Royal Athenaeum Ostend


ARJM & Kathy Vanhulle

  • Status:

    Realized

  • Education type:

    GO! Education of the Flemish Community

  • Address:

    Spilliaertstraat 31, 8400 Oostende

  • Client:

    GO! Education of the Flemish Community Ostend School Group

  • Contest:

    Open Call 1

  • Programme:

    rebuilding: caretaker’s house, new building: classrooms, administration, dining area, toilets, multifunctional hall, school grounds

  • Area:

    1.800m2

  • Number of classrooms:

    9 classrooms


Densification and spatial rationalization in an urban context

The task comprises a new building for the middle school of the Ostend Athenaeum on a site which has a limited width along the side of the street where the Athenaeum block is located. Some of the old parts of the athenaeum building and the old headmaster’s house were rearranged for the middle school and the new building is connected to the listed athenaeum building through these buildings.

The design fills the opening along the street side of the block with a compact building, four stories high, in which there are two classrooms back to back on each of the three upper floors. The bicycle parking area is on the ground floor at the front, next to the entrance. From the entrance the corridor runs down to the multifunctional space at the semi-basement level.

This is a useful solution because the majority of open space inside the block is retained as a result of building along the side of the street. The playground area of schools in an urban context is often greatly reduced. This design looked at how the flat roofs could also be made accessible for use as a playground. The courtyard at the back is linked to a flat roof at the level of the dining area on the first floor of the old wing, via an external iron staircase. A second external staircase leads to the flat roof of the multifunctional hall. This creates an outside area which is more exciting in terms of space than the traditional open space of a playground.

The organisation of circulation flows through the building is another strength of this design. Interesting and bright vistas are created: from the entrance hall to the lower hall, from the stairwell on different outside terraces, from the dining area to the terrace. This makes the space exciting and adds to the experience of the building.