In Brussels, SMAK Architects has designed what they term a “European first”: Campus Deleers, a 26,000-square-metre development that brings education and production together under one roof. The design transforms what was an industrial brownfield on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal into a campus hosting a daycare centre, a primary school, a secondary school, sports hall and adult education, alongside spaces for small-to-medium sized enterprises. This development is part of a larger masterplan that introduces housing and a public promenade to the area, creating a new mixed-use district for the city.

0-99 campus

The architects describe the facility as a “0-99 campus”: an inclusive place for learning and exchange, across generations. It combines a primary school for 500 pupils, a technical secondary school for over 800 pupils, and childcare for over 50 children. Outside school hours, the campus is designed as shared civic infrastructure. Its sports hall is available to local groups, and adult education classes take place in the school buildings.

Program

The school spaces occupy the upper floors, which feature ample daylighting and acoustic separation, while enterprise businesses occupy the ground floors, which have direct loading access and taller ceiling heights. The programs operate separately. The architects have used the sloped site’s five-metre level difference to help organise functions of the campus clearing. The school is accessed from the neighbourhood at ground level, while the business units are reached independently from the canal side a level below the school. 

Materials

The building’s exterior is completed with locally-sourced rust-coloured brick, concrete, steel and large expanses of glazing. External galleries extend learning outdoors, providing passive solar shading and additional circulation routes. The outdoor sports court is complemented by an extensive playground. Inside, finishes are utilitarian: the floors are polished concrete, the wooden structure remains exposed, and a series of modular partition systems allow the spaces to be reconfigured as required.

Construction

The building has been designed using a column and flat slab structure, which allows for a flexible floorplan across levels. In the school, traditional corridors and classrooms have been replaced by 22 atelier-like spaces that are connected by external circulation routes, encouraging movement outside and learning that is project, rather than desk, based. 

There is similar flexibility below the school where the space is divided into units that can be combined or separated depending on the needs of those using them. This part of the building is for everything from commercial enterprises to production, storage and service, and has been designed to encourage cross-pollination between different enterprises and people. 

“The wider development strengthens these connections. A public promenade forms a green and social spine, reconnecting the canal with the surrounding neighborhood. Together with the residential development currently under construction, it creates a renewed relationship between living, working and learning.”

— SMAK Architects

Environmental strategy

The campus’ environmental strategy combines passive design with efficient building services: generous glazing and dual-aspect spaces help reduce reliance on artificial lighting, while the external galleries provide solar shading to the facades. Ventilation systems recover heat that would otherwise be lost, and CO2-controlled ventilation adjusts air supply to suit occupancy. Condensing boilers improve heating efficiency, while central controls regulate the building services according to changing patterns of use, helping to avoid unnecessary energy consumption where possible.