Share and Reuse Factory
Rijkswachtstraat, Kortrijk 2020 - 2023
The old firestation in Kortrijk has been redeveloped into a share- and reuse factory, where civic, neighborhood, and city initiatives come together. The Factory aims to promote sharing as an alternative to ownership and foster empowerment, enabling different initiatives to connect and strengthen one another.
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The 'Tuighuizen' building, also known as the Old Fire Station, was built in 1940 and classified as a protected monument in 2003. This striking structure catches attention because of its tower housing a staircase, flanked by lower wings constructed in a concrete frame and clad in brick.
The design emphasizes the building's welcoming gesture by opening it up at the corner and introducing a public market hall; a space where all participants can showcase their activities and where a social grocer displays its goods. At the heart of the project a series of workshops are organized, each with an own address facing the opened up courtyard. The existing industrial hall has been renovated into a central depot.
The tower will house a climbing club, and the glass-enclosed crown will become a unique meeting space under a sky reimagined by an artist.
The Share and Reuse is set to become a beacon within the neighborhood and beyond, integrating the sharing economy into the city.
Sharing over Owning
Sharing over Owning
Sharing architecture. “Borrowing, making your own, and giving back” is the mission of the Share and Reuse Factory, for which the design offers an architectural equivalent. How can new interventions integrate the existing context, draw elements from it, but also give something back? The robust concrete columns of the existing facade are reinterpreted in the new courtyard facade, aimed at enhancing the public character of this space. The kink in the new facade mirrors the angle in the existing rear facade, together creating a diamond-shaped outdoor area. The ‘racing green’ of the existing joinery is repeated throughout the new buildings. In various door and window openings and along the eaves, the reflective finish captures the existing structure in ever-changing and surprising compositions. From certain vantage points, the new intervention seemingly disappears to make way for the reflected heritage image. The walls of the ‘garden room cosmos’ appear almost translucent, and from other angles, the reflections create an exact complement to what already exists. Transforming an introverted, utilitarian site into a publicly accessible space is the essence of the design, supported by architectural elements.
Consultants
BDA, SDKE, DeFonseca
Location
Rijkswachtstraat, Kortrijk
Client
The City of Kortrijk
Type
Competition, 1st prize
Program
New urban hotspot for various 'share and repair' citizen initiatives
Timing
2020-2023
Surface
3.304 m2
Budget
€ 1.838.842 excl. VAT
Status
Completed
Photography
Stijn Bollaert
"The scheme presents a convincingly simple, well-calibrated repurposing of an unusual urban building. If stripping back is becoming a new Belgium aesthetic, in a country once known for its decorative layering, this reveals the richness and complexity that can still result."
