A striking example of the modernist school architecture in Turnhout. While the original main building from 1899, established by the Brothers of Charity, was constructed in a neo-Gothic style, this extension from the 1960s embodies the innovative spirit of the Turnhout School.
The extension was designed by a collective of progressive architects: Carli Vanhout, Paul Schellekens, Lou Jansen and Rudi Schiltz. They translated the post-war educational ideal – focused on openness, light and collaboration – into an architecture that radically broke with the closed, hierarchical character of the monastery school.
The new building stands out thanks to its austere, expressive design. It was constructed using rough brick and exposed concrete, typical materials of the Turnhout School, which are not masked but rather aesthetically employed in their honesty. The façades are clearly rhythmic, with large window sections that provide abundant daylight in classrooms and corridors, opening the building to its surroundings.
The interior circulation is transparent and logically structured. Long corridors, open staircases and sightlines create tranquility and overview, inviting movement and encounter. The scale is human, the functions flow into each other – a conscious choice not to confine students within a rigid structure but rather to guide them towards independence and collaboration.
With this extension, the Saint Victor Institute became not only more spacious but also future-orientated. The architects gave form to a new vision of education and society, embedded in the local context of the Campine region but forward-looking.
Today, this complex represents a rare well-preserved example of modernist educational culture in Flanders. Together with the historical neo-Gothic main building, it tells the story of education’s evolution in Turnhout – from religious tradition to pedagogical innovation, and from monumental brick to functional modernity. An architectural diptych that honors the past while embracing the future.
