Sint-Lukas Brussels is a vibrant and lively arts and architecture campus. Nowadays, there is an arts university, the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Leuven, an academy for part-time education in the arts, a secondary school of arts, a primary school, a nursery school, and a gallery. This open and contemporary learning hub is home to around two thousand artists and designers using its facilities to work, learn, and do research.

RENEWED BRUSSELS ARTS CAMPUS

After the renovation of the LUCA School of Arts and the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Leuven, which was also designed by POLO Architects, the renovation of the academy, the secondary school of arts and the primary & nursery school is the keystone of the renewed Brussels arts campus.

Just like the first architectural project for the university campus, this section was in need of a radical renovation project. The buildings were never designed to be schools, their structural condition was distressing and inadequate for a contemporary educational establishment.

'PERMEABLE' LEARNING HUB

The design only preserves and renovates valuable buildings; the others are demolished. Outdoor spaces are revalued. The construction of a new volume at the centre of the site generates an interesting interaction between old and new. The new building's well-considered position creates two new outdoor spaces with separate identities.

"The school's charm and informal character are preserved. No tabula rasa." – Mauro Poponcini, founding partner POLO Architects

A new building is installed on Groenstraat, adjacent to the university's inviting entrance building. Its transparent entrance makes a similar gesture welcoming visitors into the 'permeable' campus.

CROSS-FERTILISATION

The buildings' internal layout breaks up the classical set-up of an arts school. It is based on a mosaic of activities. Art is no longer a collective term for different disciplines.

There is no classical division into departments or disciplines, but rather an organisation in terms of functionality. This way, classrooms, workshops, and offices can be shared as much as possible, which leads to increased collaboration and cross-fertilisation.

The arts campus has become a recognisable, legible place in the city of Brussels. The school's new structure encourages learning, stimulates communication among its users, and contributes to the students' well-being.

read more about the Sint-Lukas School of Arts project in Brussels

Matthias Vanhoutteghem