Denise school - Amsterdam

The international school DENISE on piet Mondriaanstraat in Amsterdam Nieuw-West shows how beautiful a renovation can turn out. The monumental building has been transformed into a learning environment for 4-18 years with lots of light, air and transparency, without compromising the original architectural quality.

In addition to children of expats, the international school also focuses on Dutch children, so you can hear a good mix of the Dutch and English language. Rector Leendert-Jan Veldhuyzen: "We used to sit at the museum square in a kind of Villa Kakelbont that was nice, but didn't work for education. This building is large and has lots of fine places and break out rooms. Because of the openness there is a lot of natural supervision and you don't see any students hanging out in the stairwells."

Common criticism about education is that it is only about measuring and testing, for the DENISE school it is therefore also about the debate and free expression. The theatre is the largest USP and central part of the
philosophy of education. Dutch and English use the theatre for debate and other schools are also welcome. The DENISE school was designed by Paul de Ruiter Architects and started with 390 pupils, but can grow to 900 children.

Sika® and Pulastic®
The floor finish has been an important focus. In consultation with the school, a combination of carpet tiles, PVC and casting floors in the corridors and gymnasiums was chosen. Bonne Maat (Project Consulting at Sika): "We have the floors tightly laid in and are proud of the result. We were involved early on in thinking about the casting floors in the corridors and the sports floors in the gymnasiums, which are on top of each other." A sports floor that contributes to the acoustic insulation due to possible contact noise has been chosen. This sports floor is a multifunctional Pulastic® Elite Comfort 90 Eco (NOC*NSF Class 1) consisting of several layers.

In the corridors is the Sika® Comfortfloor Pro with acoustically dampening properties. Instead of pouring the cast floor directly onto the sand cement screed floor, there is now a 4 mm shock path in between. Optimal in terms of damping and sound to adjacent classrooms. The new school has a chic and at the same time quiet appearance. The quiet atmosphere is enhanced by the good acoustics in the building and the gymnasiums. The DENISE school is a school for everyone!