Nowadays there’s a lot of pressure on the inner-city life. Therefor we need ‘urban oases’ as they can work as a buffer for noisy or active places around them. People can use them to wander, stare, think, catch a breath or to recharge themselves.
To create such an urban oasis, I used the tenantless Chassékerk. By opening up its structure and treating it as a landscape, this reminiscence of religion can now give new meaning to a new public space! Three zones are introduced to structure the site and give more depth in experiencing it. These rings create spaces, make routes and form boundaries, guiding users away from the hectic city.
The first, most public zone is a gravel surface with meeting places underneath the Sycamore trees. A few steps up from this field you arrive in the second zone between the arches of the buttresses of the old church. From here you can access the patio garden with its wandering paths and plant bed-benches. Finally you go up into a ring with architectural daylight openings and filtered views into the patio, making it one of the most secluded public spaces in town.
