Kappaert, Zwevegem

A campus for special primary education, holiday activities, and part-time arts education.
The Kappaert, nestled between a canal and a major connecting road, almost forms a village of its own, with its own school, church, parish, and a vibrant community life. The key concept for the campus’s redevelopment is “permeability.” A fine network of paths will connect the Kappaert to the surrounding residential neighborhood and help transform the site into an open, inclusive learning campus.

Small-scale, intuitive, and homely.
The relatively large program is logically divided over a group of three small-scale, homely buildings: one wing for the classrooms, one for administration and the multipurpose hall, and one for the dining hall. Each of the three buildings has a smaller footprint that better matches the scale of the existing buildings on campus. In this way, a small-scale, intimate ensemble is created for the school—a little village within the campus—deeply integrated with its surroundings yet simultaneously a secure, self-contained world.

The dispersed footprints naturally delineate the different outdoor spaces, each with its own character. The central courtyard functions as the heart of the school, where students are welcomed. All important parts of the school (dining hall, multipurpose hall, foyer, teachers’ room, staircase to classrooms...) are visible and accessible from this central playground. This creates a clear and navigable school environment, in which students needing extra support can easily orient themselves. The most public parts, which can also be used by local residents, are located at the main entrance, in the most publicly accessible area.

We collaborate with the KU Leuven research group Research[x]Design, which specializes in inclusive design research. The classrooms are equipped with various elements (internal doors, wall furniture, benches) that enable the space to be organized into different zones or niches, offering both quiet individual spots and areas for group work. It is also possible to connect classrooms to form one continuous learning space.

Phase : execution
Client : Municipality of Zwevegem
Team : joint venture BDR bureau Carton123 architecten, Joost Emmerik (landscape), Sileghem en partners (structural engineer), STir (building services engineer), Research[x]Design (KULeuven)
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