'Hofkouter' Primary School Sint-Lievens-Houtem
Geert de Groote en Isabelle Jacques - Bernard Wittevrongel
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Status:
Design
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Education type:
GO! Education of the Flemish Community
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Education level:
Primary Education (pre-school + primary)
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Address:
Schoolstraat, 9520 Sint-Lievens-Houtem
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Client:
School group 20 Zuid-Oost-Vlaanderen
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Contest:
Open Call 13
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Programme:
classrooms, multifunctional space, kitchen, dining area, toilets, storage space
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Area:
526m2
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Number of classrooms:
11 classrooms
A sustainable copy
The Hofkouter primary school is located on a large site in the rural municipality of Sint-Lievens-Houtem. The building with curtain walls where the primary school is accommodated is inadequate. Both the thermal and physical comfort, as well as the stability of the buildings, are of dubious quality. On the other hand, the user-friendly character of the building is greatly appreciated by its users: the pupils enter the school through a covered playground on the ground floor and go to their classrooms by two staircases at both ends of the building. The two upper floors are arranged in a fairly traditional way: the classrooms are on either side of a central corridor. This practical layout means that the building is conveniently arranged and at the same time provides quiet places to work in.
Five different offices of architects submitted a proposal via the Open Call selection procedure. The proposal of the offices from Kortrijk and Ghent which collaborated on this occasion, viz. Isabelle Jacques - Bernard Wittevrongel and Geert De Groote Architectuurkantoor (GDGA) was the obvious winner. Because of its specific construction, the existing building, which is of a fairly high architectural standard, could not be renovated without detracting from its intrinsic qualities. The temporary accommodation of the school and the technical financial aspects proved to be additional problems. Consequently the architects designed a building which is similar to the lay-out and structure of the building to be replaced in terms of plan and size.
The new primary school was positioned in such a way that the open green character of the site is retained. The compact building with its north-south orientation corresponds perfectly to the existing playground. The presence of large windows on either side ensures an optimum entry of light. In order to prevent overheating in summer, a concrete overhang is constructed on the southern side. Together with the external staircase, this integrated construction forms a second façade with a rather playful, lively outlook.
The project comprises some degree of flexibility in the sense that the load-bearing structure is entirely incorporated in the façade and the corridor. If necessary, the size and the layout of the classrooms can be modified in future.