PORTFOLIO Bram Van Sever by Bram Van Sever

PORTFOLIO

BRAM VAN SEVER

BRAM VAN SEVER 째23-02-1991 Hoekstraat 10 bus 7 1000 Brussel Zilvervoslaan 12 1970 Wezembeek-Oppem Belgium +32 479 21 04 45 vanseverbram@gmail.com

EDUCATION 2012-2015

Master of science in Engineering Science: Architecture [option Urban Project] KULeuven, University of Leuven Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning [ASRO]

2009-2012

Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science: Architecture KULeuven, University of Leuven Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning [ASRO]

2003-2009

Secondary Education: Latin-Maths-Science Heilig Hartcollege Tervuren

JOBS & EXPERIENCE 2013/2015

Taxi Hendriks Student job: Taxi-driver for people with disabilities

2015

Eglantier Student job: Taxi-driver for children with disabilities

2014 Aug - Oct

Thesis Research in Bogotá, Colombia Universidad Nacional de Colombia

2014 Sept

International seminar, ‘Agua más Ciudad’ collaboration of the KU Leuven with the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidad de Chile, Universidade federal de minas gerais, Universidad alas Peruanas and Idipron.

2013

Student lecture @ STUK, Leuven Quintessence: A fifth entity in-between

2013

Existenz Responsible coordinator for events of existenz, cultural association of 1st master. Responisble coordinator for design of bar room during the existnz week (Bottelarij, Leuven) web: 1213.existenz.be

SKILLS & INTERESTS Languages

Dutch [++++] English [+++] French [++] German [+] Spanish [+]

Software

Vectorworks, Autodesk Autocad, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, Adobe Illustrator, Google SketchUP, Artlantis Studio, MS Office, Mac OS X, Windows, Lasercutting

Interests

Photography, Art, Music, Film, Travel, Drawing, cooking

1.MASTER THESIS_PART 1

RE-ARTICULATING WATERSCAPES AND URBAN STRUCTURES IN THE SABANA DE BOGOTA.

2.MASTER THESIS_PART 2

INTERWEAVING ECO- AND INFRA-STRUCTURE

3.WILDE WOESTEN

From individual to collective

4.QUINTESSENCE

A fifth entity in between

5.SMLXL

Fitting the alien through a sequence of varying public spaces

6.WESTSTATION Breaking The line

7.RIJSCHOOL HALL The path of an artist

8.CORNER HOUSE A house as a gallery

9.FREE TIME

Contests and Existenz

Water Urbanism

Water Urbanism/Urbanism/Architecture

Urban Research

Landscape Urbanism

Public Space

Masterplan/Residential Architecture

Public Architecture

Residential Architecture

Sabana de Bogotรก

1.MASTER THESIS_PART 1 RE-ARTICULATING WATERSCAPES AND URBAN STRUCTURES IN THE SABANA DE BOGOTA. @ Bogotรก, Colombia

2nd master (2014-2015) Water Urbanism Promotor Prof. Dr. Ir. Bruno de Meulder Co-promotor Claudia Lucia Rojas Fellow students Miep Linssen - Charlotte Tim-

mers - Liese van Aert - Josephine Van Haverbeke - Anna Zervas

Duration 1 year Trivia Presented at World Urbanism Seminar 2015

Two months of research and fieldwork in Bogotรก, the capital of Colombia, form the basis of the first book of this master thesis. This book aims to unfold the strong relation between the landscape and the city in order to systematically relate the water issues with the ongoing urbanisation. Hereby four different identities are rearticulated as guiding principles for a balanced Sabana.

Colombia

Watershed Bogotá river

Sabana de Bogotá

The city of Bogotá is located in the center of Colombia in a mountainous setting. With about 9 million inhabitants, it’s the most populated city and the capital of the country. The city is also situated in the watershed of the Bogotá river. The river springs at an altitude of 3300 m, runs down with high velocity until it reaches a plateau at 2600 m. This plateau is a fertile and flat area, surrounded by mountains and is called the Sabana de Bogotá. Here the speed of the river reduces gravely because of the limited height difference and the enormous width over which the water spreads.The Sabana ends in the Tequendama waterfalls where the river dives down and flows into the Magdalena river at 280 m above sea level.

height profile along the river

Different landscape structures form the Sabana de Bogotá. Mountain ranges surround the flat plateau, which is enriched with ecological structures. Throughout history, the Sabana has been a fertile area characterized by abundant resources of water such as wetlands and unique ecosystems. The biodiversity of both fauna and flora in the wetlands is of great value. Because of the particular shape of the Sabana, the plain area has to cope with a great amount of water, coming from both the hillsides and the Bogota river.

In the twentieth century the Sabana had to deal with unseen growth patterns. Wetlands got destructed, rivers canalised and dikes were heightened during the big urban sprawl, leaving the Sabana nowadays with big water and urban issues. The city kept growing while pushing to its limits. The Sabana de Bogotá gained an unbalanced character. The eastern banks of the river are highly occupied by mostly impermeable tissue and prevent rainwater from infiltrating and thus increase and fasten run-off. That is why Bogotá has suffered from multiple floods, especially the poor neighbourhoods along the river.

The western banks were predominantly used for agriculture but the last 20 years, development in the municipalities at the western side of the river are booming. Disconnected land use decisions and local development strategies have negative impact on the potential of the Sabana as a whole and promote unsustainable urbanisation patterns. The irrigation system uses water from the river and the wetlands while Bogotá discharges all of its wastewater into the river, causing the severe pollution of the Bogotá river. The Sabana clearly lacks a global vision that takes into account the landscape with its water and ecologies.There exists a real threat of destroying even more ecosystems, causing more frequent floods and losing the rural landscape.

In order to start dealing with the environmental and urban challenges of the Sabana in an integrated way, a re-articulation of four landscape identities is provided: the urban voids of the watershed; the urban fringe of Bogotá; the rural landscape and the suburban sprawl. These identities will give guidance to further development, a better water management and the restoration and preservation of ecologies.

Our vision for the Sabana de Bogotá is based on the identification of these four landscape elements. Two waterscapes that are the result of the manipulation of the natural water system: the greenblue large urban voids along the three Bogotá River’s tributaries and the agricultural landscape structured by the network of irrigation system. On the other hand, two urban typologies are defined. Bogotá’s urban landscape, characterized by a dense and compact urban tissue. And the sub-urban landscape, in fact a mixture between middle-sized urban cores and sub-urban residential areas, industries and other services scattered across the agricultural landscape. The re-articulation of the landscape identities are imperative

to prevent over consumption of productive landscapes, the continuous fragmentation of the ecological structure and the disappearance of the scarce urban voids. It provides a framework that guides development in the Sabana de Bogotá. The landscape elements meet each other at the Bogotá river, making the river the backbone of the Sabana. The river, now considered as a backdrop, needs to function as the key element in the new water approach. Not a border, but an ultimate collector or connector of waterscapes and urban structures. Therefore a zoom is taken on the river, exploring more in detail the specific characteristics of the identities along it.

URBAN VOIDS OF THE WATERSHED

URBAN FRINGE OF BOGOTA

Larger green-blue infrastructures are mainly situated along the river and its three tributaries. Nevertheless these last remaining green-blue infrastructures are highly fragmented, resulting in low ecological and functional qualities. When recognizing the urban voids as ecological water bodies of high importance, the protection, connection and strengthening of the urban voids’ edges becomes imperative. By enhancing, employing and connecting these patches, the water bodies will restore lost ecosystems, regulate water dynamics and provide qualitative open spaces, all of great importance to the livability of the city.

The monotonous grid strongly defines much of the dense and compact form of Bogotá city.The river’s floodplain is mainly occupied by poorer neighbourhoods of high density and lacks adequate infrastructure. A carefully reading of this dense tissue reveals vacant lots and open spaces that offers opportunities for a more sustainable interplay with water. By creating a network for water management these spaces can be connected with the large urban voids. RURAL LANDSCAPE

SUBURBAN SPRAWL

Three important ecological landscape structures overlap the area. In the North, two hills enter the flat plane of the Sabana. In the middle, there is a strip of large patches of wetland. And in the South there is a great area of hydric soil. These natural areas, fundamental for environmental management and biodiversity conservation, need to be preserved from urbanization. The wetlands play an important role for water storage in the irrigation network. The irrigation network and the wetlands can be used to clean, store and re-use water and to give more space to the Bogotá river. Industries, green houses and suburban houses for the high- income population are scattered across the agricultural landscape, following regional roads and water availability. While two important highways that connect Bogotá with Colombia generate a pattern of lineal urban growth. Along the northern road, development is mainly dedicated to industry. Along the more southern road, that connects Bogotá with other municipalities like Funza, Mosquera and Madrid, is a mixture of residential, industrial activities and services. These growth patterns are very land consuming. Guidance in this suburbanization is very necessary.

These different identities can not be seen separately. They interweave and reinforce each other and give specific characteristics to the riverside. New proposals can aim to provide design solutions that cope with these specific challenges of each of the described landscapes identities. My partner, Liese and I focused on the sub-urban sprawl in the Sabana de Bogotá. Bogotá’s explosive expansion over the last few decades has forced the city to its limits. This has led to a shift in growth patterns. The municipalities that surround the city have been accommodating all those who could not find a home in the capital. Therefore they now grow at twice the rate of Bogotá. In combination with the traditional building fashion that only reaches low densities, this results in a very land consuming sub-urban expansion. This has spread the furthest around Calle 13, one of the two main entrance roads of Bogotá. This strip of quite dispersed built fabric touches an area rich in wetlands in the North, the hydric soil in the South and the Fucha river in the East At their current growing rate the municipalities form a severe threat to these precious landscape structures. On some locations wetland has even been destroyed or damaged by development. Future expansion should keep away from these valuable areas. Guidance is thereby necessary in such a way that it preserves the rural character and the existing ecosystems, but with attention to social aspects and relation to the water.

2.MASTER THESIS_PART 2 INTERWEAVING ECO- AND INFRA-STRUCTURE @ Bogotรก, Colombia

2nd master (2014-2015) Water Urbanism/Urbanism/Architecture Promotor Prof. Dr. Ir. Bruno de Meulder Co-promotor Claudia Lucia Rojas Fellow students Liese van Aert Duration 1 year Trivia Presented at World Urbanism Seminar 2015

The second book focuses on he sub-urban sprawl. Suburbanisation goes hand in hand with an uncontrolled land consuming urban expansion, it causes severe fragmentation in the tissue and has no regard for ecologies, to mention only a few of the issues at hand. The expansion of the urban fabric has been shaped by large ecological and infrastructural figures in the landscape of the Sabana. Based on these figures two principles, eco-structure and infra-structure, are established to guide the future suburbanisation.

DETERMINING FIGURES The sub-urban fabric is considerably more dispersed than that of Bogotรก city. The built tissue embedded in the landscape of the Sabana is partially shaped and bound by the big figures present on site.

GREY VEINS

Calle 13 is the main arterial road. Because of the underdeveloped regional infrastructure it is burdened with a tremendous amount of traffic and congestion everyday. The US21 forms a north-south oriented connection. Most of the industry is settled on and around these roads. The Cicloruta bike lane network is quite extensive in Bogotรก city. In the sub-urbanised municipalities however, the network is developed very poorly and disconnected from Bogotรก.

BLUE VEINS The numerous water bodies are the main shaping structures for the area. Naturally the Bogotรก river is the main artery. The river swells with the water of the Fucha river that streams from the Monseratte mountains in the East. The site is enriched particularly with wetlands. Furthermore also the drainage canals of Canal Cunidamarca and the irrigation canals of La Ramada district are present.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES The formation and growth of both the urban and sub-urban tissue so far has been largely determined by the blue and grey figures in the landscape. They therefore form the fundamental idea behind eco- and infra-structure: guiding principles for suburbanisation.

ECO-STRUCTURE

The whole of connected water bodies and the ecosystems they produce that sculpture the land- and cityscape.

The eco-structure guides urbanisation.Through the presence of water it determines specific borders that limit urban expansion and secures breathing space within the city. The enlarging and strengthening of water bodies aids in the natural flood regulation. The eco-structure safeguards ecologies. Green blue corridors that connect water bodies procure continuity.

INFRA-STRUCTURE The whole of hierarchical components that facilitate connection and movement and generate interaction.

The infra-structure guides urbanisation. It has a dual nature: It is soft when functioning in a human manner. It is a tangible network linked to public spaces and residential areas. It is hard when functioning in a mechanical manner. It is an unyielding chain into which large economic functions are plugged in.

Instead of living in the big city, people now go live in the municipalities that surround it.This shift has been most distinctively noticeable in the sub-urbanised strip around Calle 13 and more specifically in Funza and Mosquera. Therefore these municipalities are the perfect subject to look into multiple aspects of a vast suburban sprawl, a transformation other municipalities on the Sabana might still have in prospect. Over the span of the last 25 years the combined population of Funza and Mosquera has tripled. A lot of the open space has already disappeared due to this rapid expansion. If Funza and Mosquera continue to grow in this manner there will be no more room for qualitative public space, nor for water to infiltrate. The wetland Gualí-Tres Esquinas that surrounds the sub-urban area, will be destroyed.

Demographic boom of Funza & Mosquera

INFRA-STRUCTURE The infra-structure imposes guidelines for further expansion of the urban tissue. The industry is linked to hard infra-structure, more specifically Calle 13 and US 21. Regiotram provides a connection between Bogotá and the municipalities across the Sabana on a human scale and has stops on strategic locations at the end of Calle 15 and Carrera 13. The stations will attract activity and a multitude of functions that can revive the neighbourhoods. Within the urban fabric infrastructure functions as a border by defining the outlines of open spaces that need protection and by articulating a façade for them. In funza and mosquera, the bike lanes partially define the borders of the 3 main open spaces. The proposed interventions will thoroughly change the traffic patterns within Funza and Mosquera. They enable clearly articulated, separate networks for hard and soft traffic. The historical axes play a crucial role and offer a framework that aids in structuring the sub-urban tissue. They are the carriers of public transport and soft traffic and hereby function as a connector and collector on a human scale.

The historical axis is enriched with a sequence of various characters and public spaces.

Infra-structure gives a façade to the urban tissue that borders on one of the main open spaces.

ECO-STRUCTURE The broadwise expansion of the sub-urban tissue is limited by a couple of important eco-structural components. The water barrier south of Humedal Guali-Tres Esquinas puts a limit to the urban sprawl and prevents it from intruding the valuable, fertile and flood prone area. In the large open areas on the banks of big water figures new wetlands and basins are constructed to safeguard breathing space. Naturally these water bodies capture water and in doing so, partially regulate flooding. Also a framework of new water bodies safeguards 3 large open spaces in the existing tissue of Funza and Mosquera. Narrow canals collect the runoff and guide it towards these open spaces where it is captured in basins or constructed wetlands. While stored there the water gets partially purified in a natural manner. It is also given time to infiltrate or to be reused. The eco-structure draws ecologies deep into the scattered sub-urban fabric. On a smaller scale this brings forth pleasant public space that takes on different characters depending on its surroundings.

Public water- space, public squares in which water plays a central role.

The captured water is used to flush toilets, to supply carwashes ot to irrigate flowers and agricultural fields.

Newly constructed wetlands store and purify runoff

Small canals collect runoff and guide it to one of the multiple storage bodies.

Basins are implemented in industrial areas to directly catch the rainwater from the large roof surfaces.

HOUSING In the urban tissue of Funza and Mosquera mostly two building typologies are recognisable. The houses of the poorer citizens are self-built, which is immediately visible because of the limited skill level. Those a bit more prosperous live mainly in formal housing settlements. These are equally easy recognised because of the copy- paste methodology.

SELF-CONSTRUCTED HOUSING The people of the lower strata have the long-standing habit to build their houses from scratch. Usually they start by building only the first floor and then later add another level when they can finance the construction cost. The self-construction leads in most cases to substandard living conditions. Furthermore self-construction also gravely reduces the maximum achievable height: usually 2 or 3 storeys and exceptionally 4 and 5. Consequently selfconstructed housing is very ground consuming and brings forth overcrowding. [Salazar J. F., 2001]

FORMAL HOUSING This type of housing development can without a doubt be described as mass production, but still is to expensive for the poorest people. The biggest disadvantage of the system however is the arguably illogical impulse to fence the housing projects, hereby turning them into gated communities that lie disconnected and dispersed into the urban fabric. The last several years a cautious tendency has emerged to develop apartment blocks with approximately 5 to 6 stories.

FILL-IN STRUCTURE Neither the self-constructed nor the formal building method succeeds in providing qualitative housing that is well integrated and functioning within the urban context. Therefore an alternative housing typology is proposed that aims to combine the qualities of both known typologies and eliminate their shortcomings.

The proposed typology provides a concrete fill- in structure that achieves higher densities by stacking building lots. The absolute minimum that the structure provides is basic shelter. When buying a lot one can opt for this absolute minimum and self-built the rest of the house or one can choose to buy a lot with a (partially) constructed house. The structure does not limit the personal style nor does it discriminate based on financial means. Not all the lots in the structure are preserved for building. Some lots will remain open so they can become a communal space where neighbours can meet with each other, where they can organize a party, light a barbecue, ...

LIVING ... The fill-in structure can be implemented in various ways. The four housing typologies proposed here are designed for two specific contexts: the eco- and infra-structure.

... ACROSS THE LINE The proposed typology for living on a soft infrastructural axis makes a strong inviting statement by placing the structures perpendicular to the road and thereby creating a connection between the soft infra-structure and its surroundings. These connections are formed as a series of public squares in between the structures. The ground level of the structure can be filled in with commercial functions or a covered market place.

... ALONG THE LINE To live next to a hard infra-structural road, demands a well adapted housing design. The typology entails a vertical division. On the ground level the structure is quite deep and open towards the hard infra-structure in the front and is perfect for ateliers such as garages, shops and so on. On the top levels housing fills in the structure. The housing is fully directed on the green area in the back. The inhabitants can access their house over a large, green, semi-public platform that sits on top of the ateliers.

... IN BLUE So far housing and water in one place have been irreconcilable. If the housing is raised however, the 2 can peacefully coexist. The ground level from the structure is left open so water can freely flow in between the concrete columns. A platform connects neighbouring structures on level 1 and provides access to the housing.

... IN GREEN The housing typology in the context of a park is designed with a small footprint to have as little impact as possible on its surroundings.

THREE PARKS A framework based on eco- and infra-structure is established for the future urban development of Funza and Mosquera. The framework has 3 focus areas, namely the 3 big open spaces in the city. These figures are of great importance because they are most threatened by the further expansion of the urban tissue. Each park is defined by different conditions and thus designed with a different focus in mind. The design of the Humedal Park in the South of Funza and Mosquera is determined largely by the extension of the wetland to which it borders. Therefore this parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main focus points are ecology and recreation. The smaller Agro Park in the East aims on providing practical education for the community and space for small-scale agricultural production. The Floral Park in the North has the specific character of a botanical garden with the function of flower housing and vice versa.

AGRO PARK The most important component of the eco- structure in this park, is the water stored for the irrigation of small lots used for urban farming. The organisation of the urban farming is assigned to the community center. This center is also connected to the housing typology ‘living along the line’ and more specifically the ateliers and workshops that this typology provides on the ground floor. The sequence of public spaces on the historical axis is continued with a water square and an orchard.

26 ‘Living along the line’

HUMEDAL PARK

constructed wetland

This new constructed extension of the wetland provides a large storage capacity that will aid in regulating floods. The presence of fluctuating water imposes a certain border on the urbanisation. Where the water touches the urban tissue the housing typology ‘living in blue’ is implemented, on the border of the park ‘living in green’. The new tramline runs parallel to the wetland and has a stop in the east of the park. This transferium and the square in front of it form the first public space in a sequence of squares on Calle 15, an historical axis. The housing on this axis is of the type ‘living across the line.

urban farming

‘Living along the line’

‘Living in green’

community center + water square

‘Living in blue’

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Living across the lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Commedor

Bridge

Transferium

Flower housing

‘Living in green”

‘Living in blue’

constructed wetland Plateau Grand Café/ theater/concert Public space in building block Community Center

FLORAL PARK Flowers and other vegetation mainly determine the atmosphere of this park. The flower houses are not merely productive, but also serve as botanical gardens. The longitudinal park is compartmentalised in a series of large steps through separating water collectors. Run-off is captured and stored to support the water-intensive flower production.The applied housing typologies are mainly ‘living in green’ and ‘in blue’ with the exception of ‘living across the line’ that is implemented at the entrance of the park on Carrera 13, the other historical axis. This entrance is designed as a public space inside a building block. It announces the Floral Park by a large flower house roof structure.The public square beneath

it is comprised of a water basin with multiple terraces and a variety of plants to achieve a cozy atmosphere whilst maintaining an open character.[see right image] The surrounding building block has multiple functions on the ground level. A community center is linked to different classrooms in the building, which can be used for adult education as well as cultural courses, for instance painting, dance, theater, music, ... Once passed the main square, one is drawn to a platform that offers a beautiful panorama over the Floral Park. Furthermore this platform provides access to a Grand Café and the theater/ concert hall. [see image next page]

Ground floor

3.WILDE WOESTEN from individual to collective @ Woesten, Belgium

2nd master / 1st semester (2013) Urban Research Lelijk Dorp Mentors Ward Verbakel - Wim Wambecq Fellow students Nico Van Orshoven Duration 3 weeks Trivia Exhibited at ASRO Open Studio Exhibition june 2014

By creating a new bypass for the N8 -a national road connecting between Ieper and Veurne- a question rises: What will happpen with the villages along it? Woesten is one of those lineair villages that grew with this road as its economical, social and morphological center.

Ferrari’s map. Structure of farms in the landscape

Ribbon development along the N8 vs shatterd farms

Once, the land of ‘de Westhoek’ was characterized by a structure of farms, following the logics of the landscape. They lay shattered over the fields, like little islands in the ocean. With the construction of the N8, ribbon development and allocation occured. Most of these individual plots get fenced off. But despite the strong figure of the road and the parcelling surounding it, there are still ‘islands’ visible in the tissue.

‘Islands’ still visible in the city center

Now, the bypass proposal will change the character of the N8 and the village may lose its lineair centrality. An opportunity appears to rethink the landconsuming archetype of the individual plot by a process of reconversion. We introduce a more sustainable model: a ‘collective island’. The process can start with the appearance of a new entrepreneur along the road, for example a farmer. This mixed use may become a catalyst for a new kind of neighbourhoud, a new centrality. Different benefits occur and more people participate.These collective islands do not only have economical advantages but are also more sustainable, have less impact on the environment, use less energy. For instance by re-use of water and energy or by collective use of transport and tools . At last, social cohesion gets reinforced and people help each other out.

individual plot vs collective island

New Character of N8 creates space for new functions. Farmer settles along new road and can start offering services to neighbours.

A new centrality appears. Slowly fading the boundaries between individual plots. Entrepreneur expands his buisness and new housing units arise.

More plots start participating and the area gets densified. Qualitive open space gets developped and the linearity of the road is interrupted. The island becomes an oasis in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;het Wilde Woestenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Four systems: Vesten, Single, inner-city and park. Project site in-between.

4.QUINTESSENCE a fifth entity in between @ Leuven, Belgium

1st master / 1st semester (2012) Landscape Urbanism Bodart Mentors Guido Geenen - Yuri Gerrits - Jan Vermeulen

Fellow students Jasper Aerts - Tom Lanclus Fréderique Vermeyen

Duration 3 months Trivia Exhibited at ASRO Open Studio Exhibition, june 2013 Presented at student lectures, STUK, Leuven, march 2013

The project is situated in between the city gates ‘Bodart’ and ‘Naamsepoort’, where the Dijle-valley crosses the ringroad of Leuven. It constitutes a rather undefined space that is mainly dominated by the ring and its infrastructure. This ringroad is the place where the rampants used to be, the borders of the city. But now, Leuven has grown outside its boundaries in two different ways.

In the east, the urban fabric of Leuven continues outside the ring road into Kessel-lo and Heverlee. We suggest a transformation of this part of the ringroad into ‘the Vesten’, a human-scaled street inside the city that is easy crossable. In the west, new developments are grouply plugged onto the ring, transforming it into ‘the Singel’, a car-based fast connection. These two systems continue in the south. We see that the fast characteristics of the single continue along the Koning Boudewijnlaan wich also has some clusters plugged onto it and connects the city with the E314 and E40 highway. The qualities of the Vesten can help improving the connections between the Heverlee and the Arenbergpark along the Kardinaal Mercierlaan. [see scheme previous page.]

We focus on the space in-between the four spatial systems; single, vesten, inner-city and park. Here we suggest an open, flexible plain which can be flooded by each of the four systems when there is a need for it. A fifth entity in-between. It can host large-scale activities such as fairs, markets or festivals but it can also serve as a giant car park or a qualitative open space, which the expanding city can benefit from. This empty plain needed some structure in order to operate properly and organize different events at the same time, but without disturbing its flexibility. So besides the existing natural cracks of the rivers Voer and Dijle, we added new cracks with altering height differences. Through pulling the cracks together at specific places by corten-steel ‘folies’, a variety of spaces are obtained; large open plains as well as small and more intimate areas. Other layers like bicyclepaths , vegetation, ... were added to bring more diversity, activity and structure into the plain.

rivers and height difference as natural cracks addition of manmade cracks and height differences organisation of spaces based on relation intesities maintanance of bicycle connections throughout the landscape open/dense green spaces and vegetation open/dense paved spaces

1. A multifunctional square in front of the stadium of OHL can be flooded by supporters or can host a large-scale event.

2. A sportsfield in front of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sportkotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; along the river, flanked by a tribune on its bank.

3. A flexible plain gives room to several events, sometimes two or three at the same time, sometimes one huge event that is unimagible within the city center.

4. When abandoned, the site still posseses the quality of an empty urban landscape.

5.SMLXL

Fitting the alien through a sequence of varying public spaces @Brussels, Belgium

1st master / 2nd semester (2012) Public space Palais de Justice Mentors Yuri Gerrits - Leo Van Broeck Fellow students Jasper Aerts - Tom Lanclus Fréderique Vermeyen

Duration 4 months Phases part one: urban analysis [collective] part two: project [individual]

Trivia Exhibited at ASRO Open Studio Exhibition, june 2013

The current state of the Brussels Courthouse as an under-used mastodont has given rise to numerous design proposals [cfr. Brussels Courthouse Contest: Imagine The Future] The original assignment was to choose one of the proposals and design the public space around the building. We did the opposite and did not try to adapt the public space according to a fictitious future scenario for the courthouse but we’ve explored how the building could be re-thought according to its surrounding fabric.

Due to its scale and implantation, Brussels’ courthouse is a megalomaniac monster in the capital’s innercity. While its dome is watching over the city, its roots stand on the edge of the valley, in the Marolles. The palace is a key figure in its surroundings, where the grain size of the urban fabric diminishes uniformly as the geographical level drops. XL, L, M, S. Although there is a similar grain size distribution in the four lowest levels of the palace, there is no connection with the public domain around it. We see that the building can act as a powerful machine in its environment, which bridges the topographic differences of its layered surroundings but also remains a destination itself. The

interesting relationship between the interior spaces and the adjacent tissue is a great opportunity to expand the palace outwards, or draw the city inwards, and thus obtain the necessary connections between its surroundings. This translates into a sequence of strongly varying public spaces that respond to the character of their context. These are organizing public spaces that impose their own internal logic: ‘the square’, ‘the spine’, ‘the street’, ‘the close-knit network’. They form the necessary link between the building and its surroundings and also give structure to today’s new activities that may take place in the palace. The city continues in the building.

S Marollen

M Wynantstraat

L Wolstraat

XL Poelaertplein

Ground floor

XL The Poelaert square has a lot of potential to become an important public space in Brusselsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inner-city but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have many qualities in the current situation. The monumental stairs to the Salle des Pas-Perdus ensure a strong boundary between outside and inside. By lowering the square and pulling it under the palace, a new type of entrance is formed, that is more human and contemporary. The building becomes much more accessible. The square connects to the inferior floor, where the designs of the other sides of the palace also join. The tissue on this side of the palace consists mainly of the big Poelaert square and several large buildings. The design had to be one in XL scale, both in size as in terms of program. This large pit can accommodate various events, exhibitions can take place here or it can partially be a terrace for the grand cafĂŠ. It also acts as a forecourt of the foyer and entrance hall of the large event hall in the Salle des Pas-Perdus. But it mainly serves as a distributor of many circulating currents. It makes a connection with the car park underneath the Poelaert square, it connects the Poelaert square with the building and the adjacent streets through a ramp, an escalator, an elevator and large stairs, that can also be used as open-air theater. Additional functions as a nightclub, bicycle parking, cafe, newsagent and public toilets provide even more life to this square.

level -1

Model of the masterplan

6.WESTSTATION Breaking the line

@Molenbeek, Belgium

3rd master / 1st&2nd semester(2011-2012) Masterplan + Residential architecture Mentors Ivo Vanhamme - Brecht Verstraete - Han Vandedyvere

Fellow students Matthias Vanhoutteghm - Olivier Van Calster - Nico Van Orshoven

Duration 8 months [two semesters] Phases part one: Masterplan [collective足]

part two: Residential architecture [w. M.V.]

Trivia Both parts exhibited at ASRO Open Studio Exhibition, june 2012

This project was devided in two parts. In the first semester, a masterplan for a site in Molenbeek was created, next to the West station. The second part consisted of the architectural elaboration of the tip of the project, wich included the tower, the marketplace and an urban square.

One of the important issues of Molenbeek knows its start in the late 19th century period of industrial prosperity. The area on the western side of the railway started developping along with the ‘Ninoofsesteenweg’ and the west station. But the station-site became a morphological division between the east and the west part of the city, wich in the first place meant a division between old and new, but consequently, poor and rich, gray and green. As our site is next to the station and thereby along this segragating line, we try to break this division and give a new face to the disadvantaged east part of Molenbeek. We design a tower at the top of the site as a gateway, along the important access road to the ‘old Molenbeek’. The crossroads in front of the station has an urban yet open character, and is thereby a receptive place for this landmark.

View of the commercial strip along the Ninoofsesteenweg

Section AA’

The tower competes with the tall buildings across the station. Another explicit design decision to blur the boundary between east and west is the use of greenery and other sustainable and ecological elements. We also try to incorporate the existing neighborhood as much as possible and thus avoid the project becoming an enclave in the old fabric. This we achieve literally by involving facades of the neighbours to the project and by altering the heights of our volumes to their opponents on the other side of the street. Thus we obtain a playful rooflandscape both to ensure more light as to create pleasant roof terraces. Also to secure a social inclusion of the project in the neighborhood, we provide a commercial strip along the ‘Ninoofsesteenweg’, a covered market, a public square and a community center for workshops etc. .

5. 4.

A’

3. 2. 1. A

1. Weststation 2. Tower 3. Public square 4. Collective garden 5. Wadi

buffer the bustle of the ‘Ninoofsesteenweg’

however preserving a certain permeability

defining a public and semi-private space (public square + collective garden)

neighbouring frontage as the 4th facade

physical border for collective garden

maintaining transparency and contact by visual connection and wadi

Facade Ninoofsesteenweg

A view of the collective garden with the plateaus. On the right side of the community house there is a wadi.

We provide both a number of important public spaces as a collective garden. This garden is situated in the eastern part of the site and is one of the hallmarks of our design. Double height perforations in the commercial strip, a view from the elevated plaza and a glass community-house next to a water feature, ensure the visibility of the green oasis in the streetscape. The difference in height in the collective garden is resolved by the use of plateaus with different heights and various vegetation. After rainwater is purified by the many green roofs it can be re-used or stored in the wadi, after which it can infiltrate into the soil. A view from the elevated square to the collective garden

Section of the collective garden with the community house on the left and double height passage on the right.

A view of the connection between the existing building and the market.

The market is situated just behind the head of the site.This, together with the commercial spaces along the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ninoofsesteenwegâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, form the seeds for new economic activity and a revival of the neighborhood. By covering the market, an open urban square is created on top. This square is attached to the existing bridge, forming a connection with the former brewery. Also on the ground floor, the facade of the brewery outlines the visual end of the market and provides an impetus for the development of this property.

Section of the market place with the urban square on top.

In the second phase of the exercise, we zoom in on the elaboration of the tower, the square and the market. Some large voids in the elevated plaza provide light in the covered market. Here, mobile stalls can be set up, but there can also be made use of the fixed stands that are located in the sides of the market. In the strip along the ‘Ninoofsesteenweg‘ some commercial activities can be found. On the first floor, other economical activities are situated in the volumes surrounding the elevated plaza such as a crèche, ateliers for local artists, a gym and a grand café.

A view of the market.

A view of the elevated urban square with the first floors of the tower in the back.

Conceptual longitudinal section of the elevated square and market underneath it.

Ground floor

First floor

A view from the terrace of a duplex appartment in the tower

The tower provides a new beacon in this neighborhood. The groundfloor is shaped into an irregular figure so that every apartment can enjoy as much sunlight as possible. Another remarkable aspect of the design is the all-around terrace. This gives the apartments a large area of outdoor space with 180270째 panoramic views and also offers a solution to overheating and a fire exit. The floor plan varies sometimes which gives the

A view of the tower

tower a more slender and dynamic character. The number of homes range from two to five apartments per floor. The various types of apartments create a social mix. There are studios, 2 or 3 room apartments, duplexes and great lofts in the tower. This was possible because the support structure consists of columns and a central core to create an open, flexible and sustainable plan.

A view from a roof terrace

sixth floor

View from the ‘Rijschoolstraat’.

7.RIJSCHOOL HALL the path of an artist @ Leuven, Belgium

2nd bachelor / 2nd semester (2011) Public architecture Rijschool Mentor Joke Vermeulen Duration 4 months Trivia Exhibited at ASRO Open Studio Exhibition june 2011

The original assignment was to design a sports hall in the city center of Leuven. Our studio decided together with our mentor that other functions could be more appropriate for this site. I proposed an event hall for concerts, theater, performances, etc. but I also wanted to give some qualitative public space to the city center.

Since I wanted to provide a platform for both starting and professional artists, two elements needed to be included in the design. On the one hand a large flexible hall, something which the city of Leuven certainly needs. A hall that can serve both for music, dance and theater performances, but can also be used as a large party hall. On the other hand a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;stageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for beginning artists. Since the site is located next to a busy bus stop, this platform can be arranged outside. Because people are just waiting here, they have time to watch or listen to what the artist has to say.Thus the idea was born to design a sloping plane, where space is created on top for artists to perform while at the same time, this plane forms the roof of the main hall.

The path to the big hall is an important aspect of the design. The visitor passes through a sequence of spaces with different characters. The promenade starts on the roof, crosses a patio in the air, after which the visitor arrives on a large terrace, where on one side he can find a restaurant and on the other side, the entrance of the building. After passing the sanitary section and a lounge room the guest can use the stairs, which runs along the patio, to the foyer. On the other side of the patio there are several practice rooms that form a framework for a tableau of exercising artists. This can be behold by people on the stairs. From the foyer you can enter the main hall.

Second floor

Transversal section

First floor

Hall Backstage

Restaurant Foyer School

View from the terrace to the entrance bridge in the patio.

View from the lounge room to the patio

Groundplan

View from the foyer

Longitudinal section

Model

8.CORNER HOUSE A house as a gallery @Leuven, Belgium

1st bachelor / 2nd semester (2010) Residential architecture Mentor Tom Louwette Duration 4 months

This site is situated in a mainly residential neighbourhood, ‘het nieuwe kartier’, in the city of Leuven. On this corner plot I designed a house for an artist, a photgapher. Across the street there is a little square, ‘het basketbalpleintje’, a place where every year some neighbourhood festivals take place and where many students and local residents often stay on a sunny day.

On the one hand I wanted to extend this public space onto the site. On the other hand I also liked the artist to have the opportunity to exhibit his art to passers-by. Hence, the plan of the ground floor is mostly left open so an exhibition space can be formed onto the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;public domainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. From this, the idea grew to design a house that is also a gallery. The house consists of a path that winds its way slowly around two volumes. These two volumes, a wooden and a concrete one, constitute on the one hand the walls of the gallery, on the other hand, they contain the functional spaces of the house, such as the kitchen, the bathrooms, the dark room. Also, more intimate spaces such as bedrooms and a TV-area are located in these volumes, while the rest of the home is open towards the city.

9.FREE TIME

Contests and existenz @Leuven, Belgium

reTH!NKING Architecture competitions: Big Urban Crunch (2015) OpenGap: Creative Hotel (2014) Concept competition for new typology of rentable artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studios Jonge Architecten Aan Zet (2015) fase 1: projectvisie Existenz 1st master (2012-2013) Trivia Third mention OpenGap competition Finalist reTH!NKING competition

During the project Quintessence, our team, consisting of Jasper Aerts, Tom Lanclus and FrĂŠderique Vermeyen, felt good designing together. We decided to participate in some architecture competitions after our studies. We have entered 3 contests since.

COMPETITIONS Our first competition was a conceptual assignment. OpenGap: Creative Hotel (2014) A concept competition for new typology of rentable artist’s studios. Our proposal started from the idea that a lot of cargo traffic across the world in underutilized due to the unbalance with regard to the import and export of goods. We respond to this ‘economical inefficiency’ and offer the opportunity for artists to rent a container studio which will be placed on a cargo-ship or train that takes you on an inspiring journey.The second phase of the experience , the exposition and interchange, will take place in the hubs of the cargo network, implemented within in the world’s major cargo ports.

The second competition aim is to devise a strategy for urban rehabilitation on a fragment of the limitless grid of Nezahualcóyotl, one of the 125 municipalities of the Mexico State. Our proposal seeks to introduce a strategy of growth in which, over time, the public services are taken from a central core and scattered over the area. As such, each neighborhood will be transformed from a (repetitive) sequens of monotony/sameness/... into a distinct area with its own identity, spheres and point of gravity. Furthermore the former central core can be transformed into a large, green open space for the inhabitants of Nezahualcoyotl. (Team was reinforced by Nico VAn Orshoven) The third competition is a competition of ‘Jonge architecten aan zet’. The contest aims the realization of social housing in the Prelaatstraat in Averbode. The building program includes the construction of min. 18 rental apartments.

EMERGING IDENTITY through SCATTERED PROGRAM TEAM BODART & co #11571 Jasper Aars Tom Lanclus Nico Van Orshoven Bram Van Sever Fréderique Vermeyen

The first Urban Development Plan for Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl of 1986 has resulted into the specific spatial appearance that characterizes this suburb of Mexico City. Within each ‘megablock’ a generous rectangle was left reserved to reinforce the concentration of public facilities.Nowadays, these clusters set off clearly in contrast to the uniform residential grid surrounding it, constituting a rich color palette within the grey anonymous plane of residential building blocks. This proposal seeks to introduce a strategy of

growth in which, over time, these public services are taken from the central core and are scattered over the area. As such, each neighborhood - of the size of a ‘superblock’ - will be transformed from a (repetitive) sequens of monotony/sameness/… into a distinct area with its own identity, spheres /atmosphere and point of gravity. Furthermore, on the scale of the ‘megablock’, the former compounds can be transformed into a large, green open spaces for the inhabitants of Nezahualcoyotl.

UN[DER]-USED PLOTS un(der)-used plots form the starting point for a new urban development scheme

APPROPRIATION OF THE STREET fast and easy interventions in the public domain kick-start a renewed interest in the appropriation of the street

EMERGING IDENTITY through SCATTERED PROGRAM #11571

Although seemingly saturated, the urban fabric of Neza actually consists of a considerable amount of un(der)-used plots. These mainly walled-in plots serve as storage places, parking spaces or one-storey dwellings, maintaining /resulting in a low density fabric. the low density of the fabric. These ‘hiatuses‘ however hold the potential to be deployed as the starting point of a new model of growth for urban rehabilitation.

Despite the grid-structure of the fabric, its permeability is mainly one-directional. While merely 4 axes ensure an east-west connection, the ‘megablock’ is carved by 20 roads with a north-south orientation , all with the same profile, appearance and (un) use. Because these roads are a passage rather than a destination, the road belongs to everybody and nobody at the same time. A simple intervention of blocking the street and transforming its status and perception allows it to be appropriated and will establish a point of gravity within each neighbourhood.

2015 2050 PROGRAMMATICAL INJECTIONS the injection of new program such als public facilities creates new points of gravity and urban dynamic in each neighboorhood

IMPACT ON ADJACENT FABRIC the new urban dynamics provoke an emerging micro-economie and new denser developmentst

Although not necessary, we think the process of transforming the fabric should best be initiated from above. The government, the municipality, a developer or any other possible actor should be convinced of the potentials of the underused plots and therefore be willing to be willing to invest in them. A participatory process between this investor, the owners and neighbouring plot owners can result in various typologies, though with a common denominator. Each intervention should allow a transversal connection through the building block, establishing a bigger network of alleyways perpendicular to the dominant direction of the current streets. In addition, the ground level should house public functions such as librarys, schools, stores and workshops and thereby activate the adjacent public domain. To allow for more open space in the block, on top a densification should be realised.

The targeted interventions have reformed the former monotomous fabric into a new system with informal, walker-friendly connections, qualitative public spaces and programmatical points of gravity that create identity on a the scale of each neighboorhood. These new urban inventions will create a new dynamic in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl. We believe this dynamic may result in other, spontanuous developments. Programmatical hotspots as schools and libraries will attract other functions such as small food and textile shops. The network of small scale, user-friendly alleys will likely increase the demand for housing, which can result in other densification projects, especially given the rent-culture in the area.

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GROOTS WONEN OP KLEINE VOET De opgave van een collectieve woonomgeving in het dorpscentrum van Averbode vraagt om een geïntegreerde ontwerpbenadering. In deze bundel motiveren we een ontwerpvoorstel dat voorkomt uit een nauwkeurige lezing van het dorpsweefsel en het zoeken naar geschikte collectieve woonvormen.

Genius Loci De Prelaatstraat is één van de parallelle zijstraten aan de Westelsebaan, die de ruggengraat vormt van het dorp Averbode. Het is een straat met twee erg verschillende profielen: enerzijds de gesloten middelhoge appartementsbebouwing aan de steenweg, anderzijds de (half-)open individuele woningen aan het andere eind van de straat. Dit ontwerpvoorstel probeert zich hier niet enkel ruimtelijk maar ook inhoudelijk tussen te positioneren. Er wordt gezocht naar een intermediaire woonvorm die de openheid van de verkaveling combineert met de densiteit van het appartementsgebouw.

In de huidige toestand bevindt er zich ter hoogte van het projectgebied een opmerkelijke verbreding van het publieke domein, die de plek een zekere identiteit geeft, wat versterkt wordt door de sociale functie van het huidige programma. Het is echter een infrastructurele ‘kreek’ ten dienste van het omliggende publieke programma van beide feestzalen, zonder veel inherente ruimtelijke kwaliteiten. In het zuiden wordt de site begrensd door een villa met een ommuurde tuin. In het RUP ‘Centrumgebied Averbode’ vormt de site aan de Prelaatstraat samen met dit villa-domein een projectzone met als doel de ontwikkeling van een mogelijke nieuwe feestzaal te faciliteren. We geloven echter dat deze projectzone ook in een (sociale) woonontwikkeling een relevante rol kan spelen, omdat het toelaat om kaveloverschrijdend na te denken.

analyse bestaande toestand

Met deze juridische context in het achterhoofd benaderen we het gevraagde programma van 18 sociale woningen, waarbij - omwille van het statuut als deel van de projectzone- een aantal uitzonderingen op de stedenbouwkundige voorschriften, zoals de inplanting en bouwdiepte van de volumes, naar onze mening voor discussie vatbaar zijn. Het voorstel zet in op een configuratie die autonoom kan werken, maar tegelijkertijd toekomstige ontwikkelingen niet hypothekeert en zo de mogelijkheid biedt om de collectieve woonontwikkeling in een latere fase uit te breiden over het gehele projectgebied.

Wonen op maat van het dorp

Conform het RUP wordt er aangesloten op de aanwezige wachtgevel.

Een publiek erf doorbreekt de gesloten gevellijn en zorgt voor een informele ontsluiting van het achtergelegen binnengebied. Er ontstaat een uitnodigende openheid naar de buurt toe, versterkt door de introductie van polyvalente ruimte op de hoek.

Een intieme woonsteeg structureert het binnengebied en maakt verdere ontwikkeling en ontsluiting ervan mogelijk.

Een collectieve tuin aan het einde van de woonsteeg vormt een aangename, groene (speel) zone.

De introductie van zadeldaken integreert het project morfologisch in de wijk en versterkt de onderlinge samenhang van de volumes.

Het model kan in een toekomstig scenario voortgezet worden over de gehele projectzone uit het RUP. De villa kan hierbij mogelijks herbestemd worden en plek bieden aan een bijkomend buurtondersteunend programma.

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publiek erf collectieve tuin woonsteeg inrit parking polyvalente ruimte fietsenberging

isometrie

Meervoudig wonen Het resultaat is een woonensemble van twee strookvolumes en een objectgebouw dat een schakeling van drie diverse buitenruimtes definieert. De dominante eigendomsstructuur, kenmerkend voor het Vlaamse woonmodel, wordt hierbij verworpen om ruimte te creëren waarin het collectieve kan gedijen. De hoge mate van individualiteit wordt ingewisseld voor een collectiviteit die bijdraagt tot de identiteit van de plek. Het zijn gedeelde ruimtes waar ontmoeting mogelijk is en sociale interacties kunnen ontstaan. Het publieke domein wordt - net als in de huidige situatie - op de site naar binnen gebracht in de vorm van een erf, waardoor het woongebied met zijn omgeving wordt verweven en een (sociale) woon-enclave wordt vermeden.

Schakeling van diverse buitenruimtes: 1. collectieve tuin - 2. woonsteeg - 3. publiek erf

Twee parallelle strookvolumes definiëren een lineair binnengebied dat gradueel de overgang vormt van het publieke karakter van het woonerf naar de collectiviteit van de gemeenschappelijke tuin. Hierbij gaat het ontwerp op zoek naar de balans tussen een maximale betrokkenheid van de bewoner met het collectieve en de (gevoeligheid voor de) intimiteit van het individuele wonen. Er wordt beoogd een zo groot mogelijke relatie met de aanpalende buitenruimte te realiseren zonder hierbij de individuele privacy van de bewoners in het gedrang te brengen.

Doorwaardbaarheid en privacygradiënt doorheen de site.

Doorzichten tussen straat en woongebied creëren openheid, zonder aan privacy in te boeten. 2

1B0D4R7 1. inrit parking 2. afval sorteerpunt 3. polyvalente ruimte 4. toegang parking 5. fietsenberging

e. 5.

a. collectieve tuin b. private tuinen c. woonsteeg d. publiek erf e. wadi

4. 2. 1.

b. d.

inplantingsschets

Ruimtelijke diversiteit Het publieke erf Het minerale erf is het hart van de woonomgeving, omzoomd door de drie woongebouwen. Het is een hybride, centrale plek waar collectieve functies georganiseerd worden en het publieke leven zich kan ontplooien. In het objectgebouw worden gemeenschappelijke voorzieningen gegroepeerd: de fietsenbergingen, de toegang naar de ondergrondse parkeergarage en een polyvalente ruimte op de hoek die de sociale dimensie van de plek bewerkstelligt. Deze aanvulling op het gevraagde woonprogramma kan gebruikt worden als uitbreiding van de individuele leefruimtes voor het organiseren van (familie)feesten, maar kan ook werken op schaal van de wijk (buurtfeesten, kinderopvang, etc.). Het erf biedt de mogelijkheid om het publieke karakter ervan in een toekomst scenario voort te zetten in een buurtpad dat de projectzone verder ontsluit. De woonsteeg De woonsteeg is een intieme plek waar het wonen primeert. Door een doordachte schakeling van de verschillende typologieĂŤn, het verhogen van de woonstrook aan de straat en het hanteren van slimme gevelopeningen zoeken we hier naar een maximale betrokkenheid van de bewoners zonder de individuele privacy in het gedrang te brengen. De woonsteeg is een plek waar er plaats is voor circulatie naar en van de woningen, maar die evenzeer speelse activiteiten in de hand werkt. Hier zien we kinderen krijten op de grond, jongeren steppen of groepjes inwoners aan een lange tafel tijdens het buurtfeest.

De collectieve tuin Aan het einde van de woonsteeg vormt de collectieve tuin een groene buitenruimte die een aanvulling vormt op de individuele terassen en private tuinen. Het is een openheid die fungeert als een buffer naar het naburige perceel en een doodlopend gevoel van de woonsteeg vermijdt. Een groene oase waar bewoners kunnen vertoeven, kinderen kunnen spelen en collectieve activiteiten mogelijk zijn (tuinieren, etc.). Vanuit de tuin wordt er dankzij de opengewerkte ingang naar de ondergrondse parkeergarage een visuele relatie met de straat opgezocht waardoor de site een open, permeabel karakter bekomt. Deze opening doet overigens ook dienst als secundaire ontsluiting van het binnengebied, waarlangs een collectief afval-sorteerpunt wordt georganiseerd.

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Prelaatstraat concept doorsnede

Woontypologieën Belangrijk voor de maatschappelijke draagkracht van het project is het voorzien van een mix aan woontypologieën die ruimte biedt aan diverse gezinssamenstellingen en bewonerspublieken. Deze variëteit draagt enerzijds bij tot de dynamiek van de plek - waar jong en oud elkaar kan ontmoeten - en tot de flexibiliteit van het woonproject anderzijds, waar levenslang wonen mogelijk is. Daarnaast zorgt de verscheidenheid in open

3x 98 m ²

3x 72 m ²

Op het niveau van het maaiveld herbergt het objectgebouw diverse gemeenschappelijke voorzieningen. Op de hoek tussen het publieke erf en de Prelaatstraat bevindt zich een polyvalente ruimte die verschillende invullingen kan krijgen. Aan de kop van de steeg worden 18 individueel afsluitbare fietsenbergingen georganiseerd. De centrale inplanting maakt deze fietsenstalling vlot toegankelijk en stimuleert het fietsgebruik. Ook de ontsluiting van de ondergrondse parkeergarage bevindt zich in dit volume en gebeurt via dezelfde inkomhal als de 5 woonentiteiten in het volume. Het appartement op het gelijkvloers is een twee-slaapkamerappartement aanpasbaar voor rolstoelgebruikers en beschikt over een private buitenruimte op het zuid-westen. Op de verdieping bevinden zich vier twee-slaapkamer hoekappartementen met nachtgedeelte onder het dak.

4x 96 m ²

3x 68 m ²

ruimtes ervoor dat elke woontypologie een andere relatie aangaat met de aanpalende (collectieve) buitenruimtes. Een goede balans tussen de privacy van de bewoners en deze collectiviteit vraagt om een doordachte organisatie, schakeling, indeling en ontsluiting van de verschillende woonentiteiten en zorgt ervoor dat elke woontypologie beschikt over een zekere uniciteit, identiteit en woonkwaliteit. Het achterste volume huisvest drie paar gestapelde wooneenheden. Op het maaiveld zijn 3 twee-slaapkamerappartementen voorzien die aanpasbaar zijn voor rolstoelgebruikers. Boven elk ervan bevindt zich een drie-slaapkamerduplex die dezelfde inkomhal deelt met de woning eronder, waardoor een grote flexibiliteit bekomen wordt. De woningen kunnen afzonderlijk van elkaar bewoond worden, ze kunnen gecombineerd worden tot kangoeroe-woningen of zelfs ingezet worden als een triplex voor grote gezinssamenstellingen. De gelijkvloerse woningen beschikken over een private buitenruimte op het zuiden waarnaar de leefruimte volledig wordt gericht. De duplex-appartementen op de verdieping zijn doorzonwoningen met een terras op het zuiden en nachtgedeelte onder het dak.

4x 74 m ²

1x 78 m ²

De woningen in het volume aan de Prelaatstraat zijn gericht op (jonge) gezinnen met kinderen en staan maximaal in relatie met de woonsteeg. die samen met de collectieve tuin dienst doet als speelruimte voor kinderen en een uitbreiding vormt op de private zuid-georiënteerde terrassen. Op het gelijkvloers bevinden zich 3 twee-slaapkamerappartementen, een kleine meter verheven boven het maaiveld om inkijk vanuit de woonsteeg te vermijden. De woningen beschikken over een voordeur aan de Prelaatstraat, maar hebben vanuit de leefruimte een vlotte verbinding met de woonsteeg via een kleine trappartij aan het terras. Op de verdieping bevinden zich 4 duplexappartementen die door middel van twee buitentrappen volledig ontsloten worden via de woonsteeg. Het zijn doorzonwoningen met het nachtgedeelte onder het dak. 4

Café dégusté, breakdance performance

EXISTENZ During my first master I was the responsible coordinator for events of existenz. Existenz is an organisation that organizes some cultural events and parties. It publishes its own magazine ‘Unité’. But the most important and most known event of the year is the ‘Existenzweek’. I organized two ‘café’s’. The first one was the opening of the existenz year. We found a beautiful spot next to the Arenberg castle, where we created a living room feeling in open air. We formed several small ‘rooms’ with strawbales. The second café, ‘café degusté’ took place in ‘het Kartuizerklooster’. The purpose of this evening was to give the visitors a taste of different arts. The program was well filled with film music, photography, dance, live painting, etc. During the Existenzweek I was co-designer of the bar room. We had to built a wall of 6m height, so I designed a wall made of bubble wrap with some holes in it, made of different materials. These holes contained the kitchen, the beer tap, a bench, bookshelves etc. The showpiece of the room was the floating table.

Café E

Café dégusté: program

Café E

Café dégusté: music performance

Existenzweek, bar room

Bram Van Sever vanseverbram@gmail.com Last update: Jan 2016