With the ceremonial cutting of a green ribbon and a series of inspiring speeches, the new school building of GO! Busleyden Atheneum Campus Zandpoort on Zandpoortvest in Mechelen was officially inaugurated last Friday. Sabe De Graef, alderwoman for Education of the City of Mechelen, Koen Pelleriaux, CEO of Community Education (GO!), Geert Van Hoof, General Director of GO! Scholengroep 5, and Kevin De Backer, Deputy Director of BA Zandpoort, took the floor.
The new building has a gross floor area of 2,400 m² and was delivered with a construction cost of €5.8 million. It offers students open, bright and sustainable learning environments, embedded in a green and calming setting. Transparency, flexibility and connection are central to the school’s design.
“The transparency of the new building, with lots of glass and sightlines, fits perfectly with our way of teaching,” says Kevin De Backer. “GO! Busleyden Atheneum Zandpoort is the place for young people with ambition, curiosity and a strong sense of initiative.”
A broad open school with multifunctional spaces
The new school building was designed by czaar architecten (Leuven) and delivered by the Aurora Scholen consortium (Democo, Groep Van Roey, Rebel and Epico) through a DBFM programme, with Democo acting as contractor and project supervisor. The Energy Circle is responsible for the building’s maintenance.
The building has three levels and is conceived as a broad open school, where every space has a clear purpose. Even corridors are actively used as learning and working areas. Large glazed sections bring in daylight and create visual connections between classrooms. Mobile furniture allows students and teachers to work flexibly, where and when it suits them best. Around the building, there is plenty of greenery, space for quiet moments and opportunities for sports.
On the ground floor you will find the secretariat, a spacious foyer and atrium as the central meeting place, a regeneration kitchen and a modern, flexible lab. The first floor houses adaptable landscape-style classrooms with mobile layouts. The sports hall is located on the second floor and has a separate entrance on Zandpoortvest, enabling easy access for external users outside school hours.
Investing in high-quality school infrastructure
According to Geert Van Hoof, General Director of GO! Scholengroep 5, a pleasant learning environment improves learning outcomes. Together with the City of Mechelen, the focus is on quality education and strong infrastructure. BA Zandpoort offers an innovative learning environment and forms a solid springboard to higher education for entrepreneurial, IT-minded and language-skilled students.
Sabe De Graef, alderwoman for Education of the City of Mechelen, also stressed the importance of this investment for Mechelen as an education city. Koen Pelleriaux, CEO of GO!, emphasised that the building embodies openness, quality and equal educational opportunities, while providing room to grow further to 600 students.
