Lutgardis School

Restructuring of a school site

The project comprises two associated missions: a study for a strategic master plan for the entirety of an existing school site and the architectural missions that consist of:

  • the renovation/construction of a kindergarten/primary school (200 pupils) and a secondary school (266 pupils);
  • the construction of a new crèche (50 places);
  • the conversion into a youth club / hall for youth movement (480 m2);
  • the construction of a day-care centre and a service centre for the elderly (650 m2);
  • the construction of 61 dwellings – 6060m² (subsidized apartments and dwellings) & underground car park (70 places).  

The master plan seeks to enhance and develop an existing school site. In terms of integration in the area, the master plan aims to offer a comprehensive project in terms of architectural language, treatment of the surroundings, landscaping, and water treatment. In addition, a study of the flows generated on site made it possible to identify a coherent mobility plan.  

The school part of this project consisted in the construction of three new entities.  
The corner building reflects the new image of the elementary school. It has been treated like a sculpture: playful, with large windows with coloured silkscreened glass, a lively garden at the corner of the street, and a sloping roof, all the while remaining rational.  
In the new building that houses the crèche, each section of the crèche has an outdoor space on the terrace or in the garden. On the courtyard side, the large open-air terrace protrudes from the volume and folds back towards the existing building, which houses the secondary school, to mark below the administration entrance and the entrance to the school classrooms.  
The façades have been plastered, with a darker architectural concrete plinth whose pattern reproduces the patterns of the school’s metal boards.

  • LocationBrussels - Belgium
  • ClientThe Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels (+Karad sprl)
  • Timing2012 - 2019
  • Size5972 m²
  • StatusCompleted
  • TypologyEducation, Urbanism
  • CollaboratorsStructural Engineer: Bureau Van Ransbeeck / Technical Engineer: Istema / Security & EPB: Climatex / Landscape Architect: Studio Basta
  • AwardsLes Règles d'Or de l'Urbanisme 2019
  • PublicationsLe Soir Immo, "Quand l'architecte retourne à l'école", 27 November 2019 ArchDaily.com, June 2020
Lutgardis School
Lutgardis School
Lutgardis School
Lutgardis School
Lutgardis School

A fine example of a mixed-used project in the middle of a Brussels block. The enthusiasm of its users is infectious!

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