In a workshop for a secondary school in Ostend, the Belgian duo use simple strategic moves to solve complex spatial problemsNWLND Rogiers Vandeputte was shortlisted for the AR Emerging awards 2024. Read about the full shortlist here When approaching a new project, NWLND Rogiers Vandeputte founders BertRogiers and Pieter Vandeputte are likely to pass over cups of pens and teal iMacs stationed at their desks to reach instead for Occams razor the principle that the simplest available solution is also usually the best.Often in NWLNDs projects (pronounced New Land) , this means deriving one key idea to unlock a series ofknockon benefits. For the addition ofanursery building to an existing primary school in Ghent, currently in early planning stages, the architects began by challenging an inherited masterplan that proposed twosets of administrative rooms one forthenursery and another for the school. Bycombining the duplicated functions, NWLND liberated space in the nursery to become additional classrooms for the school. This is more than just an act of spatial efficiency; theextra capacity will mean that no student isdisplaced to a substandard temporary classroom during the works. Architecture is not only about anice window opening or a sculptural element, says Rogiers. It is about finding asystem.Such a system was formulated in the studios designs for Atelier PPW, a workshop for a secondary school in Ostend. At either end of the building, outdoor staircases provide circulation toupper storeys and to neighbouring buildings, connected by adeck. This separation of auxiliary and primary functions aims at longevity through flexibility; the precast concrete columns are strong enough to support an additional floor if later required, while the circulation structures already extend to the current roof level. Even inside, the floor layouts can adapt to changing spatial demands. An offtheshelf solution ofinternal walls can be moved by students and teachers, and external doors open onto the deck at regular intervals to support all manner of changing layouts inside.The vivid green recalls buildings by James Stirling, but NWLND aretoo unpretentious toaccept the referenceIn NWLNDs early portfolio of private houses, shop fitouts and office buildings, such rigorous spatial solutions are hidden inplain sight affecting how their buildings are lived and worked in, but rarely making ashow of it. For a building such as Atelier PPW, however, in which students will learn how to construct buildings, the practice hasgained a more expressive aesthetic licence. While Atelier PPWs concrete frameis pigmented in the brickred of itssurrounding context, the circulation structures are painted in a vivid green, recalling buildings by James Stirling and recapitulated by contemporary architects such as David Kohn, but NWLND are far too unpretentious to accept the reference. Instead, the architects insist that the colours serve as a diagram of two contrasting construction methods working together to fulfil maximum spatial value. Forthe students inside, it is surely a helpful example.