KTA Campus ‘De Brug’ Vilvoorde


HASA architecten

  • Status:

    Realized

  • Education type:

    GO! Education of the Flemish Community

  • Address:

    Vaartstraat 1, 1200 Vilvoorde

  • Client:

    GO! Education of the Flemish Community School group 10 ‘Middenbrabant’

  • Contest:

    Open Call 3

  • Programme:

    classrooms, multifunctional space, supporting rooms, school grounds

  • Area:

    2.175m2

  • Number of classrooms:

    18


Compact, high building determines the face of the campus

As the name suggests, the ‘De Brug’ (The Bridge) campus lies in the shadow of the busy viaduct across the Willebroek canal. Hidden by rows of trees and shrubs you find a long, low Expo ’58 pavilion. The container classrooms next to this reveal that this GO! school is also confronted with the characteristic problem of a lack of space. This was the case until recently, because through the Open Call selection procedure, the school has acquired the much-needed extension. HASA architects designed a compact, relatively high, beam-shaped structure which is situated on the site as a counterpart to the existing building. The new red brick building is a striking landmark along the Vilvoordse Vuurkruisenlaan. It removes the school’s concealed and anonymous character.

The new building is more than a sculptural object with functional recesses and large areas of glass. As a result of the well thought-out location and the interesting way in which the lower floors have been incorporated in the design, the whole site has been given a new lease of life.

The site is confronted with a shortage of space and differences in height (the existing school is situated on a bank). Different functions exist side by side, such as the school building, playground, and green area. There is a great lack of coordination. HASA uses these difficult physical constraints in a positive way.

The location of the compact new building creates a new inner courtyard which uses the differences in levels to its advantage. On the one hand, the square is based on the slope of the existing building, allowing for easy circulation between the two buildings. The lower part of the outside space is linked to the existing playground. The covered playground is strategically removed from the block and seamlessly merges with the multifunctional space. This two-storey (open) space has interesting relationships with the communal functions which are located on the lower two floors. The possibility of the multifunctional space and the inner courtyard operating independently, so that they can be used for after-school purposes, is another clever idea of HASA.

The top three floors of the extension contain about 20 classrooms. This compact and economic arrangement however does not detract from the spatial quality. Large windows, internal window panes, bright colors, etc., ensure that the classrooms have an airy feel. The fascinating views of the tree canopies and across the roofs of Vilvoorde make it difficult for the teachers to compete for the pupils’ attention.

In their competition bid, HASA architects also provided a vision of a possible extension. In this proposal, the existing staircase is used strategically: it serves both the new building of the first stage as well as the possible future extension.