Diksmuidekaai

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Other Projects by Intercomunale Leiedal (arch. Maarten Gheysen)

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Buda beach

Diksmuidekaai

Firm

Intercomunale Leiedal (arch. Maarten Gheysen)

Type

Landscape + Planning › Public Park

YEAR

2005

SIZE

500,000 sqft - 1,000,000 sqft

The
idea
behind the development of Diksmuidekaai is to improve connection
between the northern part of the city of Kortrijk and its riverfront,
using a linear design with the capacity to address the metropolitan
scale.
The
use of concrete as the sole pavement material gives the space unity,
increases its apparent width and provides continuity from the
buildings to the river. The concrete for the cycle lanes is
yellow-coloured, introducing a long linear element that connects the
new spaces of the Diksmuidekaai with neighbouring areas and
institutes a larger scale. As the pavement lining the façades of the
buildings conceals various utilities that require maintenance
(electricity, telephone, etc.), the concrete is applied in a format
that can be easily replaced.
The
continuity provided by the use of a single form of paving does not
necessarily contradict the need for clear segregation of the various
uses. In this case, street furniture is the means adopted.
Unobtrusively positioned benches, small low streetlights and
wastepaper bins define areas within the overall platform that are
devoted to vehicles or pedestrians, thereby avoiding conflict.
The
resulting
positions of the various uses (a pavement next to the buildings, then
traffic lanes, followed by bicycle lanes and a wide space for
pedestrians to stroll by the riverside) create a fluid,
well-organized public space that opens up a new leisure area for the
city and paves the way for a new axis along the river to connect
Kortrijk with neighbouring communities.