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B-architecten

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• Status:

  Design

• Education type:

  Free Subsidised Education
  

• Education level:

  Primary Education (pre-school + primary)
  

• Address:

  Zonnekinddreef 8, 2920 Kalmthout
  

• Client:

  vzw Zonnekind

• Keywords:

  Passive building

• Programme:

  3 nursery classrooms and a pre-school entry classroom, a primary classroom, an entrance hall, sanitary facilities, a covered playground, a dining area with open kitchen, a multi-purpose room

• Area:

  700m²
  

• Number of classrooms:

  5
  

Compact passive school in the forest for the littlest ones

In the midst of the forests of Kalmthout a new nursery school is built to replace the existing prefabricated school building. The new programme encompasses three nursery classrooms, a pre-school entry classroom, a classroom for the first year, a multi-purpose room and a dining area. The school is part of the pilot project ‘Passive Schools’ of the Flemish government. The architects opt to maintain the favourable location of the existing school in order to safeguard the open playing area and to achieve the best possible orientation for a passive building.

A green area in the middle of the school site separates the new nursery school from the primary school. Throughout the site, sightlines and walking paths have been drawn to keep the site orderly for and accessible to everyone. The green zone contains communal spaces such as the chicken run. The playground equipment and the sand pit for the littlest ones are situated close to the nursery school, so that the large common playing area can remain open.

The three nursery classrooms and the pre-school entry classroom are located on the ground floor, linked two by two around a large entrance lobby and the sanitary block. The class for the first year and the dining area will be located on the upper floor. In this way the learning environment of the pre-schoolers can be kept separated from the intensive use of the upper floor. An open multi-purpose room is created between the dining area and the first year classroom. It acts as a multi-faceted public space that can easily change function. The plan also abandons the traditional corridor/classroom typology and organises the access to the classrooms via the entrance lobbies.

Each of these rooms has its own specific width, height, incidence of light and relation with the environment. Each type of space provides its own sense of safety and cosiness, typical of the specific function of the space.

The building is conceived as a compact volume that is oriented north-south. On the south side the whole building is fitted with an overhanging canopy. Apart from providing protection against the weather the canopy serves as an intermediate stage between the safe environment of the classrooms and the open playfield. This canopy is also conceived as a sun screen to protect the indoor spaces from overheating during the summer but which still lets in sufficient light during winter.

The building is constructed around a wooden porch structure which dictates a clear rhythm in the façade. The façade is conceived as a shell around the wooden porch structure. This shell has a low thermal mass, but a high insulation value. The thermal mass, which is beneficial for the energy requirements of school buildings, is achieved by means of concrete floors and ceilings. The choice of materials balances between the want for a warm and cosy atmosphere and more technical demands regarding acoustics and energy. For the exterior finish of the shell the architects use shingles. These roof slates from cleaved solid cedar wood serve as a sustainable and environment friendly roofing or façade cladding.