'De Bloesem' Primary school for special education Sint-Truiden
Paula Van Esch, principal GO! ‘De Bloesem’
When I see how satisfied my teachers and how happy our children are, then... For me this is heaven on earth.
Pieter Meuwissen, VBM architects
We developed a master plan for this site. We thought about future perspectives and the further development of this campus.
From the very beginning we had to design a building with about eight classrooms, but we also had to think of a long-term strategy so that they could realize a second building of approximately the same size. The later extension won't need stair cases anymore. So, this actually is a long-term investment.
Paula Van Esch, principal GO! ‘De Bloesem’
You can see there at the back that only the windows have to be removed. This can perfectly be connected to the future building. The hall will continue. And you can save a lot, only two windows need to go.
Pieter Meuwissen, VBM architects
The façade itself might be the most characteristic of the project. That is, we worked with one single window module, based on the existing wings of the boarding school. But we placed them at random in the façade. That way, the children have a unique view in every classroom. That makes things more recognizable for the children. And we've also made sure we don't get a monotonous repetition. That's a choice for autistic children we had to take into consideration. The repetition of a certain element shouldn't be monotonous as it distracts the child too much.
First, we have brick walls as a supporting structure, to support all floor plates and realize simple spans. The outside wall isn't a supporting wall and consists of a timber frame. That gives an ecological result, as wood is a renewable raw material. And it allows a better insulation in walls that are less thick.
Here we have wooden walls in OSB. Wooden materials in a building create a warm effect, what's good for children. And it can easily be used as a notice board. It's very easy to put up drawings and stuff with the use of pins.
Paula Van Esch, principal GO! ‘De Bloesem’
Each classroom has its own storage space, a luxury for our teachers. If you compare all that luxury to our previous building, that was a dump.