and stimulates connection in numerous ways.

The atrium as an “educational theatre”

The Jakoba Mulderhuis building is a special project for Marc Koehler of Marc Koehler Architects and Nanne de Ru, founder of Powerhouse Company. They completed their bachelor's degrees at the university back in 1999. “We are part of the first batch of students who followed project-based education”, says De Ru.

“Our lessons were given in the Leeuwenburg: a concrete colossus initially designed as an office building with many rooms, small windows, and low ceilings. As a result, we only had an idea of what other students in our building were doing".

When the tender for the Jakoba Mulderhuis came up, we saw a great opportunity to break this structure and give project-based education the place it deserves”. The atrium plays an essential role in this, he explains. “Thanks to open educational floors with protruding terraces, students can look inside each other’s spaces. The atrium has thus become a kind of educational theatre.

The atrium is bordered on one side by the Theo Thijssenhuis building, with a natural stone facade that was renovated just before work began on Jakoba Mulderhuis. "Students can present themselves to each other and to the outside world”.

“For the new additions, we opted for light materials and neutral colours”, says Stefan Prins, architect and partner at Powerhouse Company. "This allows students' work to be even more spotlighted. It also allows daylight to flow in softly and gently, avoiding strong contrasts”.

“The atrium roof follows this principle, which consists of large white steel frameworks filled with glass and dark grey acoustic ceiling tiles. The design strengthens the shape of the construction and prevents reverberation."