Leon Krier and Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. drew up a new master plan for the Heulebrug neighbourhood in 1998 according to “New Urbanism” principles that focus on social cohesion, quality of life, local anchoring, diversity and sustainability.

The West Flanders Intercommunale (WVI) has 24 contiguous plots where their south-facing fronts border several public spaces: a park, a square and a street. We respond to these changing interactions by providing outdoor rooms for the park and street-facing houses. By conceiving these intermediate spaces as extensions of the home, they activate the public spaces and create a vibrant presence. For example, parents can dry their laundry here, maintain their vegetable garden or enjoy the sun while watching their children play in the park. At the paved square, the transition is made more direct: the houses have their front façades on the building line, forming a façade that supports the public space. The outdoor room here finds its place on the second floor. On the east side of this square, in line with the ambitions of the master plan, we design a neighbourhood pavilion that can be claimed by residents for various purposes.

By designing all houses based on the same simple, rational, and compact scheme, we can focus on spatial and functional qualities, standardisation, and construction efficiency. At the wider plots, we extend this basic scheme to accommodate varying family situations. We thus design 3- to 6-bedroom houses with living areas of 93.5 m2 to 144.5 m2.