Wasserijsite

Client: sogent
Location: Gent
Realization: 2017 – …
Design team: Tom Verschueren, David Driesen, Eva Vanderborcht, Dries Delagaye, Kotryna Urbonaite
Structural engineer: Denkbar
Engineer Techniques: HP Engineers
Credits 3D image: dmvA
Size: 1767 m²


Project Wasserijsite is part of the urban renewal project En route! in Dampoort and Sint-Amandsberg in Ghent. The site is located in the middle a densely built block and is composed of different types of buildings, such as a townhouse, an industrial laundry building and warehouses. For this project dmvA started with a design study of the potential of the site. Based on this study the architectural design is made in the next phase. The program and concept were tested and refined with the local residents during several participation moments. The Wasserijsite will be a strategic place for local entrepreneurship and creative pioneering, where there will be room for innovation and small-scale manufacturing economy and for young starters with a link and return to the neighborhood. The Wasserijsite is used as a catalyst for the area so that the engagement of the neighborhood increases.

The first spatial concept is the decluttering and reorganization of the inner area to create more greenery and breathing space in the building block. For this purpose, buildings with less value will be demolished, so that open spaces with different atmospheres can be created within the contours of the existing buildings. On the other hand, there are a couple of elements that determine the identity and recognizability of the site. For instance, the 19th century façade of the townhouse, the water cistern and fireplace that reminisce of the former laundry activities, the modernist facades and the industrial façade of the former laundry building will be preserved. They express the spirit of the site’s history. The concept for the construction of the inner area was created by landscape architects Fris in het Landschap, which focuses on making the area more natural with various types of greenery.

In addition to the reorganization, the site will be made more accessible by creating a connection between the Toekomststraat and the Kunstenaarstraat. The connection runs via the outdoor area and through an inner street in the laundry building. At the Toekomststraat a rowhouse will be demolished. The remaining surface will be covered with vertical greenery made of climbing plants. A steel outrigger construction stretched between two walls ensures stability of the remaining walls and serves as a recognizable entrance to the site.

The site will be renovated for the purpose of a flexible and multifunctional use, so that the future end user can fit any program on the site with a minimum of intervention. This is made possible because of a clear organization by means of the addition of circulation cores and intelligent techniques. Original elements are preserved as much as possible and new element are constructed in exposed concrete and visible cinder block masonry. This results in architecture with scars where the dialogue between old and new becomes visible.

In addition to the reorganization, the site will be made more accessible by creating a connection between the Toekomststraat and the Kunstenaarstraat. The connection runs via the outdoor area and through an inner street in the laundry building. At the Toekomststraat a rowhouse will be demolished. The remaining surface will be covered with vertical greenery made of climbing plants. A steel outrigger construction stretched between two walls ensures stability of the remaining walls and serves as a recognizable entrance to the site.

The site will be renovated for the purpose of a flexible and multifunctional use, so that the future end user can fit any program on the site with a minimum of intervention. This is made possible because of a clear organization by means of the addition of circulation cores and intelligent techniques. Original elements are preserved as much as possible and new element are constructed in exposed concrete and visible cinder block masonry. This results in architecture with scars where the dialogue between old and new becomes visible.