Bright green stairwells bookend school workshops in Belgium

Atelier PPW by NWLND Rogiers Vandeputte and architect Kris Broidioi

Staircases and walkways framed in bright green steel wrap the concrete frame of Atelier PPW, a studio block created for a school in Belgium by local studio NWLND Rogiers Vandeputte and architect Kris Broidioi.

Named Atelier PPW, the building is located on the campus of VTI Oostende in Ostend and replaces a structurally compromised block that previously divided the site.

The project has been shortlisted in the education project category of Dezeen Awards 2025.

According to NWLND Rogiers Vandeputte and architect Kris Broidioi, Atelier PPW's design was guided by a concept of "building only what is essential".

Its external circulation unites the two neighbouring buildings around a central courtyard, while behind, a reddish-brown concrete frame infilled with full-height glazing provides bright, easily adaptable workshop and teaching spaces.

"Every design decision stems from the idea of doing more with less: less material, less fixed, less energy needed," NWLND Rogiers Vandeputte associate Pieter Vandeputte told Dezeen.

School in Ostend — Atelier PPW is located on the campus of VTI Oostende

"The project strips architecture to its structural and functional core, revealing a clear framework that can adapt and evolve in time. Circulation and technical systems are externalised to free the interior and minimise the conditioned volume," added Vandeputte.

"The result is a robust, minimal structure that is open, flexible, and legible. An architecture that teaches by example and celebrates simplicity as a sustainable act."

Building with green-steel circulation spaces — Teaching spaces are contained in a reddish-brown concrete frame

Designed to facilitate "creative chaos", the heart of the block is an open, double-height space divided by a row of concrete columns. It is visible from both the campus and the street through full-height glazing punctuated by vertical red steel supports.

On the first floor, this large hall is overlooked by classrooms divided by reconfigurable partition walls, while the top floor houses a series of smaller workshop spaces.

The block is flanked by two staircases and lift volumes wrapped in vertical slats of steel, which were painted bright green to make them easily identifiable. These cores provide access not only to the block but also step-free access to the neighbouring existing buildings.

Metal decks line the inner facade of Atelier PPW, where they overlook the campus courtyard. The uppermost of these walkways has also been painted bright green and is shielded by metal grilles for climbing plants.

"The most defining gesture is the externalisation of circulation and infrastructure, turning a technical necessity into an architectural statement," Vandeputte said. "The external walkways and stairs extend to connect neighbouring buildings, creating a clear link across the campus."

"In a future phase, the existing core across the bridge will receive the same green steel finish, reinforcing way finding and visual continuity, while the circulation cores and walkways make the entire campus fully accessible," he added.