A New Chapter for the Terpstraschool

How can a historic school be given a new future while creating space for housing, nature and social interaction?

’t Open Schoolhof transforms the Terpstraschool, dating from 1931, into a new social heart for Nieuw-Loosdrecht. The design brings together three elements: the restored historic school, a residential building containing 21 age-friendly apartments, and a green, publicly accessible courtyard connecting them.

A Place for Generations

The traditional Dutch hofje, a communal courtyard typology, inspires a new residential environment where generations naturally meet.

By bringing childcare, community facilities and senior housing together, the project encourages everyday interaction between children, families and older residents.

The former school takes on a new public role, accommodating healthcare, welfare services, neighbourhood activities and community gatherings. Its original central corridor becomes a public passage connecting the Nieuw-Loosdrechtsedijk to the courtyard.

The courtyard acts as a shared outdoor living room for the neighbourhood. Here, play, relaxation and social interaction come together. Carefully designed transitions between public and private spaces create a sheltered residential environment that remains connected to the wider village.

A Family of Houses

Rather than copying the historic school, the new residential building draws inspiration from its proportions, rhythms and distinctive roofscape.

The characteristic pitched roof is reinterpreted as a contemporary volume of three to four storeys. Stepped rooflines, recessed loggias and a rhythmic façade composition break down the building's mass into a family of smaller, recognisable houses.

The material palette reinforces this dialogue between old and new. Warm, reddish-brown ceramic roof and façade elements meet light-coloured rammed-earth blocks and timber window frames, creating an architecture that is both contemporary and rooted in its surroundings.

Nature as an Integral Part of Architecture

Sustainability begins with preserving and reusing the existing school.

The new building combines biobased materials, energy-efficient building systems and integrated solar panels with nature-inclusive design strategies.

The landscape is equally important. Native planting, rainwater retention, green communal spaces and integrated nesting facilities for birds and bats make the courtyard part of a wider ecological network.

’t Open Schoolhof is more than the redevelopment of a historic building. It proposes a new model for village living, where heritage, architecture, nature and community reinforce one another.