Aimi Hayashi

This thesis reimagines the future of the GO! School voor Beeldende Kunsten Anderlecht (an art academy in Brussels) through continuous spatial interventions conceived as “acts.” It explores adaptive reuse as an ongoing process, interpreting theatrical phenomena within architectural practice to challenge the conventional dualistic “before-and-after” model of architecture. 

The school is layered with history, marked by fragmented adaptations accumulated over time. Many classrooms remain hidden and underused, while a large open-air parking lot dominates the entrance, reflecting the car-oriented culture of Anderlecht. With an upcoming competition to massively remodel the academy, this project proposes an alternative approach: strengthening connections with the neighborhood and the nearby middle school to open possibilities for shared use and collaboration in education.

Rather than pursuing a comprehensive restoration, the proposal adopts a process-based approach that allows the school to evolve gradually while preserving its spatial and historical complexity. Segmented interventions make it possible to pause, adjust, or even stop midway, adapting to the indeterminacy and ambiguity of the future. This phased approach also ensures that learning continues without requiring the closure of the entire building. Here, the open construction is interpreted as an urban scenography that allows people to curiously observe, wonder what is happening next, and even participate in the process. As the building takes shape, it fosters a sense of attachment between people and place.

The project does not seek a finale. The academy is envisioned as an unfinished, evolving environment where transformation remains active, new circulations appear and disappear, and the complexity becomes a catalyst for artistic education and community interaction. Like an intermission awaiting its next act, the thesis integrates theatrical concepts not only as metaphor but also as methodological inspiration, establishing a mediation point where spatial poetics and architectural tectonics meet.

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