BUUR has been selected by BIM (Brussels Institute for Environmental Management) to design and lay out the central part of the ‘Park King Baldwin in Jette.
The identity of this linear park is mainly determined by the valley of the ‘Molenbeek’. The space is intensively used, due to the fact that a large part of the project area directly bords on the adjacent neighbourhood. The design aligns the different space claims in a very thoughtful way in order to create an animated park with major focus on the nature. The park is cut through and through by the ‘Toussainstraat’, which requires a certain number of measures: the road is integrated in the park in such a way that the traffic no longer dominate the park but become a guest of it.
The central entrance of the park has been transformed into a vital part of the park and maximally opens up to the neighbourhood. A fluid network of paths leads the hikers and the cyclists through the park. The design also aims to give a new dynamic impulse to the play garden. This exiting area for small children has been turned into a green spot in which the brook has been integrated.
In the eastern part of the park, the ‘Molenbeek’ has been opened again and brought back to the surface. By exploiting the difference between the soft and hard banks, the brook becomes an integral part of the park and invites the user to approach the water.
For this assignment, BUUR has working in close cooperation with Dees & Lepage who developed a certain number of temporary installations that were used during the participation process.
