This project is situated in the port area on a narrow strip of land along the dock. The overall site planning was developed by OMA Architects, who strategically placed a green open pocket park to contrast with the dense urban cluster nearby. Additionally, a public road was designed to connect the entire planned area seamlessly.
△ Site Plan
The school is bordered by a green space to the south and the dock to the west. To the north lies a square and residential area, while a port road runs along the eastern side. The client’s vision was to incorporate a primary school, after-school care center, kindergarten, and sports facilities for both the school and the surrounding community within the school building.
To maximize space in this land-scarce area, the architect designed numerous outdoor play areas on the rooftop. Indoor and outdoor spaces were carefully adjusted to create highly integrated indoor functions, while relocating the entire sports area outdoors to optimize building utility. Materials like glass bricks were employed in the design of the sports field on the first floor, allowing the main road to pass through it.
The architect unified the indoor and outdoor elements through a galvanized steel framework. Inside, materials such as opaque and semi-transparent polycarbonate, glass, and aluminum louvers were predominantly used. On the exterior, climbing vines were planted to better integrate the building with its neighborhood surroundings.
Design Drawings
△ First Floor Plan
△ Third Floor Plan
△ Fifth Floor Plan
△ South Elevation View
△ Sectional Drawing AA
△ Sectional Drawing BB
△ Section CC
△ Detailed Section
△ Analysis Chart
Project Information
Project Type: Primary and Secondary Schools
Location: Ghent, Belgium
Architectural Firm: XDGA – Xaveer De Geyter Architects
Area: 4,630 m²
Year: 2020
Photographer: Maxime Delvaux
Manufacturers: Aluprof, AutoDesk, CDM, Dott.Gallina, Flexidal, Fosfari Lighting, Heinen, Herculan, Jakob, MERCOR, Multiwal, OWAplan, Philips, Schuco, Sika, St-Joris, Terradec, Wavin
Competition Team: Xaveer De Geyter, Doug Allard, Thérese Fritzell, Ingrid Huyghe, Willem Van Besien, Stéphanie Willocx
Project Team: Xaveer De Geyter, Karel Bruyland, Thérese Fritzell, Arie Gruijters, Ingrid Huyghe, Willem Van Besien, Stéphane Willocx
Project Execution: Xaveer De Geyter, Ingrid Huyghe, Willem Van Besien
Owner: SO Gent
Structural Design: Ney & Partners
Mechanical Design: Studiebureau Boydens
Acoustic Design: Daidalos Peutz
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