Faced with a municipal school housed in unsuitable infrastructure, the authorities of Melle decided to relocate it. To that end they bought newly vacant land, a former school site in the heart of an allotment a bit further on. The ambitious council aimed to build a compact but future-oriented school in a park there. The result, the Park School by Petillon Ceuppens Architecten and Schenk Hattori Architecture Atelier, embraces the interior area and steers its use in the right direction. It is in line with the inconstant rhythm of allotment Flanders but also goes against it.

In the context of its commitment, the municipality contacted the Team Flemish Government Architect. When it appeared that Melle’s administration didn’t have sufficient expertise in terms of project management and the drafting of a project definition (both management and definition being required within the Open Call), the regional intermunicipal organization Veneco entered the process. This organization assists twenty-one municipalities around Ghent in various spatial areas. Rien Gellynck, coordinator within its Spatial Planning department, praises the initiative of the municipal council: ‘Subdividing the plots the traditional way was not an option. We wanted to house a park and a community school on it, with space for a music school and a local gym club.’