VUB Architectural Engineering publishes circular school design guide

'Schools for the future' offers sustainable answer to education capacity issues. With the increasing population, the education sector is facing a shortage of school buildings. In recent years, a great deal has therefore been invested in new infrastructure. But are these the schools of and for the future? At the initiative of group Van Roey - one of the larger construction companies in our country - the research group VUB Architectural Engineering developed a practical guide for clients and designers who want to realise sustainable and circular school buildings. Stijn Elsen, researcher and teaching assistant at VUB Architectural Engineering: "Within the idea of a sustainable, circular economy, a building should be designed with robust, reused or renewed components, in such a way that these components will continue to follow a cycle whenever refurbished. In this way, schools and their components remain useful, and raw materials are never lost." The guide was realised in cooperation with the BBRI (Belgian Building Research Institute), VITO (Flemish Institution for Technological Research) and Antwerp University with the financial support of Circular Flanders, and brings together the knowledge of VUB's research group and the experience of Van Roey group. The practical guide offers solutions that can be applied to school buildings, taking into account preconditions such as construction speed and school-typical characteristics, including changes in the pedagogical project, use of materials and comfort.