Project - Laura Claes
The project is situated in the center of Koersel (Beringen) and focuses itself on the existing town square in front of the church. At the moment the town square is sort of divided in two different parts and exists of one empty part in front of the church and one part that is mainly used as parking next to it, a busy traffic artery lies against it. The purpose of the project is then to bring back life to the town square and to create one whole. That’s why as a concept I’ve chosen to create a “monumental axis”. This axis consists of two types of buildings: one with a more private typology that lies in the greener more private environment and one more public typology (staggered) that responds to the life that should be present in the future on the square. Important to notice is that it’s called a “monumental” axis because the buildings lie between the church and the tower, which is part of another new project, following the position of the church. A green buffer is provided as a sort of transition towards the other side. As for the program I’ve dived further into the subject of arts & craftmanship. These needs follow directly out of the interviews with the policy makers: artist’s residences, art in public space, opportunities to create and exhibit art, bring back life to the town square, place for local shops and catering industry and the reintegration of the church. In that way, the new buildings combine workshops/studios, pop-ups, cafes, exhibition rooms... with residences. When looking at the square itself and the space at the other side of the street, the area is now divided into three different types of public spaces: a more intimate square, a very public square (with colonnades, lots of public function on the ground floor...) and a green area. A central passageway is provided in the staggered building to create an internal street that connects the two types of squares and functions as a roofed in, exterior meeting space. Finally, the buildings are made out of bricks towards the more private areas and out of vertical planchettes towards the more public area. Roof tiles are provided on the roofs, which are gable and pent roofs to make sure that they fit in the environment.