Recreation in the ‘Zoetwaters’ domain is remarkable. Although surrounded by forests and nature, the activities here no longer value its presence and take place alongside of it . With three spatial strategies, we want to rethink the relationship between nature, culture and recreation, and redesign the Zoetwaters as a bio- diverse cultural landscape. These goals are translated into a framework for thinking and working that again focuses on the landscape as a building block and testifies to a belief that the greatest innovation is already present on the site itself.

A BIO-DIVERSE CULTURE LANDSCAPE : The environment of Zoetwaters is a man-made landscape, where the current natural values are a result of an earlier human intervention. In this tradition we also want to intervene on the site itself. The site is being reforested, both as an ecosystem repair and as a structural element.

READABILITY & COHESION : Today, Zoetwaters has a huge fragmentation: from the scale of dispersed functions to endless variation in infrastructure, from seemingly randomly erected structures to a diversity of bins, benches and paving. New additions without a doubt would only increase this heterogeneity. The base action is to clean up what is already there.

CLUSTERING: The ambition to realize more programs on the site is apparently at odds with the need to take up less space. The answer lies in clustering and intensifying functions, increasing spatial efficiency. Growing three existing functions into fully-fledged poles allows compaction in these places.

location: Oud-Heverlee, BE
program: masterplan
year: 2019
client: municipality of Oud-Heverlee
status: shortlisted competition, 2nd place
budget: €1.000.000 - (in phases over several years)
design: Fallow + a2o-omgeving + DMOA architects
fallow team: Matthias Salaets, Michaël Stas