a competition entry for the transformation of a city boulevard into a park in brussels, belgium.
1 – patterns of movement. the public create their own patterns.
2 – separation and sharing. local activities organized by their respective properties begin to break the superstructure up.
3 – place de broukèreplein. the beginning: the park is untouched. a field of trees surrounded by outdoor cafés defines the northern edge of the park.
4 – place de la bourse | beursplein. the erosion: the park is overrun. a grid structure creates a reference point for the multiple orientations and activities.
5 – place fontainasplein. the process: the park is appropriated by the public. a grid of fountains screens as much as opens the square and creates a field of leisure.
the proposal for an anspachpark is a park as process. the park doesn’t propose a fixed solution to a problem of the city but rather creates a space for these problems to be negotiated and addressed by the users of the park. a desire to construct a park is not simply be undertood as creating a green space. it is an opportunity to open the city up.
boulevard anspachlaan is re-programmed as a public resource where events and actions are staged with respect to the existing streetscape. conversely, activities originating in the anspachpark extend to the building interior. a monumental plaza negotiates the interaction between the commercial inside and political outside.
anspachpark begins with a single continuous open space the entire length of boulevard anspachlaan. the monumental plaza guarantees the legibility of the historical context and the city. this is the starting point, but the superstructure invites its own erosion through use.
anspachpark serves as a reference point and framework for use over time and becomes a territory for re-connecting disparate parts of the city.