This design proposal outlines the expansion of the administrative center for the municipality of Berlaar. The original “double school” is restored to its initial condition as a freestanding building, oriented perpendicular to the Schoolstraat. This approach allows both former playgrounds to be activated as green public spaces. Together with the new administrative center (NAC), this can create a pleasant, community-building hub within this inner area.
The scale of the proposed new building helps structure the surroundings and introduces a number of seemingly self-evident elements: a chain of patio gardens emerges as outdoor spaces adjacent to the offices and the cafeteria, featuring sun canopies, greenery, and strings of lights. A greened passageway guides the slow pedestrian connection to and from the town square. The parking area is structured in a grid that can be fragmentarily transformed in various places, depending on needs, without losing the overall coherence.
