Basisschool Wisperweide Amsterdam building, Dutch First Innovation Partnership School, Holland architecture photos
Basisschool Wisperweide Amsterdam Building News
4 March 2026
Architect: Jimmy van der Aa of Studio A Kwadraat in collaboration with OMA
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
First Innovation Partnership School by Studio A Kwadraat, OMA, and Schools by CircleWood Completes in Amsterdam
Photos by Ossip van Duivenbode, courtesy of OMA, Oosterhoff and Friso Bouwgroep unless stated otherwise
Basisschool Wisperweide Amsterdam Building Design
Amsterdam, 4 March 2026 – Basisschool Wisperweide in Amsterdam, designed by Jimmy van der Aa of Studio A Kwadraat in collaboration with OMA as part of the Schools by CircleWood consortium, is now complete. Constructed by Friso Bouwgroep, it is the first school in the Netherlands to be built using the CircleWood modular wood system, developed in collaboration with Studio A Kwadraat and OMA’s David Gianotten and Michael den Otter. The method has been adopted under Amsterdam’s 2023 Innovation Partnership School Buildings program, which aims to deliver between nine and thirty “high quality, flexible, and sustainable” schools by 2050.
The CicleWood system features standardized wooden columns, cross laminated timber floors, smart steel joints, and adaptable partitions. Basisschool Wisperweide, which offers pre and after school care, leverages the system to maximize spatial flexibility.
Jimmy van der Aa, Project Architect at Studio A Kwadraat: “At Wisperweide, we wanted to create a school that welcomes and inspires children, allowing them to experience every day what a healthy, sustainable, and circular environment can mean. Plenty of natural light, clear sightlines between spaces, warm natural materials, and the green outdoor areas give the building an open, calm, and natural atmosphere. Such an environment encourages curiosity, awareness, and engagement with the world around them. The best part is that the school truly comes alive: children and teachers have made it completely their own, filling it with color, character, and joy, and you can see how happy they are with it.”
photo © Studio A Kwadraat
The compact building is organized around a central auditorium that functions as the school’s hub and a community gathering space. Surrounding the auditorium are learning clusters arranged in two distinct zones – one for toddlers and one for older children. Each zone has its own entrance and outdoor playground, complemented by classrooms with largely transparent facades and interior walls. The spacious corridors, more than three meters wide and filled with natural light, serve as additional learning and working spaces. Modular partitions allow classrooms and corridors to be reconfigured differently according to the needs and preferences of children and teachers, fostering creativity and collaboration.
As the school evolves over time, classrooms can be added to the north by removing the existing northern façade and expanding the modular structural framework.
The wooden structural system accommodates finishes in various materials and colors. The façade is defined by large windows and French doors that connect children directly to the outside playgrounds. Inside, the bio-based partition walls can be adapted for different uses: some are cabinet walls containing lockers, coat racks and storage, while others function as exhibition walls showcasing pupils’ work and reinforcing the school’s identity. Building services are integrated above the ceiling.
OMA Managing Partner – Architect David Gianotten: “It is delightful to see children exploring the flexible space and to witness the school’s vision come to life. Building on this experience, we look forward to further refining the modular wood system for the upcoming schools in the Innovation Partnership School Buildings program, contributing to Amsterdam’s education environment over time.”
photo © Studio A Kwadraat
CircleWood is part of Oosterhoff, a group of fourteen companies in design, construction and MEP engineering. As Creative Director of Schools by CircleWood for the Innovation Partnership School Buildings program, OMA helps select young designers, and develop in collaboration with them new schools. Studio A Kwadraat is the first selected school designer.
In additional to Schools by CircleWood, De Elementaire School and Het Schoolvoorbeeld have been selected for the Innovation Partnership School Buildings program. Together, the three consortia will build between nine and thirty schools across Amsterdam.
Film Courtesy of OMA, Oosterhoff and Friso Bouwgroep. Photography by Ossip van Duivenbode and Studio A Kwadraat.
Originally developed for the Natural Pavilion at the Floriade World Expo 2022, the CircleWood system has also recently been selected by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) as the foundation for new reception facilities in Oisterwijk, the Netherlands.
Basisschool Wisperweide Amsterdam, Holland – Building Information
Innovation Partnership School Buildings
Project: Innovation Partnership School Buildings
Status: Design Development
Client: Schools by Circlewood, Oosterhoff
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Program: Education: 2.159 m2
Partner in Charge: David Gianotten
Project Architect: Michael den Otter
Model Team: Matteo Fontana, Marc Heumer, Arthur Wong
COLLABORATORS
Collaborating Architect (Basisschool Wisperweide): Studio A Kwadraat
Building Physics: DWA
Sustainability: Hedgehog Company
Structural Engineer: Adviesbureau Lüning, ABT
Construction Cost Calculation: bbn adviseurs
Schools by Circlewood Partners: Oosterhoff
Assembly: Friso Bouwgroup
Wood Supplier: Heko Spanten
Installations: Lomans
Photos © Studio A Kwadraat
Photos © Ossip van Duivenbode, courtesy of OMA, Oosterhoff and Friso Bouwgroep or Photography by Ossip van Duivenbode for OMA, Oosterhoff and Friso Bouwgroep.
Basisschool Wisperweide Amsterdam building images / information received 040326 from OMA architecten
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, The Netherlands, western Europe.
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