geometric supports guide movement at belgian school by LT2A and open architectes

"The reconstruction of the Fernand Jacquemin elementary school by LT2A in association with Open Architectes in Ploegsteert, Belgium, delivers a 1,600-square-meter educational building that rethinks how architecture can support everyday learning. The project moves away from the notion of the school as a neutral shell, treating it instead as an active spatial system that directs movement, enables encounters, and frames attention from the first moment of arrival."

"Covered walkways, outdoor seating, and transitional zones allow learning to extend beyond the classroom. These thresholds become informal gathering points where pupils wait, play, or simply observe the surroundings. The architecture relies on a palette of concrete, glass, and timber. Large glazed facades open shared spaces toward the playgrounds and fields beyond, while more solid elements define quieter, protected areas. Circular walls signal key functions, angled supports introduce rhythm, and the continuous roof ties everything together."

The reconstruction of the Fernand Jacquemin elementary school in Ploegsteert, Belgium produces a 1,600-square-meter educational building that treats architecture as an active spatial system directing movement and framing attention. A low horizontal volume sits beneath a continuous concrete canopy whose overhang creates a protected perimeter and generous covered outdoor areas. Circular and triangular concrete elements act as supports and spatial markers guiding circulation and orientation for children. The design privileges semi-open thresholds — covered walkways, outdoor seating, and transitional zones — to extend learning beyond classrooms. A material palette of concrete, glass, and timber balances openness and protection, with glazed facades connecting shared spaces to adjacent playgrounds and fields. The scheme grew from a nearly decade-long collaboration among LT2A, Open Architectes, engineers, and contractor Dherte SA.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine