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Beneath the bicycle garage are two car park levels where 750 spaces are planned
on each level. The higher level receives natural light from two sides, the lower level
will have light entry from the railway side only. Designing car parks with natural
light entry gives the users a greater feeling of safety. Both the cycle garage and the
car park use naturally ventilate which also decreases energy consumption. Similar
to Solà-Morales’ meticulously planned car parking space beneath Martelarenplein,
Philippe Samyn, too, designs a car park with a good spatial experience where the
feeling of insecurity and confinement is avoided.
Philippe Samyn aims to design constructions that are as light as possible. This
permanent search for light and elegant structures is a central theme in the KBC
project. It is not a high-tech ostentatious architecture but a building in which
the length is orchestrated with great mastery. The project is also a response to
a very difficult situation: the integration of the existing signal box on the right
side of the station. For technical reasons, this structure may not be demolished.
The new building fully envelopes the architecturally uninteresting signal box and
simultaneously creates a link with the footbridge integrated in the new platform
covering. In bad weather this certainly means an improvement of the station
environment’s comfort level.
Philippe Samyn’s KBC project was ultimately cancelled. The project developer and
owner of the building lots commissioned Crepain-Binst Architects, collaborating
with Archi+I, to design a project which was completed in 2008. It is a building which
meets market standards consisting of separate volumes finished with various
façade materials. A number of key points of the Philippe Samyn and Partners
plan are incorporated, such as the renovation of Tiensevest: the green borders
on Tiensevest are extended to Martelarenplein. The location of the bicycle garage
under the building strongly resembles the original Philippe Samyn project. In the
final construction, none of the glass-surfaced inside courtyards are included. This
design solution introduced by Philippe Samyn would yield greater energy savings in
the long term than the present design proposal with the many exposed facades.
Marc Dubois
Text sources
1 J. Staes, H. Welter (red.), Mechelen, Leuven, Tienen….Retour / een treinreis door het verleden, Leuven,
1987. Leuven, Open Monumentendag 10 and 11 september 1994, Leuven, 1994.
2 H. De Bot, Stationsarchitectuur in België: deel 1, 1835-1914, Turnhout, 2002.
Engineer architect Henri Fouquet worked for the “Staatsspoorwegen” (State Railway Company). He
designed the stations of Leuven, Nieuwpoort-Bad, Oostkamp, Halle, Zinnik, Harelbeke and Oudenaarde.
3 L. Verpoest, Spoorwegkathedralen en netwerkknooppunten: twee eeuwen stationsarchitectuur in België, in:
Sporen in België: 175 jaar spoorwegen / 75 jaar NMBS, 2001, pp.400-428.
4 P. Uyttenhove, J. Celis, De wederopbouw van Leuven na 1914, Leuven, 1991.
5 M. Smets (red.), Resurgam, De Belgische Wederopbouw, Brussel, 1985.
6 M. Dubois , ‘Tussen binnenstad en spoor 2003’, Philippe Samyn and Partners, 2005, Ludion, p.11.
7 - 8 M. Smets, 1990-1993: een keerpunt voor de stedenbouw?, in: Jaarboek Architectuur Vlaanderen 1990-1993
- Yearbook Architecture Flanders - Annuaire Architecture Flanders, Brussel, 1994, pp. 20-31.
9 B. De Meulder, Stadsontwerp in Vlaanderen, in: Jaarboek 1998-1999 Architectuur Vlaanderen, Annales de
l’architecture en Flandre, Flanders Architectural Yearbook, Brussel, 1999, pp. 43-57.
10 B. De Meulder, Herstructurering van Belgische stationsomgevingen: een stad van zaken, in: Facetten, nr. 4,
1998, pp. 4-15.
11 Other selected architects: David Chipperfeld, Mecanoo Architecten, Stéphane Beel & Xavier De Geyter
and Macken en Macken, Poponcini & Lootens and Christine Conix. A. Wortman, Vijf ontwerpen voor het
provinciehuis van Vlaams Brabant. De opkomst van de architectuurprijsvraag in Vlaanderen, in: Archis, nr. 4,
1999, pp.15-21.
12 Competition VAC (Vlaams Administratief Centrum) (Flemish Administrative Centre)
Out of 23 applicants, fve teams were withheld: Heinle, Wischer und Partners, Keulen / Architectenbureau
Dirk Coopman, Gent / architectenbureau J. Eyers, Lubbeek / gz-zavem (Gigantes Zenghelis Architects, Hans
Maes, Heidi Van Eetvelt, Bart Van Leeuw), Brussel / B-Architecten and De Architecten Cie, Antwerpen.
13 M. Dubois ‘tussen binnenstad en spoor 2003’, Philippe Samyn and Partners, 2005, Ludion, page 20.
14 M. Dubois, E. Lagrou, Stations-Steden, Eurostation: 10 jaar onderweg, 2003, pp. 186-201.