SMART thinking!

The polyurethane skin of this utility bldg is described as "a public square wrapped around a box"

This project spotted on the Playscapes Blog…. The new city Leidsche Rijn in the Netherlands built this utility bldg to house machinery that will recapture previously discarded waste heat in the form of hot water. The heat transfer station is a zero emmission building and is intended to supply all new buildings with heat and warm water.

The city challenged the architects  (NL Architects) to design a skin for the building: the architects took them seriously.  The skin is molded to follow the interal machinery, higher on one side than another…giving the building an attractive sculptural quality.

Climbing grips incorporated into the building skin

Then the architects proceeded to add playful features to encourage youth interaction with the building instead of vandalism:  climbing grips inserted into the polyurethene skin, a “doorscope” which is a backward peephole inserted into the door allowing a view into the inner workings of the building rather than the traditional view outward…allowing the curious a view of the machinery,

…a sloped “hole” through the skin of the building and other strategically placed holes that create a playful water cistern and downspout action in the wet climate as well as allowing roosts for bats and other birds.  Very SMART thinking!!