OMA, along with Circlewood, a coalition of architects, engineers, builders, and researchers, have developed a modular wood system to build a variety of schools in Amsterdam. 

This project aims to support the city’s goal to halve the use of primary raw materials by 2030 and become fully circular by 2050. As part of this mission and the need to meet the increasing demand for schools, Amsterdam initiated the Innovation Partnership School Buildings program to build nine to thirty “high-quality, flexible, and sustainable” schools in ten years. 

Consisting of standardized wooden columns and cross-laminated wooden floor panels, the prefabricated system is connected by recycled steel joints. OMA explains, "All of the components are made in a factory under a digitally controlled process allowing for quick assembly and disassembly by an electric crane on site."

They are arranged into 11.8-foot wide (2.6m), 23.6-foot long (7.2m), and up to three-story high structural frameworks. This allows for non-load-bearing partition walls that assist in freeing up space for flexible scaling and uses. In addition, the walls, made with carbon-absorbing raw materials, can be adapted to support different school activities, such as indoor climbing and vertical farming. 

Throughout the schools, information screens will display their carbon footprint and resource consumption. Their circular nature will allow for the buildings to be dismantled and the reuse of their components to create other types of structures. 

As Citclewood's creative director, OMA will assist in the selection of young architectural practices and landscape designers to develop the new schools. A pilot school was formed in Amsterdam with the help of Circlewood member Studio A Kwadraat. 

Jimmy van der Aa, Architect at Studio A Kwadraat, explains, "The method is a kind of construction kit, with many technical requirements resolved upfront. This allows us as an architect to quickly set up a clear structure of the building, and we can fully focus on the final user and the client."

The school will function as an integrated children’s center characterized by a unique façade with different types of openings and a spacious central hall for various activities. Karin Kuipers, Circlewood Project Leader adds, "Every school gets its own architect who works well with the school board and the context. Each school appears unique." Through this prefabricated system, its layout and appearance can be refined and adapted over time. 

Going forward, the system will be further developed with the aim to apply it to different building types outside of Amsterdam and the Netherlands.