KASOG Genk


a2o-architecten

  • Status:

    Design

  • Education type:

    Free Subsidised Education

  • Education level:

    Technical Secondary Education
    Arts Secondary Education

  • Address:

    Collegelaan, 3600 Genk

  • Client:

    AGIOn (Agentschap voor Infrastructuur in het Onderwijs)

  • Keywords:

    Masterplan

  • Contest:

    DBFM procedure

  • Programme:

    classrooms, administration, sports hall

  • Area:

    Regina Mundi: 12.085m2

  • Number of classrooms:

    Regina Mundi: 39
    Kunstschool: 22 (new) + 17 (existing)

  • Related project:

    Artproject 'Regina Mundi' Secondary school Genk


New building and conversion as a catalyst for an open school campus

Regina Mundi, a school for the soft sector of TSO/BSO (technical and vocational secondary education), is currently situated in the centre of Genk. A dilapidated building and a lack of space were the reasons for deciding to relocate the school. The new building will serve as a breath of fresh air through the campus on the ‘De Bret’ site, where there are already various schools of the KASOG Genk school group. At the moment the Reinpadstraat divides the site into two: on the one side, there are the Technical Institute and the School of Arts, while the Sint-Jan Berchman College is on the other side of the street. The new, long building of the Regina Mundi will be placed in the centre in an attempt to bring the two sides together. The new building for the soft TSO/BSO sector is aimed at serving as a new centre for the campus and will also reorganise the access to the campus as a whole.
The arts school is also confronted with a lack of space, and the Hasselt office of a2o-architecten are dealing with this in an intelligent way. The existing building is extended with a new block so that the whole structure becomes more compact. At the same time, the old elevations are renovated and upgraded from an energy point of view. Old and new are integrated in an energy-intelligent building.

The two new buildings, each with their own identity, will become the face of the KASOG school group. The masterplan proposes a new pedestrian axis which should improve the overall accessibility of the campus, with an easy access of the sports accommodation and a joint solution for parking needs. In this sense the building campaign serves as a catalyst; it aims at greater cooperation and exchange. The multiple uses of the open space and the buildings reveal a vision based on sustainability which has wide support.

The new building for Regina Mundi will be a simple construction of three and four stories, approximately 100 metres long. The classrooms are arranged on either side of the atrium in the long building. The central staircase and the roof lighting determine the atmosphere in this central meeting space which opens onto the cafeteria on the ground floor. This is the central heart of the school, where everyday collective life will take place. The sports hall at the southern end of the building is lowered into the site with separate access for after-school use.
As a result of this building campaign, the new building of the arts school will acquire a completely new appearance and façade. Behind this façade the same concept applies of a central compact top lit hall opening out onto all the classrooms. The design of both playgrounds with the surrounding awnings and the green space results in a finished whole and the careful definition and rhythm of the outside space.