Final Plans for the Redevelopment of ‘t Zand and Vrijdagmarkt made Public – HET NIEUWE ‘T ZAND

After extensive public feedback and consultation with the city of Bruges, the final plans for the redevelopment of ‘t Zand and Vrijdagmarkt designed by West 8 + Snoeck & Partners have been made public. Construction of the square, one of Bruges largest public space projects, is due to commence later this year.

At over 8500 m² and hosting up to 220 events per year, ‘t Zand, is one of Bruges’ main squares. The redevelopment of ‘t Zand, designed by West 8 + Snoeck & Partners is also one of Bruges’ largest public space projects this year.

In June 2015, a jury selected Belgian-Dutch team West 8 + Snoeck & Partners together with Atelier Roland Jéol as the winning design team for the redevelopment of the square. Team West 8’s design fulfilled the city’s brief for a beautiful, bright and functional square that fits into the historical context of the city and simultaneously embraces the future by introducing a fresh and contemporary look.

Since then the West 8 design team has been working in close collaboration with the city to refine the design and produce the final plan.

In July, a public exhibition of the five short-listed competition entries was held. West 8’s winning design was later given its own exhibition the Concert Hall on ‘t Zand. During the expo, the public was invited to give feedback on the design. 147 suggestions were collected and these have subsequently been taken into consideration in the further elaboration of the plans.

Modifications to the competition design include revisions to the circulation of vehicular traffic in the area, accessibility improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, inclusion of play elements, utility updates, consideration for new trees, and the opening up the adjacent Rei Canal for public enjoyment.

On Saturday 23rd and Saturday the 30th of January an information stand is erected at the weekly ‘t Zand Saturday market from 8:00am to 1:00 pm, to give the public a chance to view the final plans. The information booth will then be moved to the counter area of Communications & City Marketing on Burg 11, Bruges until the 29th of February 2016. Public can view from 8:30 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 18:00, and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 12:00.

A new book about the square has also just been published. The book gives an overview of the history of ‘t Zand, the five designs that reached the second round of the competition, and a detailed explanation of the winning design. For more information on the design updates visit official website of Bruges (in Dutch).

West 8 is an award-winning international office for urban design and landscape architecture founded in 1987. Over the last 25 years West 8 has established itself as a leading practice with an international team of 70 architects, urban designers, landscape architects and industrial engineers. West 8 developed projects all over the world in places such as Copenhagen, London, Moscow, New York, Madrid, Toronto and Amsterdam. The office gained international recognition with projects such as Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam (NL), Borneo-Sporenburg in Amsterdam (NL), Jubilee Gardens in London (UK), Expo \’02 in Yverdon-les-Bains (CH) and Miami Beach SoundScape Park (US). Many of the projects are the result of groundbreaking entries in important international competitions. Recently won competitions include Toronto Waterfront in Toronto (CA), Governors Island in New York (USA) and Yongsan Park in Seoul (KR).

Amongst the numerous awards received by West 8 are the Honor Award of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Lifetime Achievement Award for Architecture 2011, Mondriaan Fund (formerly BKVB),  the International Urban Landscape Gold Award (IULA), the Prix de Rome, the Dutch Maaskant Award, the Bijhouwer Award, the Rosa Barba First European Landscape Prize, the Green Pin and the Veronica Rudge Green Prize for Urban Design.

For more information: Public Relations, Winnie Poon, +31 (0)10 – 485 58 01, pr@west8.com, www.west8.com