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Witry & Witry Architecture

Photos: Witry & Witry Architecture

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• Status:

  Realized

• Education type:

  Municipal Education
  

• Education level:

  Primary Education
  

• Address:

  84 Haaptstrooss, 6661 Born
  

• Client:

  Administration Communale de Mompach

• Keywords:

  Passive building

• Programme:

  8 classes, teachers'room, 3 multi-purpose rooms, sanitary facilities, storage and technical room (attic)

• Area:

  2067m²
  

• Number of classrooms:

  8
  

• Completion:

  2004

Intelligent use of space for a compact passive school

The municipality of Mompach wanted to realise its new primary school in Born, as the first one in Luxembourg, according to passive standards. This ecological vision was the basis for the architectural design of this school building.

This vision is translated in the architecture and spatial organisation of the building. The school consisting of 8 classrooms is conceived as a compact ‘box’ with a large winter garden/recreational hall which acts as a buffer between the volume containing the classrooms and the outdoor environment. The classrooms are ‘piled’ on the north-west side of the building, while the winter garden is oriented south-east. Active and passive solar gains are possible: ‘passive’ because of the heat storage in the recreational hall during winter and ‘active’ through the solar panels that have been installed on the inclined roof.

Classrooms, a multi-purpose room, toilets and storage are available on each floor. The teachers' room and the offices are situated on the ground floor. The winter garden is an ingenious space with multiple functions. It is used as a recreational hall and circulation space. The abundant light and the tropical plants add to the school’s spatial quality. The plants contribute to the humidity control of the building and are part of an educational concept. They have been selected and grouped per continent of origin making them a valuable teaching resource. 

The winter garden also plays a role in the building’s thermal performance. During winter it functions as a greenhouse, in summer as a buffer area (heat transmission) and ventilation shaft  for night cooling. The skylights and rooms on the southern wall open at night and in this way allow diagonal ventilation to provide the necessary cool air.

Due to the selected materials and the simple detailing, this school building serves as a good example of a sustainably designed school building. 

The client intended to realise a CO₂-neutral school. In order to meet the objective of the lowest possible embodied energy, viz. the energy needed for the production of materials, it was soon opted to use as many wood applications from renewable sources as possible. The volume containing the classrooms has been entirely built in timber frame. In the recreational hall steel columns were also used for constructive reasons. The choice for wood also fitted in with the architects’ ambition to create a warm and homely atmosphere. The suspended connecting bridges in the recreational hall are covered with warm red MDF on the outside and finished with yellow rubber on the inside. The stairs are finished in maple tree wood. The floors of the classrooms are covered with different colours of rubber. The cladding panels in thermally treated larch create a natural look. 

The limited heating requirement (21 kWh/m2 per year) is covered by a community heat and power system on wood pellets from the surrounding forests. The system also provides the nearby cultural centre and fire brigade building with heat and electricity.  The solar panels cover the energy need for lighting, among other things. In the block of classrooms triple glazing was installed towards the exterior, whereas the winter garden itself, as well as the windows between the classrooms and the winter garden were fitted with double glazing. A ventilation system with heat recovery for each classroom considerably facilitates management and maintenance. 

In order to make children aware of renewable energy and their consumption in a playful way, an information sign in the recreational hall gives an overview of the energy produced by the solar panels.