Hortus Conclusus
Type: Urban plan Location: Kortrijk, Belgium Client: Municipality of Kortrijk Team: Bart Reuser, Marijn Schenk, Michel Schreinemachers, John van de Water First design: 2000-09-10 Completion: September 2000 Status: Competition, honourable mention
In this urban design for an abandoned factory site, the existing factory wall is doubled and the required programme is positioned in the cavity in between. As a result, it is now feasible for a large part of the vacuum that the departure of the textile factory left in the building block to remain empty. The new wall is used as a framework that organizes the new programme. In addition to houses, this new programme consists of parking space and a number of specific outdoor spaces such as a sports garden and a rose garden.
The existing English garden is naturally incorporated within the new framework. The remnant of the factory complex that is central to the unprogrammed space left at the heart of the plan will be equipped as a community centre.
