Niels Everaerd / Portfolio Landscape architect / Urban Planner

contact: Niels Everaerdt: +32 474 23 12 78 m: everaerdniels@gmail.comGavergrachtstraat 139, 9031 Drongen, Ghent, Belgium. Born on 9 March 1989, Ghent

Education and internships

2011 - 2013: Master in Urbanism and Urban planning, LUCA school of arts, campus Ghent, Belgium

August 2012 - October 2012: 6 weeks research stay in Bangkok, Thailand. Research and development proposals for the rural Bang Khun Thian area in Bangkok., with a Vlir-Uos scholarship: Vlir-Uos supports partnerships between universities and university colleges in Flanders and the South looking for in-novative responses to global and local challenges

2010 - 2011: Transition year of Architecture (to be able to do the Master in Urbanism) at LUCA school of arts, campus Ghent, Belgium

November 2009 - April 2010: 5 months of internship at Lodewijk Baljon Land-scape Architects, Amsterdam, Erasmus placement scholarship

2007 - 2010: Professional Bachelor in Landscape- and Garden architecture, Hogeschool Ghent, campus Melle, Belgium

2001 - 2007: sciences-mathematics at Sint-Paulus (secondary school), Ghent, Belgium

SkillsAdobe CS5: Indesign, Illustrator, PhotoshopAutodesk AutoCAD 2013Google SketchUp version 8.0Office: Word, Excel, PowerPointArcGIS

(Voluntary) work1989-2013: Helping with the family business: agricultural works and selling fruit and vegetables2008-2010: Head of the local youth movement in Drongen, Ghent

Language proficiency: Dutch: Native speakerEnglish: AdvancedFrench: GoodGerman: Basic

InterestsTravelling, nature, good quality food, politics, agriculture, swimming, music, rollerblading, photography, sculpture,...

CURRICULUM VITAE

Because my master thesis of Urbanism and Urban planning is my latest project, it shows the best what my current vision on urban planning is, and therefore mostly this project will be explained. For this project we needed to find spatial solutions for the development of Ostrava, a city in the East of the Czech Re-public. It’s a study on the importance of scales and the connection between the city and its surrounding and underlaying landscape. These themes are currently my biggest interests. 1/ Ostrava (CZ):

A territorial system between urban valley and production landscape2013: thesis in second master of Urbanism and Urban planning, Ghent

2/ Charleroi (BE): The transformation of an industrial centrality for a green metropolis2012: second master of Urbanism and Urban planning, Ghent

3/ Bang khun thian, Bangkok (TH): Environmental tourism as a key for development2012: summer-internship for a development program in Thailand with a Vlir-Uos Scholarship

4/ Molenbeek, Brussels (BE): Structuring future development in West-Brussels by green space- and bike transportation-AXES2012: first master of Urbanism and Urban planning, Ghent

5/ Beveren (BE): Landscape embedment for a new prison complex2010: Amsterdam internship/ part of an interdisciplinary team, won competi-tion )

6/ Oostende (BE): Ensorpark2010: Third year of studies in landscape Architecture, Melle

PORTFOLIO OF WORKS

Ostrava within the Czech Republic

Ostrava wirh the Odra running trhough

Ostrava is a city of 300.000 people in the Odra valley in the east of the Czech Republic. Due to its big amount of coal, the city exploded from a small town to an important economic core under the communist regime until 1989. 20 years later the mines are closed, the employment in the steel industry is decreasing and the city needs to direct the major transition that its about to go through. To be able to give a (spatial) answer to the problems and strengths of the city, we need to question what the real threats are for the city life and which op-portunities there are, and more importantly, which scale has a spatial impact on these matters. The search for this scale seems to be half of the answer to the problem.

Looking at the most urgent problems (one of the highest rates of air pollution in Europe due to the steel industry, heavy flooding like the one in 2010 (picture)), we notice that the problems caused in the city (pollution) have an effect on the entire re-gion and vice versa (flooding created in the agri-cultural valley due to intensification of the agricul-tural sector)Most cities developed together with their surround-ing landscapes. Because the city has grown due to the coal mines and industry within its boundaries, the connection with its landscape (for regional food and leisure) is underdeveloped. Here lays the opportunity for a sustainable development.

We need to start acknowledging that the city and its surrounding landscape are part of 1 big system. Natural boundaries and water basins seem to be connected to a regional culture, use of agricultural land and unemployment rates. By developing from the regional scale, we can pursue a sustainable sys-tem where the natural and cultural landscape lay-ers interact and have a positive influence on each other.

1/ OSTRAVA (CZ): A TERRITORIAL SYSTEM BETWEEN URBAN VALLEY AND PRODUCTION LANDSCAPE2013: thesis in second master of Urbanism and Urban planning, Ghent

The city is bigger than its current borders

Water basins (Odra in yellow)

Languages and dialectsAir pollution

National parks

AgricultureUnemployment

OSTRAVA AS A VALLEYREGION INSTEEAD OF AN ISOLATED CITY

The Urban Landscape:Advantages and mistakes by modernist urban planning

City Ostrava MasterplanThe current plan still focuses on the separation of functionsNature/ dwellings/ industry/ leisure/ agriculture

New towns with monofunctional neighbourhoods are the result of modernistic plan-ning methods. This kind of planning disregards a natural organic growth of the city and a logical implementation in its landscape. Big scale building blocks where put in open parks in a similar way in the whole city. The different neighbourhoods therefore have no specific identity. Although there is an enormous amount of green space, it isn’t appreciated well by its inhabitants because of the bad maintenance of it and the lack of appropriation.

Bilovec

Ostrava

A MIXED NATURAL AND URBAN STRUCTURE

The original settlement patterns in this valley are strongly based on the curves of the landscape and the proximity of water. From the mountains small stream valleys come down to the central alluvial plain of the Odra. Streetvillages from up to 10 kilometers long guide these stream valleys in the whole Odra basin region. Interesting about these settlement structures is that they com- region. Interesting about these settlement structures is that they com-bine living, working and leisure and that they strengthen the ecological struc-tures of the stream valley and increase the biological value by the plantation of hedges, lanes and small orchards. The ecological structure and settlement structure have interesting interactions and make profit out of one another.

The rural landscape:The original human settlements as the base for a urban AND natural network.

The town of Bilovec located south-west of Ostrava

City Ostrava MasterplanThe current plan still focuses on the separation of functionsNature/ dwellings/ industry/ leisure/ agriculture

Transformation from current monocultural agriculture to Agroforestry

The fertile agricultural lands in this region are a renewable source for a thriving future economy. Agroforestry is a combination of forestry and agriculture that increases the sustainable use of land. Next to having a more efficient land use and higher profits, agroforestry counters different environmental problems that are caused by normal agriculture. Trees produce building materials, energy and ecosystem services that are good for the agricultural crops as well as for the entire society: They help to improve soil- and water quality, they hold the water for a longer period in the soil (against drought and flooding), decrease soil erosion, can host useful insect, increase the organic material in the soil,... On a bigger scale, storing co2 and decreasing air pollution.

The use of wood can stimulate a whole new industrial economy as well, going from construction material for architecture and design to energy from biomass to the beginning industry in oil-replacing woodfiberproducts.

A RENEWABLE LOCAL RESOURCE ECONOMY BASED ON AGRICULTUREAn agricultural transformation on two tracks: Urban agriculture and intensive Agroforestry

Original agroforestry-systems: hedges and trees on the borders of small parcels, orchards,..

Current agroforestry within the intensive agricultural practice in the north of France

A bald landscape is the result of current unsustainable agricultural methods

Urban agriculture in the form of a self-harvest-field in the area of Ghent, Belgium

Urban agriculture in the Urban/Natural structure

Next to big scale agroforestry, a downsizing of agriculture can happen within urban and environmentally vulnerable areas. Urban agriculture is as well envi-ronmentally friendly, because of its small scale, as interesting for the education and leisure of urban citizens. Within a mixed natural and urban structure, urban agriculture is a use of space that strengthens both.

Current intensive agriculture in the environmentally vulnerable plain of the Odra valley, just next to Rhabuvka, Ostrava, a densely populated district.

0 2 4 6 8 10km

highway

airport

railway

forested mountains

forests

nature reserves

settlements: villages and city

alluvial plain of the Odra river

ponds

Current state

Reconversion of the valley:Because of the bad economic state the city is in, and the decreasing of the population numbers, there is no money to develop big new infra-structures and build areas. New development has to take full advantage of existing infrastructures and resources. The potential of the railway infrastructures and the agricultural land is enormous. The railwayssytem makes connections from the city to the rest of the valley and makes it possible to shift from Ostrava as a ‘compact city in the valley’ to a ‘whole urban valley as one city’.

A TERRITORIAL SYSTEM BETWEEN THE VALLEY AS AN URBAN BIOTOPE AND THE PRODUCTION LANDSCAPE

4 visions

VISIE: Een territoriaal systeem tussen vallei als stedelijke biotoop en productielandschap

Mobility and Intensity: The spread railway infrastructure should be the spine of future devel-opments with an intensification of activities at its stations.

The valley as an urban biotope: Nature and men should develop within 1 structure because of the interesting synergies between them. By developing nature in existing urban areas and putting urban activities into natural areas, we strengthen the natural as well as the urban network. The mobil-ity caused by the railwaysystem in-creases the use of the whole valley for urban activities.

The production landscape: The transformation to agroforestry means an intensification of the land use and a higher profit of renewable resources.

Logistics and Activity: The railway infrastructure connects the countryside and its raw materi-als to the industrial areas within the core of the city. Transport by rail-way gives opportunities to reuse a lot of empty industrial sites to de-velop raw material processing- and distribution centres where chain ac-tivities are possible.

To transform this region to a sustainable system with a strong urban and natural structure and a economy based on renewable resources, 4 transformations need to happen. All of these 4 visions are intercon-nected and need each other to work as one sustainable regional system.The valley as an urban biotope and the productionlandscape will inter-connect due to the mobility and logistics of the railwaysystem.

0 2 4 6 8 10km

double main railwayline

single line railroad

urban tram line

existing bike network

new bike paths

the development of urban activities on transportation cross-sec-tions, focused on railway stations

Mobility and Intensity

0 2 4 6 8 10km

forests that become part of an ecological valley structure

adding ecological value to the urban settlements

expansion of the ecological valley structure/ connecting existing build and forested structures

The valley as an urban biotope

0 2 4 6 8 10km

productionforests that aren’t part of the eco-structure

transformation from monofunctional agriculture to agroforestry

The productionlandscape

0 2 4 6 8 10km

railway network

industrial sites which are accessed by railway

the developing of logistic points where raw materials can enter the railwaysystem

Logistics and Activity

The transformed productionlandscape, logistically in direct connection with the industrial sites through the railwaysystem.

The valley as an urban biotope, a structure where nature and men in-teract, formed by hydrography, strengthened by the mobility of the railwaysystem.

Both working in one regional ecosystem

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Agroforestry and small river valley:Bilovec -Productionlandscape

Logistic point and waste treatment: Bilovec -Logistics and Activity

Raw material processing- and distribu-tion centre: Vitkovice -Logistics and Activity

Leisure and urban agriculture: Polanka nad Odrou -Valley as an urban biotope -Mobility and intensity

Market hall: Poruba -Mobility and intensity

Public space-axes and nature develop-ment: Poruba -Valley as an urban biotope

6 EXEMPLARIC CASES

0 2 4 6 8 10km

To show how this regional vision can be appropriated, 6 exemplarily transfor-mations are made.. These 6 together are the building blocks for the develop-ment of a regional sustainable ecosystem.

Localisation

current context

Local impactRegional vision

Agroforestry and small river valley :Bilovec

A transformation to Agroforestry from normal agriculture. Strength-ening the natural structure of the stream valley by planting hedges and small woods. New urban activities like B&B’s, elderly houses,... in the current urban structure.

Logistic point and waste treatment: Bilovec

Localisation

current context

Local impactRegional vision

This final station which new serves only persons traffic is transformed to a logistic point where agricultural resources and wood from the countryside, and waste from the city can be loaded in and out.

Raw material processing- and distribution centre: V itkovice

Localisation

current context

Local impactRegional vision

This gated industrial zone in the centre of the city can focus on a renewable industry on wood and agricultural products. There is room for food processing factories, plants for construction material, furni-ture factories or biomass energy plants. A part of the domain can be opened up for new activities that are linked to this industry, like a fur-niture market, a design school for architecture and furniture, research labs for new wood based materials,..

Leisure and urban agriculture: Polanka nad Odrou

Localisation

current context

Local impactRegional vision

The plain of the Odra river is part of the urban and natural structure. Next to developing more nature (woods next to the river), the trainsta-tion makes it a good place for more urban activities: the current agri-culture can make place for a horse riding school and urban agriculture ,where people from the city come to harvest the crops themselves, other leisure activities that make use of the natural environment are welcome: fishing, camping, canoeing, hunting, bird watching,..

Market hall: Poruba

Localisation

current context

Local impactRegional vision

A crossroads of tramways becomes a centre for the neighbourhood. By developing a square and an open market hall, we stimulate urban activities like farmers markets and local festivities

Public space-axes and nature development: Poruba

Localisation

current context

Local impactRegional vision

Bad maintained parks are the result of ‘too much space’. By concen-trating open air activities on main bike paths, we can develop the rest of the park space into a more natural environment, helping to create the mixed urban and natural structure. The public space bike-axes is implanted next to public services like a pharmacy, shop ,school and a bar. Adding greenhouses on the flat rooftops and sport terrains, play-grounds, bbqplaces, dog meadows and vegetable gardens will increase the use of this axes and the encounter between people.

my territory, my town!

The necessity of the industrial centrality

Charleroi is a city of 200.000 people in the South of Bel-gium at the Samber river and the canal Brussels-Charleroi. The current city is derived from three historic centres; Charleroi, Marchienne au Pont and Gosselies. Mining activities in the 19th and 20th century are the reason the city has got this big. Although mining was spread all over the area, there was one point, at the crossing of the Samber and the canal, where most of the coal- and steel plants were situated. This industrial area was the core of the booming agglomeration. The expansion of the city was focused mostly around this site and because of the enormous amount of people that came to work here eve-ryday, this place was vital for the existence of the city and therefore should be seen as a centre as well.With most of the industry gone or dying, this place be-comes an empty wasteland. The city invested till the 80’s a lot in a subway-infrastructure that connects the three

Subway and waterways that connect the centres of the city

3 historical centralities

Charleroi Marchienne au Pont Gosselies Steel- and glasindustry

1 industrial centrality

2/ CHARLEROI (BE): THE TRANSFORMATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL CENTRALITY FOR A GREEN METROPOLIS2012: second master of Urbanism and Urban planning, Ghent

historic and one industrial centralities. Now, instead of investing in these centres, this city, that isn’t grow-ing in number of citizens, is making the bad decision of investing in expanding its territory. Building new neighbourhoods for living and industry and neglecting its old ones, who are becoming empty again.

Because of the sustainable infrastructure and the fact that these historic and industrial centres are a big part of the identity of the city, its necessary to redevelop them. Especially because the main problem of this city is its bad image, and this can be transformed the best within the centres. Without its industrial landscape, Charleroi wouldn’t be Charleroi anymore. Turning the image of a dark, industrial coal town into a new fresh image, without losing respect for the industrial identity it has, will be the biggest task.

doelstellingen: Strategie voor heel Charleroi 6 actiepunten!

Cultural/ recreational network based on the waterways and greened industrial sites, and the old centres.

Old centralities as economic attractive areas, stopping the further expansion

A natural structure based on the waterways and greened industrial sites

Expanding the build area, taking more green and rural space, neglecting the city centres

3 visions for the whole of Charleroi

1 post-industrial landscape: 5 different plots to develop

The area that has the most potential turning the negative image into a fresh one, is the old industrial centrality. Because of the big amount of infrastructure of roads, waterways and subway, it is very logical to invest in this area. The industrial landscape with old factories and waste mountains, called terrils, will help give this area a specific identity that no other city in Belgium has.

By reopening an old waterway, an island is created which separates this central-ity into 5 plots. By giving every plot a main function, we get an interesting het-erogeneous urban landscape which is complementary to the historical centres. In the middle we have the ‘island of culture’. Underneath is the ‘quai of the entrepreneurs’ and east of it is the ‘university coast’. These 3 plots are devel-oped in and around 3 industrial ‘cathedrals’ which are the 3 biggest steel-and coal plants that have to be renovated. West of the island the ‘Marchienne har-bour’ will be a mixed living/working area and in the North, the canal and terrils at the ‘coalridge’ are the ideal landscape for inner city adventurous recreation like horseback riding, death rides, camping, skiing and water sports...

A crossection of infrastructures at the heart of the industrial landscape

The industrial centrality formed into 5 different plots

3 ‘industrial cathedrals’ that can keep the city’s identity when redeveloped

The mountains of coal-waste which are large green zones that are ideal for adventurous recreation

Industrial infrastructure that can be reused in a new ‘park’design

An industrial park that is complementary to the historical centres

By reusing industrial infrastructure like buildings and bridges, the area keeps it industrial look. By adding different functions on dif-ferent plots, the image of this place will become positive again.

Adding a new subwaystation, pathways and lots of green will make the whole centrality accessible and will turn it in to one park. Afterwards different plots can be developed in different ways to prevent that this area will compete with the historical centres. No shopping or large scale housing here, new functions will be added that are complementary to the other centres and give it an equal importance.

This former industrial plant can have a new life as a place for culture and sports: concert halls, ateliers, exhibition rooms, indoor sports,.. Outdoors there is room for a sculpture garden, climbing walls on the monuments, a beach,..

This industrial terrain which still has some large active enterprises can, in time, be redevel-oped in a mixed industrial area. Factories in combination with small scale housing, energy generation and food production in greenhouses on the rooftops.

Greetings from ‘camping Charleroi’!

Samut Sakhon

Bangkok

Bang Khun Thian

3/ BANG KHUN THIAN, BANGKOK (TH): ENVIRONMENTAL TOURISM AS A KEY FOR DEVELOPMENT2012: summer internship for a development program in Thailand with a VLIR-UOS Scholarship

The Bang Khun Thian area of Bangkok is an aquacultural area with shrimpfarms, canals and canal dwellings. Coastal erosion and especially urbani-sation from industrial plants are threatening the area. Because of the constant threat of flooding, this part of Bangkok isn’t suited for build expansion. To keep the area open there is need for more local resources and especially more understanding and thus knowledge of the locals and the people from all of Bangkok to stop the urbanisation.

BANG KHUN THIAN UNDER THREAT

We believe that environmental education will be the key to a new sustainable development. Environmental tourism can provide the knowledge for Bangkoks people, as well as more resources for the locals.

This educational landscape can create environmental awareness for people from Bangkok and other tourists/ students. There is a lot to learn about water man-agement, erosion protection, pollution combat, aqua- and agriculture, ..Learning from the past prevents making the same mistakes in the future. f.e. when doing an erosion project without educating, you won’t prevent people from cutting down mangrove trees and won’t prevent erosion in the future..

Different educational institutes and interesting projects can be part of a network. These are the ones we have visited and that can have a potential for further educational development.

Making these projects and schools more accessible will help creating a tourist network. Broadening the concept of ‘school’ will help to educate the locals. Knowledge islands, like the university campus, can become open community centres. Not only for direct education, also for sharing facilities such as comput-ers, libraries, sport facilities,..

EDUCATION AS A KEY FOR DEVELOPMENT

1. KMUTT university: A gated campus that’s isolated and doesn't use it's environment, which holds potential for students from all over bangkok

2. Basic school: for local people

3. Salt farm

4. Shrimp farm

5. Coastal erosion reforestation project

Above: University, Basic school ‘plant your own trees’ reforestation and aquaculture projectMiddle: Shrimp farm, Coastal erosion reforestation projectUnder: Salt farm

STRENGTHENING INFRASTRUCTURE, TOURISM AND AGRICULTURE FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT

A development in Agriculture, tourism and infrastructure will be complementary to each other and strengthen this region.

transition node

canal

khlongs

bike rental point

transition node

bike rental point

sea food restaurant

school

education point

Infrastructure: Using the landscape to its fullest!

The tradition of water management and living by the water should be cherished. Transport over waterways is much more sustainable than over roads. This area has an incred-ible canal infrastructure that is under used.Public boat transport and boat taxis along the canal make the area well connected with Bangkok and Samut Sakhorn as well as the north (tourism and other (agricultural and seafood)transport). Crossroads between canals and roads can function as nodes to go from one sort of transport to another. The local centres where these transition nodes are, also provide bike rental points, agricultural markets, restau-rants, etc..

TOURISM

To promote tourism and start the environmental development of the area by enlarging local resources that can by used for further development, we made a movie that shows the qualities and po-tential the area already has. You can watch it on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IajO72t0wqI

The agricultural and environmental education is the perfect base for a new kind of tourism that is complementary to the one in the city of Bangkok (going out, shopping, see ancient architecture,..)

KMUTT UNIVERSITYA good place to start environmental education is at the KMUTT Univer-sity campus, now a gated community that’s emancipated from its landscape context and doesn’t have any relationship with the neighbouring local com-munity. We have the chance to get the city people (students) back in touch with the food chain, breaking the normal cycle of farmers trading their profession for city life. Urban people can get in touch with agriculture again. Furthermore we can make the campus self-sustainable, and use (or give back to) the environment, let it develop with campus, involve the surrounding communities in this process. We give place to the streetfood culture. The connection road between the community and KMUTT can be the new centre for the merged com-munities, with agriculture as the binding factor between these two groups, showing that environmental innovations can be the future for cooperation, development of the whole area.

Street before

Street after: Streetfood culture on a bike friendly road along diverse aqua- and agricultural land

We propose a variety of urban agriculture systems that can be implemented:

1/Communal orchard; free for everybody2/ Harvest garden; maintained by locals, harvested by students and paying a small amount of money3/ Wastelands on campus ground; lend out (for free) to (groups) of students to grow products for own consumption, selling to school restaurants or on the weekly market.4/ Locals produce fruits, vegetables, herbs and fishes along the main street, sell their fresh prod-ucts as well as processed foods. Some may open a (seafood-)restaurant along the road.

Oh no, he didn’t?!

?

??

Leopold the second, also called the ‘King Urban Planner’, expanded Brussels and gave it a strong structure of large green parks and lanes, which most of them are the main car roads of the city today. The plan developed green space, especially in the centre and the East of the city, neglecting future development in the west. Today, the west of the city centre has become one of the most densely popu-lated, multicultural and definitely poor areas of Brussels. Because of the high pressure on dwelling development, this area is under the threat of losing more green and becoming unlivable in the future.

4/ MOLENBEEK, BRUSSELS (BE): STRUCTURING FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN WEST-BRUSSELS BY GREEN SPACE- AND BIKE TRANSPORTATION-AXES2012: first master of Urbanism and Urban planning, Ghent

We propose a bike road structure that is running straight to the canal, which has the most development potential of Brussels. The road system focuses on the proximity of current public services like schools, hospitals, sports infrastructure,... and of current infor-mal green and parks. This new bike road infrastructure will be the backbone for future (re)development and fast bike transportation. Former inaccessible green zones will become more public and will give this part of the city a more open and green image.

Brussel hoofdstad: Stedelijke structurering via groenassen

Different axes can have different themes and can be developed towards their poten-tial or by demand from their context. This particular one has a lot of resting places, sport facilities and Heritage. Derived from its specific urban context, it would be interesting to invest in playgrounds, urban agriculture and tourism.

A structure of green accessible spaces will ensure a more sustainable development of West Brussels and can bring back a balance to the development of the whole city.

Open Space

Heritage

Sportfacilities

Urban agriculture

resting places

playgrounds

ecologically valuable

tourism

Diversiteit aan plekken en gebruikers

Meerlagig gebruik, toespitsen op verschillende doelgroepen, uitbreiden van het programmadoor toevoeging knooppunten

BINDING THE BIKE-AXES TO THE URBAN TISSUE BY ADDING ACTIVITIES AND DESIGNING NODES OF ENCOUNTER

Hostel, fietsverhuur, natuurspeel-tuin

eco-resto en -buurthuisappartementenpublieke serres

amfitheater gasfabriek, café, B&B

horeca, winkelsen katoren

volkstuinen

Stadsboerderij

woningontwikkeling

speelbos kasteelruïne

Speelbos

Woning- en kantoorontwikkelingparkgordel

Graaf van Vlaanderenpleinlineaire open ruimte, park en 1 tennisveldMetrostation Graaf v. Vlaanderen

De vismarkt horeca evenementen

De grote markt van Brussel unesco werelderfgoed, horeca, manifestaties,..

Gemeentplein van Koekelbergpark en sportveld

osseghem valley 3 open terreinen (2 voetbal, 1 baseball en atletiekpiste) en stadium Brussels school

Karreveld valley Kasteelhoeve van Karreveld theaterfestival Bruxellons!, feestzaal, kerstmarkt,.. hoogbouw + park Begraafplaats van Molenbeek Sportvelden (7 tennisvelden, 1 hockyveld)

sportvelden (6 tennis, 1 voetbal)

Zavelenberg agrarisch landschap tennisclub, 4 velden school

Hunderveld hoogbouw met park 2 voetbal en 3 tennister reinen

Grootbijgaarden Kerk en kasteelpark

Current functions

Added functions

Brussel hoofdstad: Stedelijke structurering via groenassen

Open Space

Heritage

Sportfacilities

Urban agriculture

resting places

playgrounds

ecologically valuable

tourism

CASE STUDY OSSEGHEM VALLEY

Functional map:

Official use and design of places

1/ sports: gym, football and athletics

1

2

4

3

2/ small playground/ park

3/ metrostation

4/ school

4

Map of informal/ multifunctional use:

1/ Urban farming by a group of Congolese men and women from the neighbourhood2/ 7/ 8/ The streets as playground for children and dogs3/ Monofunctional carparks4/ 5/ Inaccessible open space6/ A local enjoying the park

1

1

5

5

6

6

7

7

8

8

2

23

3

4

4

Principles for the open space-development

1/ Design the minimal boundaries of open space

2/ Bike road central in the open space for an optimal perception of the green space

3/ Bike road as a binding element that units different parts to one green fluid space (like sport parks, schoolyards, cemeteries, parks..)

4/ Bike road as development-axes: Focussing new architecture and urban activi-ties towards this axes. This will promote the use of these bike roads.

Example of a development-node: Eco-Resto and -community house, apartments and public green-houses

This part of the ‘Osseghem valley green space’ is focussed on the existing allot-ment gardens. This bottom up initiative can be the start of a development of the whole neighbourhood. There is room for an expansion of the agricultural area and by building public greenhouses, the neighbourhood can meet here as well during the winter. A new eco-resto can serve dishes with neighbourhood-local products at democratic prices. This building also functions as a commu-nity house; giving space to local activities and events. The square in front of this building is a node for interaction between this neighbourhood and the rest of Brussels.

The new buildings are build next to unfinished blind walls. They ‘finish’ the build pattern and bind it to the new infrastructure. The greenhouses are put at the back of existing gardens to make a good private-public transition.

concept for landscape implantation of the prison complex

The implantation of a design for a new prison was part of competition we won for the Flemish government. This design proposal was based on using elements of the historical landscape of the area. On a different scale, we used the convex fields as a system to define the parcels for the prison and the parking area. Also, surrounding them with upscaled waterways, that will benefit for collecting and cleaning the water, and rows of Populus trees.

With this design, we try to strengthen a very fragmented landscape by using its trees, parcelling and curves.

5/ BEVEREN (BE): LANDSCAPE EMBEDMENT FOR A NEW PRISON COMPLEX2010: Amsterdam internship/ part of an interdisciplinary team, won competition )

Typical historical landscape of the region: convex fields, bordered by Populus trees and ditches

Final design: image by BEEL Archicten The implantation at the border of the rural landscape can strengthen both rural as build space

6/ OOSTENDE (BE): ENSORPARK2010: Third year of studies in landscape Architecture, Melle

The city of Ostend, at the Belgium coast, has plans to make a ring of parks around its city. Our assignment was to de-sign one of these parks. The first park in the chain of green spaces is located next to the sea and will be called after the famous Ostend artist, Ensor. Because he is buried next to the small church that stands on the border of the terrain.

The contrast of natural and cultural landscapeThe most interesting about this piece of land, is that it has a small line of dunes and a polder behind it. The contrast between the natural (dunes) and cultural landscape (polders as man made land) will be the base for the parkarchitectural design. To enlarge this contrast and make interesting spaces, the confrontation between the two will be enlarged by creat-ing more dunes in the current polders. By giving another direction to the lines of the ditches in the polderlandscape than to the new developed dunes, the contrast gets even bigger. The new dunes will be surrounded by walls of cor-tensteel with openings here and there for people to discover them. The walls will harden the contrast as well. The grass-land and ditches will be mown twice a year and in the dunes, different stages of succession will be maintained. This cre-ates an attractive landscape with high ecological values.

The fishersmans cottage View from the dunes to the polders

View from the dunes to the small church and the border of the city.

Fishermans cottages as Art- and Landscape-pavilionsNext to the small church, there is one of the few fishermanscottages left ,who used to be very typical for this environment. The spreading of these cottages is the concept for a network of pavilions. These will be closed or half-open spaces where people can walk through and rest, participate or have a look at certain activities. Some of these pavilions are meant for art (workshoproom, video-installation, graffitiroom, exhi-bitionroom,...) to give artists from Ostend the chance to show or do their work in a public space. Other pa-vilions are meant for environmental education because there are a lot of interesting biotopes coming together here: the sea, shore, dunes, polders,... These landscape pavilions don’t have a roof. The landscape runs just through them. At the walls there is room for informa-tion and drawings about the creation and evolution about a specific landscape, the species that live in it, etc... One exception is the ‘sea-pavillion’ which stands on the dike, to attract tourists into this chain of parks, and which is a giant aquarium that hosts some of the north sea-fauna and -flora