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Architects: B2Ai
- Area: 11860 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Stijn Bollaert, Alheembouw Pictures, Matthias Vanhoutteghem
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Lead Architects: B2Ai architects
Text description provided by the architects. In the multicultural neighbourhood surrounding the West Station in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, the Egied Van Broeckhoven School has opened in the former bottling plant of the Vandenheuvel brewery. The brand-new Jesuit school will be rooted in the community and offers innovative Dutch-language secondary education focused on STEM, and Community and Well-being. Once fully operational, the school will accommodate 860 students across academic, technical and vocational streams. With this circular renovation and new construction project, the architects of B2Ai have realised the ambitions of the school, centred on sustainability, smart infrastructure and community connection. The project was executed within the DBFM procedure of the Flemish Government and is the first of around 40 school construction projects to be completed and operationalised.
A school that connects people - The demand for Dutch-language education is high in Brussels. For years, Flanders has invested significantly in creating additional capacity. In a city like Brussels, where space is limited and many school buildings are outdated, this challenge is even greater. The project was commissioned by the 'Ignatius Scholen in Beweging' association. The location chosen was the former Vandenheuvel brewery near the West Station in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. With the closure of the brewery, an important economic driver for the neighbourhood came to a halt. The conversion into a brand-new secondary school provides a powerful new impetus for both the area and its surroundings.
An open and inclusive school - A school is more than just a building. The Egied Van Broeckhoven School seeks to avoid isolation and opens itself up to the community. The new sports hall is placed adjacent to the existing building, making it visible from the street. Positioned semi-underground, the sports hall intrigues passers-by and engages with the neighbourhood. The limited space pushed the team to think innovatively. The playground, for instance, is distributed over multiple levels. On top of the sports hall is a large outdoor play area, separated by arches fitted with ball-catching nets. Facilities such as sports fields and the gym are available for sports clubs and community initiatives outside school hours.
Sustainable reuse of industrial heritage - As much as possible, the existing industrial heritage has been preserved. The Art Deco façades were cleaned and insulated to meet stringent energy performance standards. The exterior joinery was replaced with new aluminium frames. Respecting the industrial heritage, a strong vertical window design with slender profiles reminiscent of the original steel windows was chosen. The green-grey colour gives the façade a contemporary touch. To maximise natural daylight in the deep building, a patio was introduced within the grid of concrete beams and columns.
When allocating architecture programmes, the unique qualities of the spaces were considered. The old bottling hall, for instance, with its high ceilings and arched roof, houses an open learning environment, workshops and an auditorium. Inside, the industrial character remains palpable. The brewery's concrete structure has been left visible, blending old and new seamlessly. B2Ai's interior designers combined playful elements like ochre-grey chequered flooring with warm materials such as pine wood.
