ABC Maria Goretti by Els Vernimmen at Coroflot.com

ABC Maria Goretti

An assignment for a learning and art centre for children, analogous to the ABC-building in Brussels (Art Basics for Children). This program, in combination with a design for the public space surrounding the building, was the object of this task.

The terrain is situated in the Rabot neighbourhood of Ghent, more precisely the Maria Goretti site, which is nowadays dominated by an unused church building and a primary school.

(In collaboration with another student.)

The program is split into two volumes. These two, together with the church and the primary school, form a cluster, creating a separate private and public outdoor space. The public passage through the site is realised in dolomite, allowing cyclists to pass through but at the same time creating the atmosphere of a park. A small forest zone is planted on one side of the area, through which the people of the neighbourhood also have access to the site.

The entrance to the domain from the Gasmeterlaan - at the moment merely a gap between two blind façades - obtains a more inviting character by extending the forest towards the street.

The Maria Goretti church, which has fallen out of use, is converted into a ruin by taking of the roof. This way, an enclosed outdoor space is created, which can be of use both for the school as for ABC. Alternatively, the church can be closed of from both, and opened up for the inhabitants of the neighbourhood.

The playground for the primary school - which is nowadays very isolated and unpleasant - is stretched out up to the street, providing the school not only of space and the possibility to breathe, but also of an extra face towards the outside world. Parents and children can safely wait at the sheltered space in front of the church.

Where the four buildings come together, a grass zone is planted to provide a green space for both the school and ABC children.

The two ABC buildings barely touch eachother. The crack in between is seen as a play area and a view from the school to the forest.

In the church, the different characteristics of the surroundings are translated through the use of different ground materials: dolomite, grass and pavement come together. The rest of the church is left nearly untouched; the aim is not to assign a certain function, but to allow a wide range of uses.

The making of two separate buildings is a result of the splitting of the program of ABC. The left building contains all the ateliers and the library and has a certain domestic, more intimate atmosphere; the building on the right contains rather public functions: cafe, theater,... Both buildings show similar materials on the outside: the brick façades refer to the brick volumes that are already present on the site. This choice intensifies the coherence between the buildings of the cluster.

A passerelle on the first floor connects the two ABC-buildings.

The atelier building | The building is realised in a very light wood construction. The visible timber frame can be used as book shelves, which means that the library is present throughout the entire building and in all the ateliers. The timber frame is not only storage space, it's also the organizing element of the building: it separates the rooms from one another and allows playing with interior doors and windows, cupboards, reading alcoves,...