The school belongs to Flemish Community Education school group 15. The primary school called 'De Brug' is located in the northern part of the province of Limburg, close to the Dutch border. The school is situated on the edge of the centre of Bocholt. It is near the Zuid Willemsvaart canal.

Bocholt is a very rural district with lots of agriculture and many green areas.
The De Brug primary school provides both pre-school and primary education. Over the last 10 years, the school has experienced extremely positive growth in the number pupils.
The current school buildings, built 50 years ago using silex blocks for 'provisional' use, consist of six individual outbuildings. The buildings have been suffering from concrete decay for several years. Large quantities of asbestos were also discovered. Due to the distribution of the various buildings, it is impossible to pursue an efficient energy policy.
After all, the heating pipes are underground, the walls show serious cracks in several places and the foundations are beginning to sink.
Due to the location of the buildings, a clear distinction is created between the pre-school children and the primary school pupils. The play areas, both outside and inside, are also separate. The children could have spacious green play areas at their disposal. Due to the increase in pupil numbers the classes are quite large and the classrooms much too small. There is a lack of adequate sanitary facilities, storage space, functional multi-purpose rooms, sporting infrastructure, covered outdoor play areas, parking space for the school buses and staff. There is also a lack of rooms for the special-needs teachers.

The brief comprises the design of a completely new building on its own site. The new school building must form a unified ensemble of functional rooms which meet expectations and norms as regards the organisation of high-quality education in the society of today and tomorrow. The building must radiate openness and intimacy and form a striking element in the street scene. It must also allow the creation of a world in which children can develop fully and feel at home. The building must have a harmonious location in a green oasis and reflect a bond with nature and the environment. Special attention must be devoted to preserving the unique character of the pre-school and primary education. Each department forms a separate part of an interconnected whole.

Please note: In their statement of motivation for each model project for which they apply three candidates must list reference projects from their portfolio. The following information must be supplied with respect to these reference projects: the client, a description and the cost price of the services and the estimated cost price of the completed project.

Overall fee core team 87,88 €/sq.m excluding VAT