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Place Marie Jansonplein

Square becomes park in a water-retention strategy between high and low

Place Marie Jansonplein is the final piece in a series of open and public spaces on the hillside of the Brussels municipality of Sint-Gillis/Saint-Gilles where water is gradually collected in higher areas of the municipality to prevent flooding of the lower areas. The square hosts a weekly market and is home to a basketball court. Other than that, today it mainly functions as a place to pass through. The square is an extension of the well-known Sint-Gillis Voorplein/Parvis de Saint-Gilles but will be given a completely different character: it will be largely depaved and additional trees will be planted that can live for up to a century. The run-off water will have time to infiltrate via vegetated terraces. The existing paving stones will be largely collected, sorted and treated to be re-laid on site. What is striking about Studio Paula Viganò's design is that two of the adjoining streets, which currently have a hundred parking spaces, will become pedestrian zones with limited traffic. This proposal was made after a temporary activation of the square by Toestand vzw and a series of workshops with residents and shopkeepers.

partners and actors
vvv architectes, studio paola vigano, Municipality of Saint-Gilles
theme
community, biodiversity, mobility, water
innovative aspects
participation, local development?
scale
site




Factsheet BMA: Marie Janson


photo: bouwmeester maitre architecte, 2019