CLIENT
Brickworks Vande Moortel NV
ARCHITECT
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Wirtz International Landscape Architects
Photos:
© Cafeine
© Marc Scheepers
© Vande Moortel
Welcome to the climate-proof outside space at Brickworks Vande Moortel
The environment and nature in harmony with each other
At the beginning of 2020, Brickworks Vande Moortel moved into a brand new, multifunctional building along the Scheldt in Oudenaarde. With this unique building comes an equally important outside space which comprises four main functions: a permanently accessible display park, a route guiding visitors to the entrance, adequate parking and the busy access road leading to and from the storage area at the rear.
Commercial building and outside space form a single harmonious whole where the strict rhythm of the building volume is reflected in the outdoor environment. The glazed sections are replaced by lawns and a variety of colourful playful plants which gently break up and soften the motif. The straight lines then continue into the numerous parking areas provided adjacent to the building. Low red beech hedges planted in long rows clearly define the various zones that make up the outside space and accentuate the desired rhythm. The plentiful greenery is combined with the warm brown and yellow tints of the clay pavers, creating a pleasant and tranquil whole.
Leading by example with a climate-proof design
The outside space also excels in terms of its climate-proof design, with various ecological features such as water-permeable surfaces, rainwater buffering in wadis, softening with plentiful greenery and biodiversity and the use of circular materials.
The outside space also excels in terms of its climate-proof design, with various ecological features such as water-permeable surfaces, rainwater attenuation in swales, softening with plentiful greenery and biodiversity and the use of circular materials.
In the outside space, it becomes clear what this hybrid approach to water infiltration looks like in practice. Where infiltration of rainwater is not desirable or possible, the best solution is for rainwater and surface water to run off via paving into swales.
In this outside space where various types of paving construction have been experimented with, there are also certain zones where direct infiltration is not possible. Here, the water is collected and runs off into a swale where it can then gradually infiltrate into the ground. As a result of this combination with water-permeable paving and softened surfaces, every raindrop ends up in the ground rather than in the sewer system.
Softening with plentiful greenery and an eye for biodiversity
The rhythm of the façade with its chequerboard motif is reflected in the show park via a mosaic of lawns and greenery. Consequently, no less than half of this total area consists of unpaved ground. This means that the rainwater has more than enough space to infiltrate into the subsoil.
The planting in these zones significantly enhances the quality of the surroundings. Visitors and personnel experience the added value of this approach both visually and in terms of use.
The parking areas were planted with a combination of planes and tall red beech trees which have grown to form a green roof over the whole area, providing the shade and natural cooling required.
Low red beech hedges were planted in long rows to clearly define the various zones and keep up the rhythm. All in all, this vegetation ensures immense biodiversity that was not present at the site before.
The transition from industrial site paved with concrete to modern functional space that shows respect for nature and climate fits in perfectly with the Flemish government’s ‘Green Deal Companies and Biodiversity’.
Circular approach
The H2O Natural Paving concept consists of 100 per cent natural materials with a very long lifespan combined with an unbound paving construction. This results in a circular paving concept and also, our clay pavers are 90% reusable when the paved surface is broken up or relaid.
A circular principle was also applied to the parking areas, where milled clay pavers were laid on top of a water-permeable construction: a circular application for clay pavers which can no longer be reused as such. Therefore in principle, a clay paver never needs to end up as construction waste.
