Earlier this month, construction of the Kopgebouw reached its highest point. On Thursday 16 June, this milestone was festively celebrated and, according to tradition, the flag was raised at the newest location of Smart Campus Leerpark.

Developed by Kadans Science Partner, the new Kopgebouw brings together education, entrepreneurship and innovation. The fourth and fifth floors, for example, will be home to the Dordrecht Academy. In addition, a footbridge connects the ‘Kopgebouw’ with the neighbouring ‘Duurzaamheidsfabriek’ (Sustainability Factory), literally creating a bridge between vocational and higher education. The other floors will accommodate companies focusing on technology and innovation. This combination makes the Kopgebouw a place where education and business meet and strengthen each other. With its striking facade with draped theatre fabric, the ‘Kopgebouw’ will be a landmark at the entrance to the Leerpark.

Erwin van Braam, director of Dordrecht Academy: “Alongside the Sustainability Factory, the ‘Kopgebouw’ will be the place for high-quality education, innovation and encounters. Companies can work there together and with mbo, ad, and bachelor students on challenging innovative projects.”

Sustainable

From the start of the design plans for the Kopgebouw, the focus was on high sustainability ambitions. That ambition was translated into practical and sensible measures. Because of those sustainability measures, the Dutch Green Building Council awarded the BREEAM-NL Excellent design certificate to the Kopgebouw.

Smart Campus Leerpark

Earlier this year, the new name of Leerpark was announced: Smart Campus Leerpark, or SCALE for short, reinforcing its campus status. SCALE is the very first campus that truly manages to connect digital and physical innovation. Here, global players work together with SMEs, scale-ups and knowledge institutions on the products of today and tomorrow. Its focus on the application of technology and explicit connection with vocational education gives the campus a unique position in the Netherlands. The Kopgebouw contributes to strengthening the connection between education and entrepreneurship.

The Kopgebouw is part of the international Kadans network, which connects various science parks and campuses in Europe. This encourages cooperation between innovative companies, knowledge and educational institutions to work together towards a better future.