Leefschool Heyerdahl

Client: GO! Onderwijs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap
Location: Sint-Niklaas
Realization: 2021 – …
Design team: dmvA & Architectengroep A4
Structural engineer: Studie 10
Engineer Techniques: Studie 10


School Heyerdahl in Sint-Niklaas is situated between the existing neighborhood Clement and the new residential area at the north side of the city. A network of small waterways, paths and streets contribute to the accessibility of the residential area. The school site is positioned at the junction of these roads. The school gets a signal function, serving as a meeting place of the new development, and indicates the new life that lies beyond.

The design departs from the approach of the school: the involvement of the parents, an open attitude, a warm home where the children get every opportunity to grow… Every grade has a class group & two class groups form a 'leef' group ('live' group). Young and old learn to engage with each other by means of group-transcending activities. The well-being, the desire to learn and the engagement that comes from that are the fundamentals that the design is based on. 

The new volume is positioned centrally on the plot around which three playgrounds are defined: the urban sports field, the talud and the main playground. An outdoor classroom/amphitheater is situated next to the talud. The kindergarten, the entrance, and the sports hall each have their covered outdoor area. The canopy is a connecting element that brings the different zones of the school together. The covered play areas have playful openings through which the light enters, and trees can grow. Between the main entrance and the school gate is a welcome zone where the children can be dropped off safely and where parents can have a chat.

Centrally located on the ground floor is the forum around which the main entrance, the administrative rooms, the teachers' rooms, the sports hall, and the kindergartens are organized. By merging the entrance and the forum, there is a transition from public to more private. Parents are allowed in the heart of the school: the forum & the place of their child: the classroom. On the way to the classroom, they come into contact with what is going on the school. At the back of the ground floor is the kindergarten cluster with its own entrance. The cluster consists of two groups around a forum and its own green outdoor playground. In the kindergarten forum there are wheeled units with storage space and a seating pit. The communal areas and forums were designed to be multifunctional. Except for the bleachers and small-scale elements, these spaces were deliberately kept open, so that they can be furnished according to the desired activities.

The sports hall is situated next to the urban sports field and can function autonomically. With its own canopy, outdoor space and sanitary facilities, this hall is a beating heart for the new district, both during and after school hours. The circulation is organized in such a way that the students of the primary school can go directly to the sports hall without having to go past the toddlers.

The result is a compact school with a rich green outdoor space. The synergy between the various rooms, between interior and exterior and the landscape design, support the multitude of didactic possibilities. It is a multifunctional building that can evolve with the time and is a meeting spot before, during and after school hours.

Centrally located on the ground floor is the forum around which the main entrance, the administrative rooms, the teachers' rooms, the sports hall, and the kindergartens are organized. By merging the entrance and the forum, there is a transition from public to more private. Parents are allowed in the heart of the school: the forum & the place of their child: the classroom. On the way to the classroom, they come into contact with what is going on the school. At the back of the ground floor is the kindergarten cluster with its own entrance. The cluster consists of two groups around a forum and its own green outdoor playground. In the kindergarten forum there are wheeled units with storage space and a seating pit. The communal areas and forums were designed to be multifunctional. Except for the bleachers and small-scale elements, these spaces were deliberately kept open, so that they can be furnished according to the desired activities.

The sports hall is situated next to the urban sports field and can function autonomically. With its own canopy, outdoor space and sanitary facilities, this hall is a beating heart for the new district, both during and after school hours. The circulation is organized in such a way that the students of the primary school can go directly to the sports hall without having to go past the toddlers.

The result is a compact school with a rich green outdoor space. The synergy between the various rooms, between interior and exterior and the landscape design, support the multitude of didactic possibilities. It is a multifunctional building that can evolve with the time and is a meeting spot before, during and after school hours.