MVA Masterplan


4500m2, housing + Mixed use masterplan; Avelgem, Belgium
Joris DeBaes, Will Galloway, Koen Klinkers, Christopher Sjoberg, Erez Golani Solomon

Design Development
with DeBaes Architects

The corner site at the intersection of the Neerstraat and the Kortrijkstraat is characterized by a typical closed building block with private gardens. This urban typology largely determines the urban fabric of Avelgem. The buildings along the street constitute a physical boundary between the public space and the inner area, partitioned in private gardens.

This project seeks to abandon the typical Flemish closed facade and develop and interweave the inner area with the surrounding urban fabric. The porous character of the design blurs the boundary between the public space and the inner area and allows the enclosing landscape to reach the rear end of the site.

Avelgem positions itself as the heart of its rural suburbs and within this framework the municipality commits to densification. The mva master plan generates a small-scale structure through fragmentation, engendering a denser composition. Located in the heart of the town, the site benefits from a wide presence of public facilities.

Public space is embraced 360 degrees, offering a rare car-free environment to its inhabitants. The positioning of the dwellings is determined by new connections, optimizing views and privacy, and the creation of public and semi-public spaces. Every house has multiple terraces, acting simultaneously as a filter and a mediator between public and private space.