Vierlinden
The new central workplace for the Public Domain Management team of the city of Kortrijk brings together the currently scattered services on a single site and serves as a shared work platform. Its central location at the transition between a residential neighbourhood and an industrial environment underlines the hybrid character of the site, where living and working meet.
The building houses the departments of green spaces, infrastructure and mobility, clean city, waste collection and logistics, among others. Offices, workplaces, storage and support areas are logically organised and coordinated, with short walking distances and direct links between administration and implementation as the basis for efficient operation.
The design brings architecture and landscape together into a single whole. The green space between the existing buildings forms the central structuring element. Targeted landscaping and a clear architectural intervention create a transition between the residential environment and the industrial area. Greenery and buildings together determine the site's position within this mixed context.
The existing sheds function as an open hall with a free working structure and strong usage flows. This openness and relationship with the surroundings are preserved and reinforced by targeted design choices. The new office building will not be located in front of, but between the existing buildings and will be south-facing. This means it will be located in the greenest area of the site and will allow for possible future expansion of the warehouses.
A new architectural skin, tailored to the rhythm of the existing facades of the warehouses and the heritage building, brings all the interventions together into a single, legible whole. This creates a coherent and recognisable architecture that emphasises the human scale and brings harmony between different building types and functions.
