School Extension in Antwerp

Antwerpen, Belgium

Add To Collection

Other Projects by Areal Architecten

Add To Collection

School Extension in Antwerp

Antwerpen, Belgium

Firm

Areal Architecten

Type

Educational › Elementary School

YEAR

2012

Photography by Thomas De Bruyne and Areal architecten

Like the existing school (a modernist volume from the 50’s) embraces the main playground, the extension is positioned in a way that areas of security arise in its inner corners. The new volume integrates the pragmatic logic of the school campus, but not without creating some witty and special interventions adding functional value. The school is designed as a robust rectangular volume, an orthogonal stacking of classes, with excavations made with extreme precision. Facing the street a covered outdoor area is inserted that accentuates the main entrance and through the middle of the building an atrium opens up visibility from the playground to the wide green west of the building. The latter is complimented with a central void that unifies each level and seeds abundant natural light. Through these interventions a public space is created inside the school building, with vistas and social control that a real school community assume.