Shift architecture has designed the University of Tilburg Faculty Club, a multipurpose pavilion for the academic staff and their guests. The ‘strong solitary buildings in the green’ concept was repeated resulting in one simple box.

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

Photography by Rene de Wit

‘…The Faculty Club is designed as a carved-out-monolith, one simple box in which transparency and massiveness melt together. The central restaurant is carved out from the centre, creating a tunnel-effect in the front façade. In order to strengthen its solitaire character the building is lifted from the ground. The height difference is bridged by outside stairs and a ramp integrated within the front façade.

Each façade has only one window. By recessing each window, outdoor spaces are created within the front and rear façades. These mark the entrance in front and form a large covered terrace in the back. The simplicity and plasticity of the three-dimensional window treatment further contributes to the building’s sculptural qualities.

The primary program consists of a restaurant for eighty persons, a lounge and two conference rooms. The secondary program consists of a kitchen, storage space and other services. The further the functions are situated from the campus, the more intimate and informal the space becomes. The conference rooms look out over the campus, while the lounge completely relates to the forest and the garden. All main functions are physically linked by a transparent axis running the length of the building.

Both the lounge and the restaurant are connected to the carved-out terrace situated at the rear of the building. A four-rail system of sliding windows enables one to open up two-thirds of the total eighteen meters of glass façade. This intensifies the experience of the forest without the visitor having to step outside the building envelope….’

ARCHITECT: Shift architecture urbanism, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. CLIENT: Tilburg University. LOCATION: Warandelaan 3, Tilburg, The Netherlands. DESCRIPTION: Education. PROJECT ARCHITECTS: Harm Timmermans and Pieter Heymans. COLLABORATORS: Sabine Hogenhout, Bahar Akkoclu and Tjeerd Bloothoofd. DEVELOPER: Van der Weegen Bouwontwikkeling, Tilburg. MAIN CONTRACTOR: Van der Weegen Bouwgroep, Tilburg. CONSTRUCTION: Bartels, Eindhoven. STATUS: completed. AREA: 518 sqm. DATE: 2011. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.