Architecture | Purpose | Horeca
Molenstraat 199 has been empty as long as I can remember, and I have lived in Helmond my whole life. We were asked to find a new purpose for this building. My idea was to make it a homework café, where students from mostly our school can go after school or in gap hours. They can do their homework, test each other, read books or sleep for a bit. It has a bar on the ground floor, a "silence" room on the first floor, a crash room in the attic, a rooftop terrace and a garden with plenty of sunlight. The place is perfect when studying at home is too distracting, but it's not necessarily as quiet or lonely as the library. |
Ground floorThis is the floor where people get in, walk through, find books, test friends, etc. Its buzzy, active and relaxed. The students can get something to drink, ask for pillows to sit on the grass outside, chat for a bit. you name it. It's the heart of the building.
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First floorThis is the place where it's mainly silent. When you enter there is a glass wall to your left which marks the absolute silence place. This is the place to study on your own and focus. On your right is the spot for tutoring, quietly studying together or reading a book. This floor also has the entrance to the rooftop terrace where students can sit and go down to the garden.
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AttickThe attic is a place to crash in gap hours. It's for students who have a headache, slept badly or are simply done for a while. The attic is under supervision and has lockers for students to put their stuff while they recharge for an hour.
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The garden behind the building is where the students enter. There is a front door, but there is a spot to park your bike in the back so it makes more sense for most students to enter through the back. Inside students can get cushions and chairs to take outside or just sit on the grass or the staircase towards the rooftop terrace.
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The ground floor has a bar that is separated from the working area by a glass wall. At the bar students can order a drink and pay with their student card. This way there's no fiddling with money at the bar. By the wall are two bookcases. One with informative books and atlases, the other with reading books in Dutch, French, German, English and a few in Spanish and Mandarin. This floor is not that strict and creates a relaxed environment. When you decide to head upstairs and study in silence you have the opportunity to hand in your phone at the bar. This is not obligatory but they can put it in a locker and hand it back to you when you leave. This way you can create your own no-distraction environment.
The first floor is where the studying happens. The place is supposed to be relatively quiet, especially behind the glass panels. This spot has computers and individual work spaces to study in peace and quiet.
The other area is calm, but not totally silent. This spot can be used for tutoring, testing each other or working on a project. When the weather is good, you can also move to the rooftop terrace with one of the cushions from the storage and study in the sunlight. |