USACE reshapes SHAPE, Brussels schools

By Ms. Carol E Davis (USACE)June 4, 2010

USACE reshapes SHAPE, Brussels one new construction at a time
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District is managing construction on several educational facilities in Belgium, including additions to the Brussels American School. The new $6.3 million, 13,300-square-foot gym is 90 percent complete and is ex... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
USACE reshapes SHAPE, Brussels one new construction at a time
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – In a joint venture with Mitchell-Giurgola of New York and ABATEC of Belgium, the Europe District is managing construction of a $146 million project that will bring new DoDDS elementary, middle and high schools, and an international school to the SHAP... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
USACE reshapes SHAPE, Brussels one new construction at a time
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – In a joint venture with Mitchell-Giurgola of New York and ABATEC of Belgium, the Europe District is managing construction of a $146 million project that will bring new DoDDS elementary, middle and high schools, and an international school to the SHAP... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BRUSSELS - After decades of piecemeal construction, maintaining and repairing old educational facilities that have exceeded their intended life spans, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe International School are working with Army engineers to replace their school and childcare facilities here, including all new elementary, middle and high schools that serve students from almost 40 nations.

New American facilities include a community youth center that will offer local students fun and educational skill-building activities as well as additions to the Brussels American School, including a gymnasium and arts building that can be divided to provide teachers the flexibility to hold two classes at once.

SHAPE facilities, which will break ground in 2011, will replace the integrated French-language kindergarten, elementary schools administered by eight different countries and secondary schools administered by three different countries.

During a recent site visit to Brussels, Brig. Gen. Peter "Duke" DeLuca, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division commander, said the new American facilities will not only ensure a high quality of education, they will also add flexibility to class scheduling.

"This gymnasium is going to double the capacity and the ability of teams to practice simultaneously here," said DeLuca. "That is a huge scheduling relief to coaches who had to schedule one group in the morning and one in the afternoon."

The new $6.3 million, 13,300-square-foot gym is 90 percent complete and is expected to be ready for use in time for fall's new school year.

"We needed a new gym desperately. We are very well known for our academics, but we also have some of the best athletes in DoDDS. We hold a lot of Division III titles," said Eric Goldman, principal of the Brussels American School. "We needed a new facility, something state of the art."

In addition to the gym, students will soon reap the benefits of a modern arts and music building.

Strategically located between the middle and high school classrooms, the facility offers students from both units an opportunity to hone their music skills or perfect their artistic talents. The building offers flexibility with a variety of room sizes, from a large center room for group rehearsals to smaller rooms for individual groups.

The 6,800-square-foot building offers an acoustically reinforced area with angled wall panels designed to reverberate and contain sound while ensuring outside noise stays out.

"Our kids were operating in small facilities. They were sufficient, but we needed something larger with more flexibility," said Goldman.

In addition to the Brussels American School construction, U.S. Army and USACE officials broke ground on a new youth center in January. The $6.4 million facility will accommodate about 150 students and provide children the opportunity to participate in various after-school activities.

"Between the new gymnasium, art and music building, and the youth center that is under construction a few hundred feet away, these facilities are really enhancing the quality-of-education and the qualify-of-life for our students," said DeLuca.

Changing the quality of education in SHAPE

Since the 1960s, the SHAPE International School and DoDDS American schools in Mons have not changed much. School facility upgrades consisted of a series of makeshift add-ons driven by increasing student numbers, but with funding from DoDDS and several NATO countries, students can look forward to new schools.

Europe District the is managing construction by a joint venture of Mitchell-Giurgola of New York and ABATEC of Belgium. The $146 million project will bring new DoDDS elementary, middle and high schools and an international school to the SHAPE community.

"The plan is to replace the antiquated, mismatched buildings with a new design that will not only be contemporary, but will also provide a unified campus for all of the students," said Steve Umbrell, a district project manager.

Currently, the elementary and middle schools' designs are at about 50 percent, he said. All three American schools are expected to be complete by 2015 with the international school scheduled for 2016.

"SHAPE is going to be very busy with construction over the next couple of years," said Umbrell. "Our biggest challenge is going to be constructing the elementary and middle schools, relocating as many students as possible to the new school while doing demolition and construction on the high school while keeping as many of the existing schools open."

The new schools will also provide students with a new band room, music room, auditorium and other modern educational and common facilities to provide students with more educational opportunities and a better learning environment.

"The bigger, the better the facility, the more flexibility the teacher has, and that has a huge impact to the length and quality of the school day," said DeLuca. "The one thing we can't get more of is time and the enhanced facilities offer teachers, students and parents a bit more flexibility with scheduling and time."

Related Links:

USACE News

Brussels American School

Europe District Photos

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

USACE Europe District

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Army Garrison Benelux