Together with former Flemish Government Architect Marcel Smets and prof. Dr. André Loeckx (Catholic University Leuven) BUUR forms the “quality board” for the Gent St. Pieters project, advising the city of Gent and the NMBS-holding (Belgian railway company) in the development of the station area. Cause for the creation of this quality board in 2007 was the insight that the masterplan that in that time formed the basis of the project, couldn’t offer enough guarantees for a high-quality urban development. Furthermore the first project didn’t have enough support from the inhabitants of Gent.
Based on an analysis of the already finished design process, BUUR investigated the vision, preconditions and main characteristics that implicit or explicit determined the masterplan. After a critical questioning of these elements, the basic assumptions of this project were reconsidered and improved, taking into account a rigid framework due to the fact that the spatial plan was already written on the layout of the initial plan and while the multimodal nod (train and bus station, underground parking and new public space) was already under construction.
During the revision of the masterplan BUUR departed from the principle that the station development should be maximally oriented towards the neighborhood. The new masterplan clearly makes a distinction between a station neighborhood, a neighborhood center and a suburban residential park. The improved strong relationship between the station development and the neighborhood was received enthusiastically by both the stakeholders ánd the neighbors.
BUUR is still in charge of the urban project definitions of various subprojects.
