Yannick Sluyts

Co(mmo)n-struction The public construction site as a valuable commons

Master Design Studio

Hulya Ertas & Burak Pak

Envisioning the Architecture(s) of the Urban Commons 18-19

Construction sites in Brussels are omnipresent. They tend to experience a lot of delay and are very apparent in the urban landscape of Brussels. Characterized by clutter, disorder, inaccessibility and excessive intermittent noise exposure to citizens these annoying enclaves are a constant sight in any city. In this master dissertation I explore possibilities to alleviate the collateral damage caused by these construction sites and offer a flexible approach for stakeholders to do this collectively.

Often times these sites are not always active while still affecting their surroundings in the form of diversions, decline in revenue for neighboring commercial activities and poor accessibility. Infrastructure works are heavy surgical operations that take a long time. These exposed open wounds in the urban tissue are not taken care of for years on end sometimes. A temporary situation becomes a permanent one much too often. Because different infrastructure works in different places can overlap these landscapes can become a permanent situation for some residents that travel from commune to commune, perhaps from building site to building site on a daily basis. Traditionally Brussels has been subject to a lot of urban trauma.

My focus for this dissertation is Place Liedts. A quare with many stakeholders and actors that is about to experience serious redevelopment in the form of the introduction of a new metroline that will run from south (Albert) to the North (Bordet) of Brussels. This process is likely to induce trauma in the neighborhoods involved and adequate urban strategies need to be thought of to minimize the impact.

The primary objective for a successful construction site is cooperation and communication between the different stakeholders. My project aims to introduce a commons platform that allows for cooperation and synergistic activities so that any involved stakeholder can identify with their changing environment and commercial activities do not suffer to the point of bankruptcy. This includes inhabitants amongst others. The result is a draft proposal for multiple approaches that directly respond to the different types of situations that might occur during construction.

The strategy of this plan to identify many socio spatial, sonic, educational and restaurative potentials of a construction site. To break free from the current no-man’s-land paradigm associated with construction sites and look at how construction sites in public space can be exploited to benefit a neighborhood on the short term. The introduction of a new metro line is undoubtedly one of the most invasive public infrastructure works. According to the current planning (November 2018) it is said to take a decade to complete. It is unsure if there will be delays. It is clear that this square is now a hub but a ten-year span might actually relocate this hub temporarily and disrupt the local economy. The construction site poses a real threat to the vibrant Place Liedts. It is of primary interest that this in- between phase is addressed thoroughly to provide remedies on the short term. Both for social, health and economic purposes. In this project I also critically evaluate the redesigned square and test its acoustic performance against current conditions using recordings for the current situation and simulations for the future square. Based on earlier research I provide some strategies to create a more healthy and interesting soundscape in this new square.


Render- Bird view
Render- Bird view
Drawing: Architectural Intervention
Render- Bird view