The new municipal primary school De Lettertuin in Ninove has officially opened. Democo delivered the school building as part of Aurora, the consortium responsible for its design, construction, financing and maintenance for 30 years. The school, the City of Ninove and the project partners came together for the official opening to celebrate the result.
The new school has three floors. The ground floor accommodates the nursery classes, administration, dining hall and sports hall, among other functions. The first floor houses the first years of primary school, the school management and support rooms. The second floor is home to the second and third stages of primary education.
Building vertically was a deliberate choice. As a result, more than 75% of the site remained available for play areas and greenery. The nursery pupils have their own play area next to their classrooms. The primary school playgrounds are spread across different levels, connected by stairs and a play hill.
Inside, the building also supports different teaching methods. Large acoustic sliding doors allow classrooms to be combined, while the corridors also serve as learning spaces.
Democo was responsible for the construction of De Lettertuin within Aurora. The consortium brings together contractors Democo and Van Roey and investors EPICo and Rebel. BRUT architecture and urban design developed the design in collaboration with Sweco, M-gineers, Daidalos Peutz and Plant en Houtgoed.
Jochen Willen, Managing Director of Democo, expressed his appreciation during the official opening for everyone involved in the project : “Schools are incredibly important places where young people discover and develop their talents and, ultimately, where society itself takes shape. We are therefore extremely proud to have had the opportunity to deliver this project.”
With the official opening, Democo’s construction assignment is complete, but Aurora will remain involved with De Lettertuin for another three decades. Within the consortium, The Energy Circle will help maintain the building for the next 30 years.
The City of Ninove therefore gains not only a new school building, but also a long-term approach to its management and maintenance.
