De Leerexpert in Brasschaat is a school for children with both motor and learning disabilities. The brief was to renovate a run-down 1950s building and add a new wing. This will be positioned diagonally across the park garden and break the old school completely open. The central yellow canopy plays a crucial role in the playground for the less mobile children. It consists of a circular canopy that adds structure to the play area. The outdoor space for the slightly more independent young adults faces the park. Its canopy suggests a panoramic transitional space between inside and outside. Both canopies – including columns, beams and profiled sheets – are made entirely of steel. The roof plane of the yellow canopy is composed of warm roof cladding bracketed together. Four slender columns carry shorter beams. The orange canopy again consists solely of columns and a roof. The connecting beam is mounted at the top and not visually prominent.
