Dairy Campus, Leeuwarden

The project concerns the expansion and upscaling of a former experimental farm for dairy farming to the research and knowledge center 'Dairy Campus Leeuwarden'. With the recent expansion, the complex has more than doubled in size, and scaled up to a knowledge center based on cooperation between education, business, practical research and knowledge platforms. The 550 'employees' not only produce milk, but also knowledge and energy.

The reception building is designed by Arcadis Architects. One of the sustainability issues is that the building is heated with cow's milk, before the hot milk is stored in the cooling tank. The entrance building facilitates various functions such as office, reception and presentation space, auditorium, lecture rooms and supporting spaces.

Main challenges

The Dairy Campus is realized in a special and historical landscape, the Middle Sea area south of Leeuwarden. This area is characterized by openness, in which the farms with their garden planting are situated as islands in space. The design for the Dairy Campus is consistent with this. In the landscape plan conscious space was left between campus and the nearby business park of Leeuwarden. In addition, there has been careful 'play' with soil bodies and yard planting.

As a result, reference is made both to the farmyards and to special views that do justice to the character of this specific property. The design spatial integration and the layout plan for the sites was made by the Arcadis landscape architecture team.

Innovation / Added Value

The reception building designed by Arcadis has the character of 'conditioned outdoor space'. The building is over-dimensioned in such a way that a service residence could be integrated instead of demolished. The former home now serves as an office and stands prominently under the generous roof. The excess space allows simple and unexpectedly unpredicted use. A ‘low-profile’- design with 'rough climate' zones has led to optimization of costs and technical installations. With smart application of sustainability, which fits the ambition of the Dairy Campus.

An important distinctive character of the Dutch Arcadis architects is their flexible attitude in the integrated process with customers, stakeholders and technical disciplines, without losing sight of the "soft values" within the field of architecture. This provides well-functioning and affordable architecture with a touch of ‘Dutch Design’-curiosity. Dutch Arcadis architects see the playing field of (sometimes opposing) interests as a powerful design tool and strive to make the architecture not diluted through design process, but rather to make it more balanced and convincing.