projects' space
professional projects
The Willebroek-Brussels-Charleroi canal cycle route holds significance within European road networks, with key project sites like Sainctelette and De Trooz bridges serving as pivotal intersections. These sites play a crucial role in enhancing the overall cycling experience by facilitating seamless connections with other essential routes, enabling cyclists to traverse motorized traffic zones. By creating dedicated cycle links beneath bridges, a continuous and safe cycling pathway along the canal's crossings is envisioned. While the canal lacks the immersive urban water experience found elsewhere, the Plan de qualité paysagère et urbanistique / Beeldkwaliteitsplan (BKP) reinforces the commitment to elevate public spaces along the canal, forming synergies with adjacent quays and remarkable green spaces. This project offers a transformative opportunity to redefine the city-canal relationship, fostering a dynamic interplay between historical, ecological, and recreational elements. The landscape vision for these sites entails a thoughtfully curated selection of tree species, aligning with BKP recommendations and complementing the existing greenery along the quays. In line with re-profiling objectives, some trees will be removed to establish a waterside area while maintaining an unobstructed panorama. A strategic arrangement of tall, canopy-forming trees characterizes the park, facilitating both shaded leisure activities and panoramic vistas. Ongoing landscape maintenance focuses on tree crown management, upkeep of the grassy meadow, and selectively nurturing smaller areas for a lively, naturalistic ambiance.
©Plant en Houtgoed
Undertaking a comprehensive approach, the revitalisation of Heldensquare begins with a meticulous examination of both materiality and urban ecology. With sustainability at the forefront, the choice of new pavement for the Grote Markt stems from an analysis of existing resources, prioritising the reuse of larger bricks in alignment with the enduring nature of natural stone. This strategy reflects a commitment to a greener future and extends to the harmonious integration of colour patterns in the city center. This thoughtful selection not only enhances aesthetics but also embraces the city's historical narrative. In tandem, our vision for Heldensquare extends beyond its confines, recognising its potential as a vital component within Tienen's green-blue network. This envisioned garden serves as a soft link, fostering connections between the school campus and city park, enriching the urban ecology. Conceptualised as an intimate haven, our green design manifests through layered tree frameworks, lush shrubs, and vibrant perennials. While the existing horse chestnut trees on Heldensquare contribute to the backdrop, their health concerns prompt a meticulous preservation and replacement strategy. Through this integrated approach, Heldensquare evolves into an inviting urban sanctuary, where historical resonance and vibrant nature coalesce seamlessly.
Subsequently, we established pop-up installations along neighbouring streets, aimed at enhancing safety, introducing green elements, and optimising the spaces to better cater to residents and students.
©Plant en Houtgoed
Conducting a thorough analysis, we meticulously examined the dynamics of the station square, uncovering a tapestry of distinct zones each with its unique functions and challenges. The prevailing composition of extensive paved surfaces dominated by the station building sparked our imagination for transformative possibilities. Capitalising on the square's inherent strengths, such as its potential as an event hub, strategic connectivity to transportation nodes, and the existing culinary scene, we envisioned a reimagined square that would beckon people to linger. This metamorphosis, however, transcended aesthetics, as we endeavoured to infuse the landscape with elements of verdant softness, fostering an engaging interplay between nature and urban life. This revitalisation effort also carried the weight of addressing critical ecological and social concerns, thus ensuring a holistic transformation. By creating green oases, encouraging meaningful social interactions, and proactively addressing biodiversity challenges, we aimed to strike a harmonious equilibrium that resonates with both the environment and the community. This vision harmoniously dovetailed with the strategic compass of the Roeselare Green Plan, seamlessly integrating ecological, social, and economic facets. This city-wide orchestration was further extended to the broader canvas of Roeselare's urban fabric, as we thoughtfully intertwined the plan with pre-existing public spaces while introducing novel verdant paradigms. This holistic approach propels us towards an enriched city center where green arteries intertwine with bustling urban life, infusing vitality and charm into every corner.
©Plant en Houtgoed
some other professional collaborations
- wtc iv - livin, brussels
- loodswezen, antwerp
- gilly square, charleroi
- wijngaardpoort, leuven
- asiat - darse park, vilvoorde
- maleizen centrum, maleizen
- draaiboek - manuel d'espaces publics, brussels
academic projects
The Beqaa Valley, renowned for its distinctive ecosystem and being Lebanon's largest cultivable expanse, has faced vulnerability due to regional instability. Amid ongoing Syrian events and insufficient support for agriculture, the valley has become a refuge for displaced individuals seeking fertile but neglected lands. This study delves into the social and economic dimensions of livelihoods in Bar Elias, an overlooked town within the valley, through the prism of agricultural land and refugees. By harmonising human habitation, services, and existing organic structures, Bar Elias aims to evolve into a resource for the region, fostering self-sustaining food production and farmer-driven development. The envisioned low-rise urban fabric unites agriculture, water, and community, while a flexible, foldable structure adapts to weather variations. Beyond buildings, the living space encompasses rooftops, terraces, squares, and pathways, offering an interconnected environment.
Bar Elias aspires to embody a diverse tapestry of services and uses, enabling both residents and visitors to experience decentralised hospitality and exploration. The landscape transformation embraces ecological transition, welcoming biodiversity and sustainable production in the valley's rivers and fields. Living spaces merge seamlessly with nature and farming, weaving community gardens, gathering spaces, commercial areas, and more into a cohesive mosaic. The economy embraces closed cycles, minimising material loss and leveraging domestic waste for soil revitalisation. Agriculture and forestry coalesce, yielding a wider range of products and increased job opportunities, contributing to Bar Elias' journey towards self-sufficiency.
Within the global issue of climate change and sea level rise, Venice is one of the most affected regions, due to the unpredictability, the on-going “aqua alta” events every year and the vulnerability of the islands.
Cavallino - Treporti is a peninsula in the Venetian lagoon, that suffers as well from the natural / anthropogenic disasters. The goal of the studio was to find solutions on different scales that would benefit the residents of the peninsula and save them the catastrophes of sea level rise.
Our team tackled the small scale and the everyday life of the residents, offering them new ways of living, inspired by their needs and necessities.
The project was a collaboration with Vincent Van Praet, and it was based on series of interviews in order to understand the livelihood patterns of the commune and try to provide it with what is missing.
The project takes into account the social fabric, where the people are, how they move, and how they feel. The agriculture and the green infrastructure that is intended to be enhanced in order to become the primary source of living. And the heritage archipelago that today is spread over the territory, yet neglected and forgotten.
The three layers come together in a soft intervention that is intended to be replicated in other places on the peninsula. The title was inspired by the last Venice Biennial: How will we live together?
Stratford's transformation into a developed hub, sparked by the Olympic Park project, conceals its original underdeveloped areas and disrupts its historical character. Despite growth, it remains a densely populated and disadvantaged locale, home to students, immigrants, and homeless individuals.
The core project envisions Stratford station as an inviting gateway, anchoring a socio-ecological network for both residents and visitors. Bridging the gap between towering modern developments and traditional two-story houses, a playful interplay between scales reinvigorates a transitional zone. By reducing car dominance, the landscape figure reintegrates the built environment, revitalising social interactions and reestablishing the area's compactness. Roads and railways are reimagined as pedestrian-friendly corridors, enhancing safety.
This proposal seeks to redefine Stratford's identity, connecting it to surrounding spaces through a sequence of layers, culminating in meeting points and ecological zones. The interplay of voids, public spaces, surfaces, and light respects the existing fabric, fostering a sense of community without compromising intimacy. These threshold spaces rekindle lost micro-scale qualities, inviting human engagement and activities.
Nestled on a picturesque slope along Leuven's ring road, the "Heverlee Hills" project emerges as a visionary response to the encroaching urban sprawl. At the heart of its design lies a resolute commitment to preserving the lush agricultural land and curbing the expansion's impact. Through a thoughtful focus on soft mobility and bolstering public transportation, the project not only safeguards the valuable agricultural fields but also aspires to weave a vibrant tapestry of community and nature.
Diving deeper, the design strategy deftly marries the built environment with the natural topography, a symphony orchestrated through low-rise, high-density structures. This holistic approach pays homage to the area's historical roots, as evidenced by the reverential integration of hollow roads and remnants of a former railroad. This fusion of history and innovation, of culture and sustainability, manifests as a poetic dialogue between the urban fabric and the landscape.
Amidst the playful articulation of varying scales, a sense of shared purpose emerges, nurtured by a web of interconnected public spaces. These spaces, whether balconies, courtyards, or rooftops, transcend mere physical structures, beckoning for neighbourly interactions and fostering a renewed sense of belonging. The project's central landscape figure acts as a magnetic force, drawing people together while navigating through sun-kissed shadows and soft mineral surfaces.
As the transformation unfolds, the "Heverlee Hills" project not only revitalises the terrain but also the spirit of the community. It becomes a dynamic theater of life, where unexpected encounters and transformative moments unfold amidst an ever-evolving panorama. In embracing its role as the "Clé du sol," the project forges a resilient link between the city's past, present, and future, offering a harmonious symphony of nature, culture, and coexistence.
