STW0027 – TURNHOUT – Smiskens

design: design of primary and nursery school playgrounds + future vision
client: GO! Onderwijs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap
designteam urbanism and landscape: Studio Thomas Willemse
architecture: archiles architecten (lead)
contractor: Van Roey – Democo
period: 2021-2025

Over the years, the school had expanded with numerous pavilions, leading to an increasing fragmentation of the open space. The new future vision completely reverses this relationship, placing green spaces at the centre and clustering the buildings and their playgrounds at the edges. This approach brings the green back into the school.

The new nursery and primary school will be organised on two levels at the edge of the site. Setbacks in the building mark the different sections of the school, each with its associated playgrounds.

SCHOOL IN NATURE,
NATURE IN THE SCHOOL

The new master plan places the school back in the green:

(1) A green heart between the different functions, featuring an existing grove of trees, the de-paving of playgrounds, and new sports fields.

(2) The cycling track serves as an educational and recreational connecting axis between the two entrances, and between the school and the boarding school. In the future, the track can be further extended to form a large loop around the green heart, functioning as a traffic park and a connection to the future daycare centre.

(3) The playgrounds are nestled around the building in direct relation to the internal functions.

(4) A green border creates a soft transition to the neighbourhood and introduces green elements into the streetscape. Each of the nursery gardens will feature a cozy outdoor classroom, designed as a storytelling corner "in the hedges." The low hedge quickly becomes a maze where toddlers can hide from each other, yet with an easy overview for the teacher. Towards the inner area, the mixed hedge can develop into a biodiverse mini-forest.

photo: Van Roey