Sociaal Huis
The extension of the town hall in Langemark by Studio Thys Vermeulen is linked to the redevelopment of the public space and part of a vision to further increase the density of the centre. The new municipal square is part of a larger entity; a new municipal park that connects the railway and church. By analogy, the architects designed the new buildings as a 'diptych' as close as possible to the town hall. This not only has the advantage that the new collaboration between OCMW and municipal services is easier to organise, but also that the buildings are literally merged in a new image, as a pair, i.e. a 'social house' and a 'formal house'. The new building has a multifaceted appeal. A central core with a sculptural staircase, tailored to each service, connects the different floors. The architects are not building a generic, cool and detached kind of building, but a building with its own homely informality and numerous surprising spaces around the central staircase.
This text is based on the project text provided by the architects.
Composite Presence at Biennale Architettura 2021
This project is part of the exhibition Composite Presence in the Belgian pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
Tom Thys architecten: "Beyond providing new social services and a new entrance, the project also has a strong urban component upgrading the entire village centre. Typical of working in Flanders - but this might as well be a universal theme in architecture - is working with identity. In this project, we play with shifting identities in relation to both the architecture of the existing building, as well as to the spatial diversity in context.
Folding of the façades resulted in an autonomous diamond-like shape. At the same time, these façades respond in a direct way to their surroundings. The composition of window arrangements are formal, as well as informal, and it evokes different kinds of associations. The volume presents itself as both a public building and as a Palladian countryside villa."
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