Revitalizing a hidden heritage landmark for the community’s future
At the edge of Kalmthout, where the forest meets the village, a quiet architectural relic awaits revival. Once home to the Diesterweg school colony, a beacon of progressive education, the site has a long history of serving as a gathering place for young people. Now, a new masterplan by POLO Urbanism breathes fresh life into the domain, transforming it into a welcoming, accessible environment where young people, families, and local initiatives come together to learn, play, and grow.
From legacy to possibility
The site's rich history calls for a vision that holds the tension between preservation and renewal. The foundation is already in place: open spaces, a striking historic building, and a unique setting at the forest edge. The challenge, and the opportunity, lies in building stronger connections: between indoor and outdoor, between the domain and the wider village, and between the many stakeholders who will share it.
Commissioned by the municipality of Kalmthout, under a long-term lease by the city of Antwerp, the masterplan process was rooted in extensive dialogue. POLO Urbanism worked closely with local administration, heritage specialists, and landscape designers from Regionaal Landschap de Voorkempen, Patine Architecten, and Bert Breugelmans. Stakeholder workshops where experts and users met shaped a shared ambition: to treat heritage as an active community asset, structuring new spatial programs around existing architectural and landscape qualities rather than replacing them.
Architecture as continuity
Instead of demolition or erasure, the plan chooses refinement and reinterpretation. The main building will be carefully restored in keeping with its 1920s character and connected through a new light canopy structure that evokes the communal porches and outdoor classrooms of the past. New uses are layered onto old structures, bringing them back to life without compromising their identity.
To support a diverse user base, from youth groups to cultural initiatives, the building interiors are organized for flexibility, with smart storage systems and hybrid-use spaces that allow for both temporary and semi-permanent occupancy. This ensures efficient use while honoring the symbolic importance of the site to its resident associations.
Nature as playground, learning space, and meeting ground
The natural qualities of the domain, its magnificent trees, clearings, and forest edges, are preserved and enhanced to become a landscape for play, exploration, and social interaction. Guided by ecological sensitivity, the design introduces zones for sports, adventurous play, quiet reflection, and community events, using nature as both inspiration and infrastructure.
A living framework for the long term
Rather than a fixed design, the masterplan is a phased, flexible framework that supports development based on shared priorities and available resources. It offers a roadmap that is ambitious yet practical, grounded in community engagement, cost-conscious planning, and a clear respect for what is already there.
The transformation of the Diesterweg domain is more than a spatial project. It is a social investment: one that celebrates what the site has been, while opening it up to new stories, new users, and new ways of coming together.
