The site of the Viking towers (constituted by the Sweden and Finland apartment blocks) was chosen for its complexity of issues and for its unique situation of 800 people, ranging 31 nationalities and a multitude of languages and cultures, living in the same building blocks only seeing the city of Ghent from a distance.
The existing site possesses the conceptual form of an island, separated from land (the city), and with its own specific environment and conditions. The “island “ is only inhabited and used by its 800 or so residents, with no retail facilities other than a pharmacy and a closed down furniture shop, facing the main road, Afrikalaan, the only connection to the city. The park enclosed on two sides by the Sweden and the Finland building and by the railways and an industrial building on the other two, constitutes the only shared social space.
The position taken for this project revolves around the place in front of the site, by the road to the West, which will be considered as a public area to share, and the other revolves around the park to the East side, shared only by the current residents. The site has then a public life towards the outside, and an inner life in the buildings and between the inhabitants, this is the Common Ground.
The existing site possesses the conceptual form of an island, separated from land (the city), and with its own specific environment and conditions. The “island “ is only inhabited and used by its 800 or so residents, with no retail facilities other than a pharmacy and a closed down furniture shop, facing the main road, Afrikalaan, the only connection to the city. The park enclosed on two sides by the Sweden and the Finland building and by the railways and an industrial building on the other two, constitutes the only shared social space.
The position taken for this project revolves around the place in front of the site, by the road to the West, which will be considered as a public area to share, and the other revolves around the park to the East side, shared only by the current residents. The site has then a public life towards the outside, and an inner life in the buildings and between the inhabitants, this is the Common Ground.
In this common ground 5 specific and individual common grounds were identified: the parking and above ex retail building, the Sweden building ground floor, the Sweden’s apartments, its rooftop, and finally the Finland apartments.
In order to develop a coherent and integrated project, four parameters were implemented as a group design strategy: environmental, social, cultural and economical aspects. All these elements were tackled differently within each of the individual projects and resulted in a complementary approach between the designs.
In order to develop a coherent and integrated project, four parameters were implemented as a group design strategy: environmental, social, cultural and economical aspects. All these elements were tackled differently within each of the individual projects and resulted in a complementary approach between the designs.
