Opposite the Knokke-Heist station, on the other side of the railroad, is a fragmented green zone. The municipality’s ambition is to strengthen this green strip and develop it as a recognizable anchor point for youth, pedestrians and cyclists.

The new youth center delineates and connects. Two recognizable volumes act as bookends to the green play area, which is bordered by a fine steel column and beam structure. By positioning the volumes perpendicular to the strip, the continuity of the green axis is preserved, all functional spaces are directly connected to it, and instead of a blind wall, a permeable centre is created that engages in dialogue with its surroundings from all sides. The result is a welcoming and connecting place open to all users, creating a new generous beating heart.

The two buildings, one high and one low, group similar functions with the same comfort requirements, occupancy rates and user regimes. In the tall crowned building, which is overlooking a newly constructed station square, a spacious day room (ground floor), youth service offices (level 1), classes as well as music and art rooms (levels 2 and 3) will find their place. Across the green, the chiro and Circus Oranje, a youth movement for disabled youngsters, move into the low, butterfly-roofed building. This separation of support functions (sanitary facilities, (waste) storage, technical rooms, etc.) ensures that both clusters share each other’s joys, but not each other’s burdens.

By bringing the columns of the load-bearing structure inward, an optimized force distribution is achieved, along with a double layer in which informal and different types of functions (conversation spaces, sanitary facilities, circulation, quiet workspaces, buffer zones, and storage for the music rooms, etc.) find their place. These unheated and pared-down spaces help keep the budget under control, are literally a showcase and provide a lively face along the railway.