The Atlas Building, Wageningen, Netherlands

The Atlas Building is designed by the New York architect Rafael Vinoly for Wageningen University in the Netherlands. With this iconic building Wageningen University aims to become more popular among Dutch students. Located at the entry of the campus, the building welcomes students and visitors.

The well-known architect / writer Charles Jencks stated a while ago that contemporary architects aim at designing 'iconic buildings'.

"The iconic building shares certain aspects both with an iconic object, such as a Byzantine painting of Jesus, and the philosophical definition of an icon, that is, a sign with some factor in common with the thing it represents," says Jencks.

"On the one hand to become iconic a building must provide a new and condensed image, be high in figural shape or gestalt, and stand out from the city. On the other hand, to become powerful it must be reminiscent in some ways of unlikely but important metaphors and be a symbol fit to be worshipped."

The Atlas Building in Wageningen does just that. On the one hand it represents certain aspects of the function of the building, and of the users for which the building was designed.

OFFICE AND INVESTIGATION SPACE

The Atlas Building is meant as an office and investigation building for biological scientists. Vinoly tried to represent this fact in a remarkable daylight roof, reminiscent of old (modernist) industrial building roofs.

The remarkable daylight-situation was realised by constructing a façade that gives the building the iconic status. By designing a recognisable concrete structure Vinoly managed to create a building that stands out visually. To be sure, the concrete façade structure was not only designed as an aesthetic (or 'iconic') element, it is functional as well.

The façade structure supports the building. Therefore on the inside of the building there was no need for additional carrying columns. Because of this, daylight is able to flow from the roof all the way down to the ground floor of the building.

In short: only by constructing the remarkable facade Vinoly was able to realise the 'daylight roof'.

ICONIC AND FUNCTIONAL

An iconic building needs to be more than just a remarkable skin. A true iconic building has to function properly, hence the four bridges crossing the big interior void.

These bridges allow the scientific personal of the Atlas Building swift access to the opposite side of the building. The rationale behind this design choice was communication and interaction between different sections of the university, allowing potentially unexpected scientific input and possible breakthroughs.

In other words: with the Atlas Building, Vinoly tries to ignite the investigative process at Wageningen University.

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