The project is the result of a competition initiated in 2009 by the Town of Asse, Belgium for a regional fire station and a youth center. The site (a brownfield of formerly asphalt production industries) is located on the outer edge of the Town Center. Beyond the ring road, the landscape is open, rural. A ?land-form? concept was developed as a means to preserve existing landscape features and create a dialogue between the new buildings. The landform
© Filip Dujardin
is scaled appropriately to the landscape and organizes the new buildings ? a youth center and a fire station ? into one common shape. As a singular and bounded entity, the form does not suggest sprawling growth in any direction, but rather offers a clear vision for future landscape, infrastructure, and building decisions. © Filip Dujardin
A subtle bend in the landform and building denotes the principal entrance to the site. A clear solution had to be found for addressing the public functions given the multiple buildings (where is the front door"). As opposed to a strip of buildings with a parking lot to serve as the main orienting device, a public plaza between the youth center and the fire station serves as a formal front. Custom pavements, markings, road obstacles, street furniture, lighting, local trees and plant species, and a smooth topographic contour break down the scale of this large universally accessible plane.
© Filip Dujardin
The plaza acts as a ?town square?, gathering and distributing the m...