'Klavertje 4' Primary School Brussels


Belderbos-AAC-Vande Perre

  • Status:

    Realized

  • Education type:

    Municipal Education

  • Education level:

    Primary Education (pre-school + primary)

  • Address:

    Groendreef 16, 1000 Brussels

  • Client:

    City of Brussels

  • Programme:

    Rebuilding existing school, school grounds, classrooms, caretaker’s house, multifunctional hall

  • Area:

    2700m2

  • Number of classrooms:

    12 classrooms


Architecture as an inspiration for an educational project

The integration of the school into the local context was of particular concern. On the one hand, the positioning of the new L-shaped building provides a sense of security and a feeling of safety against theft and vandalism. On the other hand, the tiered structure of the front exterior of the building is reminiscent of a sedimentary landscape and this is used as a metaphor for the children’s education. In addition, the building is subtly integrated in this way in its multicultural environment.

This multiculturalism is a central theme. The building aims to guide children to become interested in things that are different and in being different. The architecture is aimed at helping children and all other users to focus on what is different, and inspire all users to make the transition from linear thinking to a more open-minded approach. For this reason, no two classrooms are the same. There is no wall that is perpendicular and the dimensions of the classrooms also vary. This breaks through the rigid relationship which exists between the pupils and the teacher in traditional classroom teaching. In the new classrooms the teachers tend to adopt other ways of teaching.

The result is a building with spaces that appeal to the imagination. By allowing space to play a full part in the communal areas of the school, such as the stairway and the three-floor entrance hall, every individual place becomes significant. This school is not banal or dull anywhere.

Finally, the multicultural character of this place is reflected in the choice of materials. Bricks are piled up in between long bands of concrete like alluvial layers. The school walls were designed as seats, with awnings for protection from the sun and rain. These horizontal divisions also give the school an element of scale appropriate for children, at the same time as serving as protection against the sun.
Inside, the concrete floors and walls form an expressive combination with the wooden walls and window frames. These windows with horizontal slats at the same time serve as bookcases, storage space and display cases for the classroom. Depending on the extent to which they are filled up, views into the classroom are created.