With ‘A la Croisée des Chemins’ in Neder-Over-Heem-beek, the architectural practice b 2ai, in collaboration with the contractor Denys, was able to provide a fitting response to the City of Brussels’ request to design ‘a school of the future’. ‘Although every project is different, the input from a client or management team should not be underestimated,’ says sustainability expert Kevin D’hondt of b2ai.

The City of Brussels launched the commission in 2014 as a design-build project for a nursery school, a primary school and a neighbourhood sports hall. The building had to reflect a modern vision of pedagogy, centred on the child rather than the teacher. This vision of education is based on the idea that children can learn a great deal from one another through interaction and observation. It goes without saying that a rectangular classroom with a raised platform and a blackboard at the front does not encourage this approach. A la Croisée des Chemins is therefore based on a completely different architectural concept.