ARCHITECTURE IN BETWEEN ACADEMY AND CITY

Second bachelor's final project, which builds further on an extensive analysis of the whole site of the Sterre in Ghent. The title suggests already what's on the program. Indeed, a mix of academic and non-academic programs within the same constricts of 'Campus De Sterre'. The required program consists of a communal building for the neighborhood, two apartments, a student home and a building for the green service needing its own infrastructure.

05/06/2024

1. Connecting programs: the plan

The mixed program is quite an interesting one. So for me the question was really to have in some way the different elements of the program connected to what is already present as a program. The tall rectangular buildings parallel to each other are used by the university - so let's say we connect our student home in some way to those. The communal space I included at the entrance of this student home is connected by a small path to the university area, making the going back and forth simple, also for wheelchair users.

On the other hand the two apartments were situated at the edge of the site, facing the existing street - so connecting to the already present living tissue. The infrastructure for the green service are connected to the already existing area - yet not very much used, a long series of sheds with sliding doors connect to this inner area, making possible for forklifts and so on to easily move back and forth within this area.

This long slab creates a negative outside space in cooperation with the already existing wall to the other side, which can be defined as a passage, a cut through, an entrée to the site's green area. The curious passant wants to see what happens inside the more functional programs and so we create this dynamic of activity and exchange of view. At the end of the long slab I have put the communal space, which forms really the center of the whole design, it is a sort of vantage point from where the whole set of activities around can be observed.

plan of the environment and the two interventions colored-in red

Overview in model.

2. The buildings

A. Studenthome

The circular building is in encircled by but also encircling forest, it is defining area inside and outside. This was very much inspired by a project of Office KGDVS, SOLO HOUSE. The idea of being encircled by earth and trees suited very much my ideal of a student home as a place to come to rest, to have focus.

Photo of the student home in grass, to grasp an idea of what it would look like in a forest.

render.

The student home's floorplan. A play of rythm, trying to have all rooms about the same size, a funny shift of the corridor from the communal spaces. So basically the building is a long snake of rooms, with at certain points communal breaks, breaking the rythms. From those communal spaces, easy access is provided to the outside spaces, my point was to have these spaces as if the trees and plants would enter these.

B. Long slab of mixed functions

Apartments facing the street, a semi-private communal space at the ground level.

Floor plans of the building for the green services and equally the communal building and apartments.

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