Tim Vekemans

The relation between architecture and context is inevitable. Because she always engraves to the excisting spatial structure, she has to digest all the properties of each unique location. About this the ‘open landscape’ of Haspengouw in Limburg, and his collection of ‘on the hill implanted towncorns’, is an exceptional example. Protecting, saving and strenghting this town-planning identity is an important part of the new Spatial Structure Plan Limburg. In this the design of the edge between town and landscape is essential.

In this geographical definite scenario we land in the historical heart of Haspengouw, ‘Borgloon’. During a tour on the present fortress the memory awakes to the earlier citywalls. However only an almost meaninglus signal remains from this ever so dominant separation between town and landscape. The project takes this establishment as serious and starts with the task to reidentify this signal to a symbol. Giving a meaning to this founded track is the base for each conceptual starting point. So the new architectural addition tries to integrade in to the proces of the local context.

The result is a towndeveloping project, exists out of 15 linked houses, a common social place ( the new fortress ) and a town house. The whole shapes a new portrait that develops out of the local memory. It tries to handle the integral perception of this specific situation. The patron of the existing ( 10 ) working-class houses and an old bar hands over his place to this study project that attemps to call up attention for the importance of present and proces conscious town and village develoment. 

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