New durable and nature-inclusive wing for Het Tandwiel school

A new wing for the Freinet school Het Tandwiel has recently been opened in the Sint-Bernadettestraat in Sint-Amandsberg. It is a durable, passive, and nature-inclusive building with climate-resilient surroundings.

Optimal use of space

The new wing of Het Tandwiel has space for 240 children from both elementary school and kindergarten. The building has a large multifunctional hall that can also be used by residents as well as by community and youth work, local organisations, the non-profit Sportaround and the Academy of Performing Arts and the Academy of Visual Arts. This allows for the space to be used optimally, even after school hours.

Welcoming feathered guests

The building is durable and future-proof with a heat pump, solar panels, and green roofs. The rainwater on the roofs is collected and reused. In total, the rainwater cisterns catch 70,000 litres of water. In addition, the building is nature-inclusive as the façade includes nests for swifts. Swifts are the ideal guests: they use little nesting material and don’t leave dirty marks on the façade.

Climate-resilient surroundings

The surroundings of the new building were designed with a strong focus on climate resilience: there’s a wide variety of native greenery, pavement was kept to a minimum and the pavement chosen is permeable. The playground was tailored to inspire adventurous and free play and facilitate contact with nature. Finally, the school's main entrance was moved so that it connects to one of the green climate axes.