Concept

This construction project consists of sixty-three apartments split across four buildings. Pedestrians and cyclists can cross the inner area along thoroughfares on the Smidsestraat and the Kortrijksesteenweg. This inner area has both semi-public areas and private gardens. The entrance to the car park is situated in the Smidsestraat so as not to disrupt this inner area. Facades facing public areas are a reference to the architectural style of the facades in the 19th-century areas around the city centre. Vertical aluminium windows with smooth plastering were fitted with a system of moveable steel shutters and wooden slats. These provide residents both privacy and protection from the sun. Wooden joinery on the rear facade was combined with blue Belgian limestone finishing.