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(19-20) Ghent XX

Tutor: Christopher Paesbrugghe
Academiejaar 2019-20
Engagement: Urban Cultures

Amount of students in 2018 and 2019: 15

Studio Ghent XX works since 2018 around the sub –urban 20th century belt of Ghent.
Because of the growing population in Flanders there is a need for more housing and its
related functions. The city centers are fullly built and the few landscape we have should
remain. That’s why the focus to densify is partly shifted towards the 20th century belts of
the cities. This belt consists out of systems/structures that interweave/overlap/clash,
characteristic for the suburban collage city. Each year we specifically study with the whole
studio on an area within this 20th century belt of Ghent.

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After a thorough reading of the spatial and social context of the site we will investigate how
qualitive densification can be possible taking this context into account. How can
densification lead to more quality? How can you be inspired by the undesigned? Where
shouldn’ t we densify? How can the interwoven characteristics be a layout for future
sustainable developments? How do we live tomorrow?

Sustainibility starts with a sustainable implantation. In this way your projects will question
the borders between public/collective and private space to provoke meeting and generate
qualitive usable spaces.

The studio will work as a collective were the students will be divided within groups to
formulate visions of a part of the chosen site. Those group visions have to fit in within a
collective vision of the studio for the whole site. That means that the studio is a context as
well as the site is. After the group visions are formulated pilotprojects will be worked out
individually or in team within this vision.

We will continuously work with collages as a tool to reflect. Collages from self made pictures
of the site and collages of existing typologies. Recycling, rethinking, merging, adapting, etc
them to finally contextual concepts. An integral design, taking all the different contexts into
account, is the goal.

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RHYTHM
1. Conceptual context
In group: reading context, collages of site pictures, formulating concepts
2. Contextual concept
Individual or within group: translation of concepts to architecture and presentation as
concept. Collage of typologies.

OUTPUT
The output will be from the beginning through whole the designpocess part of the exercise.
An individual visual and material approach will be developed where content and form are
matched with eachother. Nevertheless there will be developed a common graphic approach
for whole the designstudio and a final booklet of the projects on 20×25.

ACADEMIC LINK
Each year a workshop is made for one day with the studio of Erik Wieërs of the University of
Antwerp dealing with a simular problematic within the twentieth century belt of Antwerp.
The workshop day “Ghentwerpen” is a day of learning about eachother’s approach, the
differences and simularities between the two belts of the two cities as well an opportunity
for the students to collaborate with students from a different university.
PRACTICE LINK
Christopher Paesbrugghe is co-founder and partner of Collectief Noord Architecten dealing
with different projects on multiple scales. A lot of them are situated within the twentieth
century belt of cities and take this specific context into account.
Each year the studio aims to show the student’s projects to the building master of Ghent to
make a real impact and contribution to the evolution of the city.