Lio Cools

Rowin’ Line

Rowin’ Line is located by a gravel lake close to the village of Rekem, which is stiuated on the Belgian side of the Maas river. The area is chaotic and spread out by nature. The urban design represents an imaginary strip which connects the lake with the river. This way, a link between Belgium and the Netherlands will also be created.

‘Sports and recreation’ could be defined as main theme of the object. Because of the importance of water in this area, it was set as a source of inspiration for the program. The main function of the object accomodates an indoor rowing facility. Rowing can usually only be practised outdoors when the weather allows it. This indoor system consists of a rowing tank in which the water can be moved artificially. A real boat can be attached to the front side of the tank. That way, rowing against counterflow occurs. Through this facility, a rower can practise any time of year without considering weather conditions. The system has been considered ‘the next best thing’ after real outdoor rowing.

The area of the Maas river is a big touristic attraction of Limburg. Lodging is the second main function of the design. There is a hotel with a limited amount of rooms, a restaurant and a bar. This way, camps can be organized or rowing teams can stay over to train for a while. Regular tourists can visit and easily get involved with a new sport.

A very striking feature of rowing is that everything is about length. This led to the concept of the building. Because of the rowing hall with a three hundred meter length and the open relations between functions, every visitor will experience the length on the inside as well as on the outside of the building.

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