Time is a key factor in setting up new classrooms or schools. Action must be taken quickly, sometimes without disrupting ongoing activities in the buildings, or by opening the doors before the work is complete. This was the challenge Vers.a faced when converting a factory into a school in Molenbeek: what are the essential elements that enable a school to function without delay?

A large, white, almost cubic space. Inside, the voices of teenagers have replaced the work-related discussions that once echoed within the walls of this former 1930s cigarette factory, which had since become the offices of a construction company. Today, it is a school. The conversion was swift, the pace well-managed. The aim was to increase the number of classrooms from one term to the next, whilst carrying out the work in simultaneous phases. A real challenge. This just-in-time approach, which allows the school to open without waiting for the renovation to be completed, was one of the requirements set by the non-profit organisation pop, which has since set a precedent at the Takeda site. The Vers.a project is handling the first phase of the renovation.