VIVA Architecture: Park life

An old orchard is transformed into a green park area, laid out between a residential development. A variety of housing units are created in several buildings, all with a view straight over the green slope across the valley.

"All the people
So many people
They all go hand in hand
Hand in hand through their parklife"

Full text

The existing orchard on a sloped terrain has a lot of distinct sensory qualities. Some of the important elements of the scenery and the site are the multiple views from up the hill, a north-south orientation parallel to the slope and the texture of the landscape, offering great potential for our Park Life proposal. Analysis of the context with its existing features as well as the specific historical and present structure of the town of Borgloon are used as a starting point for a new restructuring strategy, implementing sequences of green pockets, alleys and paths, strips and axes who operate as public and communal outdoor chambers.

Our proposal corresponds to the immediate surrounding through its coherent scale, its readability of the individual dwelling and its comprehensible space in between the different proposed buildings. The building heights are deliberately restricted to 2 or 3 levels in the inner area and 4 levels at the edge of the main street. By doing so density stays moderate and the project merges perfectly in its surrounding.

Interdependence between park and living

The design brief offered the possibility to define an open building program for multiple and various users. Differentiation and diversity are important topics in the Park Life concept and are translated through a mixture of various types of garden houses, panorama apartments, front to back apartments and senior flats.

The garden houses are positioned at the base of the site. The south oriented private gardens offer a buffer to the adjacent houses. The next 2 strips consisting of 5 mini housing blocks are positioned higher on the slope and offer wide and generous views over the surrounding environment. The senior flats -positioned recessed from the main street- are connected to the existing historical town house, which will contain all supporting facilities for the senior flats.

Parking will be organized in an underground parking garage at the edge of the site. In order to make the most out of the green public space, the site will exclusively be accessible for pedestrians and cyclists. A variety of green pockets, strips and chambers with varied vegetation will enhance the communal dynamic and experience of Park Life.

Location : Borgloon

Area : 8.000 m²

Date : 2013

Award : 2nd place in the competition

Client : Gands