Special care for young people in Kortrijk gets a tailor-made space (B2Ai)

The old facility at the Pottelberg site in Kortrijk was completely obsolete: the buildings had an institutional character, outdated sanitary facilities and rooms that were much too small. The obsolete parts were therefore demolished and replaced by new buildings.

Three residential houses

The residential program is organized into three houses with a maximum capacity of 12 places, which house both the functions of communal housing and private rooms. Housing and living take place at this level on a small scale, but are functionally and organizationally – invisible to young people and visitors – grouped together in a building with three domes.

The three-storey residential building is located in the street and thus comes closer, and also in design and materialization, to a “family house in the street”.

Sufficient outdoor space is provided for the “houses”, which can be used privately by house or shared as a play and relaxation area. The project is carried out in a simple but well thought out design and materialization.

Central building

The central building consists of two floors with a shed roof. This building contains all the organizational functions to support the residential function in the residential building. Concretely, this translates into meeting rooms, reception, multifunctional space, storage room, studio, kitchen, refectory, office …

Unlike the residential building, the central building is not designed as a house on the street. Due to its function, this building has a different character and this is reflected not only through a different design language (shed roof), but also through different materialization and layout. Indeed, the central building will be located deeper on the site, which has several advantages for the whole environment and De Korf.

This layout creates an open green space adjacent to the Pottelberg. Because this space is adjacent to the Pottelberg, it provides relief from the busy street.

The building consists of a ground floor with reception areas, meeting rooms, a refectory, a technical service department and a multipurpose room with kitchen and storage room. On the west side, a large terrace will be connected to the multifunctional space. The entrance to the building is intended for the open space on the Pottelberg. Office space is provided on the first floor. These office spaces become an open work platform under a hangar roof.

A patio area will be set up in the middle of the building to allow sufficient natural light in the building. This makes the circulation space open and spacious.