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Fish Market Leuven

Aquapuncture

The Fish Market Square is part of the historical center of Leuven, and covers the Dijle river. It is part of the zone to be transformed into a car-free, pedestrianized area. Till now, the layout of the square was defined by a sequence of dominant uses: a harbor along the Dijle used for transportation, a market hall covering the river as a trading place, and finally a parking lot for cars.

felixx-fishmarket-conceptharbor.jpg felixx-fishmarket-conceptmarket.jpg felixx-fishmarket-conceptparking.jpg

With the transformation of the area into a pedestrianized zone, this sequence has come to an end. There is no new dominant use. Experience learns that this freedom often results in boring refurbishments of historical realms. We take this chance to rethink and reimagine the organization of public realm. In the past the Vismarkt was a working space and a circulation area. We turn it into a living room for residents and visitors. It becomes the domain of the ‘Homo Ludens’.

felixx-fishmarket-concept2.jpg

Instead of a dictating space, we design a provocative and seductive environment, and replace monotonous design by an abundancy of atmospheres and characters. Moreover the new realm generates healthy living conditions, integrating mechanisms to make Leuven more sustainable, smarter, cleaner and healthier. They contribute to the water management, and the improvement of urban ecology and biodiversity of the city. Technical innovations are linked to spatial quality, creating a new type of public realms.

felixx-fishmarket-concept1.jpg

To achieve this, the historical structure of the river is not restored, but functionally activated as a diverse collection of acupuncture installations. New urban oases are daylighting the covered canal underneath the square. They are turned into compact, powerful landscape sculptures and efficient environmental installations. A large variety of these sculptures is developed, and subject for an intensive participation process with inhabitants and stakeholders.

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Year

2016 - 2017

Location

Leuven, Belgium

Type

Public Space

Client

Municipality of Leuven
Atelier Vlaams Bouwmeester

Size

5.3 ha

Awards

2017 Competition laureate

Publications

World Landscape Architect

Team & partners

Michiel Van Driessche
Marnix Vink
Deborah Lambert
Zofia Krzykawska
Ekaterina Andrushenko
Rêve Deijkers
Tractebel Engie

List
  1. Nature Based City of Almere
  2. Oude Landen, Antwerpen
  3. Strategic Green Plan Leuven
  4. Leutje Leidraad, Groningen
  5. Rijnvliet, Edible Neighborhood
  6. Vief Kwartier
  7. Eemsdelta Campus
  8. The Newton
  9. Astridplein, Antwerp
  10. Dennenheuvel, Bloemendaal
  11. Regulateur Gruno district
  12. Jonas Amsterdam
  13. K64 keflavík airport area masterplan
  14. Railroad Zone Amsterdam
  15. From node to place
  16. Masterplan Flora Campus Westland
  17. Alongside the Schie
  18. New Space - Design Guideline Liveability of Public Space, Groningen
  19. From Airport to Birdport
  20. Brabant Water, Eindhoven
  21. Brouwershaven
  22. Brainport Industries Campus
  23. Hondsrug Park Amsterdam
  24. Yangmeikeng Sea Boulevard
  25. Healthy Tracks
  26. Towards a healthy city by foot
  27. Floating Gardens, Amsterdam
  28. The Unbound Amsterdam
  29. Seaside Gardens, Gufunes
  30. Brainport Smart District Helmond
  31. The Swan, Zwolle (NL)
  32. Spatial Framework Blankenburg Süden, Berlin
  33. 'Typhoon-proof' Shenzhen's East Coast
  34. Circular City Bodø 2.0
  35. A green entrance for the airport
  36. Public Space Alpen
  37. Cartesius Quarter
  38. Historic Delfshaven
  39. Isle of Dikes
  40. Smakkelaarsveld Utrecht
  41. Darmstadt Masterplan 2030+
  42. Bao’An G107 Corridor
  43. Master Plan Ter Aar, Nieuwkoop
  44. Waterfront Novosibirsk
  45. Almazov National Medical Research Centre
  46. Strategic Urban Green Study
  47. Public Space Strategy Kanpur
  48. Quartierlandschaft Dietenbach
  49. ImageWharf
  50. Ódinstorg Square
  51. Overloon War Museum
  52. Lokhalle Leverkusen
  53. Ludlstrasse Munich
  54. Redevelopment Strategy Vogabyggð
  55. City life in the woods
  56. Schie Quarter Schiedam
  57. Socio-technical city of the future
  58. Buji River
  59. Vaskhnil Novosibirsk
  60. Precincts Canterbury Cathedral
  61. Maritime Campus Almere
  62. Resilient Riverscape Berat
  63. Sijthoff
  64. Strategic Plan Shkodra
  65. Ekaterinburg City Campus
  66. Transformation Strategy Gufunes
  67. Transformation Strategy Chelyabinsk
  68. Fish Market Leuven
  69. Zinder Culture Cluster
  70. Redevelopment plan Bergschenhoek centre
  71. Food Innovation Strip Ede-Wageningen
  72. S4 Highway Hangzhou
  73. Strategic Plan Fier
  74. Strategic Plan Elbasan
  75. Kronenburg Business Park
  76. Dharavi Mumbai
  77. Ásbrú Enterprise Park
  78. Asylum Seekers Center Ter Apel
  79. Berlin Am Volkspark
  80. The Museum of the 20th Century
  81. Gardabaer
  82. Metropolitan Westerpark Amsterdam
  83. Science and Technology City Chongqing
  84. Yue Xiu 353 Transformation
  85. 5YN3RGY
  86. Erlongshan Recreational Park
  87. Danxia Recreational Park
  88. Campus Lelystad
  89. Proto Tamansari
  90. City Gardens Tyumen
  91. Park Somerlust Amsterdam
  92. Bandar Lampung Park
  93. R&D Campus Fengxian
  94. S-West Eindhoven
  95. Biodiversity based dairy farming
  96. Heidelberg Creative Quarter
  97. Barendrecht Vrouwenpolder
  98. Mobility transformation of Haarlem Europaweg
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