Oostkamp Administrative Centre

The new administrative and service centre in Oostkamp boasts an exceptionally accessible location: the former Coca-Cola site along the Siemenslaan. By integrating a youth centre and a polyvalent space into the scheme, the place has more to offer than just administration and services. In the future, it will also be connected to a centrally located park. The combination of a building that houses a broad range of functions and a green environment is particularly interesting, and turns the site into a true campus, the Oostcampus.

The structural grid of the existing warehouse on the Coca-Cola site needed to be adapted to the programme, which comprises administrative, cultural and logistical functions. As these were so varied, they presented a complex organizational challenge. This was resolved by ordering the functions into 3 large clusters, each of which is seen as a separate entity.

The surface area of the existing warehouse was reduced in order to enable the building of 2 volumes within the same parameters, and which follow the established grid layout. The 3 buildings are implanted one after another and have a mutual relationship through the interconnecting outdoor areas, the latter of which guarantee accessibility. The different volumes, which correspond to functions, can be used independently and at different times, without any conflict.

Because the administrative services and governmental functions are stacked over 3 building layers, their mutual interaction is enlarged and the density maximized.

All of the spaces are aligned along a central axis that forms the spine of the building. The linear circulation is conducted by means of a large, open, inner street that, thanks to the glazed frontage, is bathed in natural light. The transparency of the building corresponds to the clear and open services provided to the citizen.