MPI/SBSO Sint-Niklaas
Jan Doens, principal MPI ‘Zonneken’ Sint Niklaas
It's very important to give autistic children structure in time and space.
Jan Maenhout, architect
Structure is very important to them. That's why we made a building that forms a very large cocoon. It's closed on the outside and on the inside we have the various parts of the school coming together.
They need isolation from the outside world so that they can focus on themselves more, as that's their starting point, and after that on relatives and friends.
The ground floor is designed to accommodate all the children, connected to a specific outside space: It's their playground, their classroom. We only have one part upstairs: the administrative centre of the school.
Filip Dierieckx, principal SBSO ‘Baken’ Sint Niklaas
At the moment we've decided to put six children in each room. But if the requirements change or there are practical issues, we could take these walls out and create another installation.
Blue is the colour of our school, green is the colour of the secondary school. This is a clear signal to the children to show which classrooms are theirs.
Jan Maenhout, architect
What's our aim? We have a domestic part, where they cook and eat, and we have the work part, where every desk is isolated. That's to make sure that the children are not distracted too much.
We use open cabinets here, which are very useful. It's very easy to move them so that you can create other arrangements.
All classes are identical. The windows can be opened and all children can go out on the playground.
Filip Dierieckx, principal SBSO ‘Baken’ Sint Niklaas
This room is used as indoor playground. When it's raining, the children can stay here during the playtime. This room probably stands out thanks to its use of glass. That was a well-considered choice since our autistic children have a lot of difficulties with stimuli. External stimuli make them restless. That's why we consciously decided to use frosted glass.
And then we have a courtyard. It was constructed with a purpose. We wanted to create a source of tranquillity inside the building.
Jan Maenhout, architect
You have to see this as a search for the ideal educational support system.