This project consists of an active learning secondary school accommodating 600 to 720 pupils on the site of the former Genappe sugar factory. It borders the station’s concourse, the RAVel network and the green belt of the future eco-district, on the edge of the nature reserve formed by the settling ponds.
People and places are important.
Schools are not enclosures. They take an active interest in their community, and are enriched by all their inherent comings and goings. They form part of the landscape.
This project sets limits, borders, edges, relationships, consistencies and distances.
It makes the best possible use of its surroundings.
An expansive sunken courtyard opens the school’s grounds up to the urban surroundings.
Spacious gardens extend the natural feel of the building and the green belt, whilst forming a clear delineation of its borders.
The project takes an interest in its community. It facilitates sharing.
It enables the school to easily make use of the sports facilities out of school hours.
It allows for the main hall on the garden side to be used for parties, and school and community activities such as seed swaps for the vegetable garden, and vocational days where the locals can come and present what they do.
Spaces such as the forum will spark pupils’ interest in citizenry and democracy.
We want them to act out their subjects, take control of their lives and education, and be respectful of the people and the world that surrounds them.
It is up to us, the architects, teachers and educators, inhabitants of the community, to devise the framework for this growth.
