24/10/2017
The architects at HUB responded to the Open Call by the Flemish Government Architect and were selected as the core team within Scholen van Morgen. Their design fully preserves and optimises the architectural value of the – listed – castle.
Construction firm Brebuild, as a partner of Hooyberghs, was awarded the contract for the construction and maintenance of this project. For a contractor too, the renovation of this castle was a formidable challenge.
Groenendaal Castle and Park have a long history. The first records of the estate date back to 1405. The castle itself was built in the 1860s. In the 1950s, following the destruction caused by the Second World War, the castle was rebuilt and extended with an annex.
Architecturally, this extension fitted in perfectly with the rest of the castle, but the school found that much less daylight could enter the building. Structural alterations were therefore needed to make the enclosed spaces more functional, lighter and more pleasant.
Moreover, the castle had stood empty in recent years and no longer met today’s standards, particularly in terms of energy efficiency.
Add to that the fact that the school lacked classrooms to accommodate all the pupils, and it is immediately clear that the need for this renovation project was urgent.
You enter the castle under a new canopy.
A lift shaft has been installed right by the entrance to the castle to make the building accessible to people with disabilities.
Take a look, as soon as you’re inside, at the floor in real marble – a rarity for us in a school building. The authentic staircase is being restored to its former glory. On the other side, a concrete staircase has been added to facilitate movement. On either side of this corridor, you’ll find rooms in the towers: a meeting room (note the decorative ceiling and stucco work here!) and a classroom.
Further back on the ground floor, you come to the walkway. From here, you can look into the new forum in the extension.
The walkway also leads you to the rooms located on the ground floor. Nearby are three rooms of historical value: an administrative office, a staff work area and a classroom. In these three rooms, decorative ceilings, stucco, door frames, panelling and skirting boards have been preserved as much as possible.
Towards the park, on either side of the double-height forum, you will find further rooms: the arts and crafts classroom and the park classroom. Both are large spaces, with the arts and crafts classroom even featuring a stained-glass window. This used to be the chapel. The window was removed, restored and reinstalled.
The forum serves as a multi-purpose hall and as a dining hall for up to 237 people. Large windows and doors connect the forum to the park and ensure easy access.
From the outset of this project, the school wanted to provide for multifunctional use. By situating the multi-purpose forum in the renovated extension, this versatile area is easy to manage. The actual castle remains restricted to school-specific functions. The forum is directly accessible from the park via entrance doors fitted with badge readers.
This forum is one of the spaces that used to be very dark. However, thanks to the large windows and skylights in the roof, this is now a thing of the past. The skylights are also fitted with blackout blinds.
The forum extends over two floors: the ground floor and the former basement. However, level -1 effectively forms a ground floor at the rear, as this is where the castle opens out onto a slope in the park.
At the rear of the castle, a slope leading down to the basement level has been excavated. This intervention brings more daylight into the building and creates an additional outdoor meeting space.
The patio is formed by concrete blocks with grass sown between them. This creates a versatile, somewhat enclosed outdoor space, which nevertheless offers a sweeping view of the sports fields behind.
On either side of the forum, there are two further spaces. An additional refectory area on one side, which opens onto the warming-up kitchen. And a new FitClass, a fitness room, on the other. Adjacent to these are changing rooms and showers. During the day, pupils can use this sports infrastructure; outside school hours, the spaces and sports equipment are available for use by third parties.
The upper floors, +1 and +2, are mainly occupied by classrooms.
The extension covers only the basement and ground floor. This means that from the first floor upwards, there is even more natural light on both sides. Green roofs (which are not accessible) will be installed on top of the forum and the canopy.
On these floors, the towers will house both classrooms and the headteacher’s office, as well as a quiet study area.
Finally, the top floor, the third storey, houses technical installations and air handling units.