KAE Etterbeek Primary School


evr-architecten

  • Status:

    Design

  • Education type:

    GO! Education of the Flemish Community

  • Education level:

    Primary Education (pre-school + primary)

  • Address:

    Edmond Mesenlaan 2, 1040 Etterbeek

  • Client:

    Gemeenschapsonderwijs Scholengroep Brussel

  • Keywords:

    Low-energy building, Masterplan

  • Contest:

    Open Call 12

  • Programme:

    classrooms, multifunctional space, toilets, school grounds

  • Area:

    902m2

  • Number of classrooms:

    9 new classrooms


Child-size passive school

The school site of the Royal Athenaeum Etterbeek (KAE) is located in the park of a former castle in Etterbeek, an urban municipality of Brussels. An approach consisting of different phases transformed this once harmonious estate into an incoherent collection of buildings. The castle is a reminder of the past surrounded school buildings dating from various decades. The old prefabricated buildings for the pupils of the nursery school and the CLB no longer meet contemporary norms and requirements. The design by evr – architecten was selected via the Open Call of the Flemish Architect from five different presentations.
The Ghent architects’ office evr captures the spirit of the green space. The new nursery school is placed along a path which links together the various schools and atmospheres on the site. Differences in levels are removed with a number of creative measures. For example, a small “amphitheatre” separates the playgrounds of the nursery school children from the pupils in the primary school. This results in a sort of architectural walk. From the school gates you walk under the leafy trees to the green awning of the school.

The concept of the building is convincing because of its simplicity. The nine classrooms are arranged in an L-shape along a multifunctional space; six on the ground floor, the other three on the first floor. The area for circulation is designed inventively: the bottom treads of the staircase form a platform, the corridor on the first floor is a viewing platform over the multifunctional hall.
The design focuses on the theme ‘Create space, leave space’ of the well-known Dutch school architect Herman Hertzberger. It is a place where children feel at home, but are also inspired and encouraged. For example, the building is a reference to the stereotype of a house with a pointed roof. The nursery school children can identify with their own door and window from the multifunctional space. These internal windows provide vistas, but also serve as display windows for their own work. A sense a security is another important criterion in this design; several degrees of intimacy are created both in the outdoor space and in the architecture.

Evr – architecten, who focus on ecological and sustainable building, had one great advantage compared to the other four design teams: the proposal could be built as a passive school, subject to a few measures. As a result of the good compact structure, sufficient thermal mass, excellent insulation and wind proofing, basic ventilation with heat exchange, etc., very little energy is needed for heating in winter or cooling in summer. As this design shows, quality and a compact passive construction are not mutually exclusive. Daylight in all the classrooms and corridors, vistas and contact with the outdoor space, a clear structure in the plan, etc., mean that the nursery school is a pleasant and comfortable building. Community education is aimed at introducing the general public to this way of building. Pupils, parents, and teachers can experience for themselves the indoor climate that can be achieved in this sort of building. In this way, prejudices about this concept - such as the misunderstanding that windows cannot be opened in a passive building - can be overcome. Evr – architecten are preparing a perfect school example.