We chose to follow the existing building lines of Kokerstraat and Schrijnwerkersstraat, resulting in two rectangular volumes intersecting the plot and creating two distinct parks. To connect these green spaces a passage through the building was made.
As a way of subtly separating public space from the school grounds, we elevated the structure on a 40cm platform. This elevation allowed the integration of a circular cut-out in the playground, introducing a green element into the paved area and encouraging both intentional and imaginative utilization of the height difference by the children.

Design for an alternative high school in the Brugse Poort neighbourhood, Gent
mentors: Bert Bert Haerynck, Tinne Verwerft
collaboration Jules Focke
2019

Structurally, the building is defined by two floor plates and a roof, with strategic load-bearing elements fostering an open plan and a free façade, emphasising the horizontality of the design.

The horizontal logic is also mirrored in the division of the plan. At ground level multipurpose halls and a cafeteria serve both students and the local community. All classrooms are situated on the first floor, linked by a covered outside corridor.

The classrooms themselves are flexible spaces by design, folding windows allowing them to expand into a terrace during the summer, sliding doors connect to an intermediate space with a sitting area for collaborative project work.