The historical site of a vanished castle stimulates the imagination and evokes childhood memories. Sham castles have been constructed for centuries: free exercises hovering between utility and fantasy. Nothing could have excited us more than building a school in this location, a contemporary ‘castle of learning’. The design combines the site’s history with a unique spatiality, the latter of which is achieved via an unconventional and layered form. A large polymorphic atrium sits at the heart of the school, both aiding circulation and serving as a morning assembly point. Different activities can run concurrently in the hall, which is also an ideal venue for the annual school party. The polygonal classes support different learning methods: independent and group work or traditional lessons. The redbrick school is surmounted by a decorative pattern. A subtle relief terminates in a saw-tooth roofline.
The pond and the school next to the orangerie.
The building is designed in plain brown brickwork.
The upper part the masonry is decorated with a pattern that ends in a crownlike parapet.
Overview of the central atrium and the classrooms around it
When coming from the circular entry, you enter the polyvalent space and have a clear overview of the entire length of the building.
There is interaction possibility with the nearby polyvalent space, the places to think and adjacent classrooms.
The hexagonal shape offers room to circular activities.
The polymorph classroom offers several ways of learning and playing.
The sequence of classrooms along the facade
School on the Site of a Former Castle
Antwerp
Site plan
Ground floor
First floor
Different scenarios for the multifunctional room
Different scenarios for the classrooms
- Design teamDirk Somers, Gosia Olchowska, Joni Nieuwenhuysen and Axel Chevroulet
- LocationAntwerp
- Year2017
- ClientAG Vespa
- StatusCompetition