2019 Hanne Philtjens - wALL
The new project manifests itself onto the existing situation in the form of a wall. The wall is used to mark a territory – used to mark a garden, a village, a city. It implicitly indicates the non-defensive characteristics of the wall. The wall as a spatial element of separation defining space instead of dividing it. The school Kindsheid Jesu and the residential care center Immadi located on the Kempische Steenweg, Hasselt are both established by the nuns of Kindsheid Jesu. Lack of space and connection to one another is a problem for both. The new project aims to connect these two elements and provide more space and social functions that benefit both the school and the residential care center. The collective wall turns backsides into new fronts and should form an adaptable point of attraction for both the surrounding inhabitant, as well as for other citizens. Paradise literally means ‘walled’ enclosed estate. It insists on the idea of the wall as the divider of space. It divides and separates therefore it produces places. Places where all the actors of the site meet. A space of re-creation. Using this concept of the wall and the walking lines and taking in account the already existing program and architecture. I proposed an Intervention to open up and at the same time reconnect the different buildings, as well as the gardens. Due to the constantly changing society, I have chosen to build a permanent wall from brick that can be filled in with temporary materials like rammed earth or brickette. The space within the wall is a consequence of a duplication, providing room for these temporary interventions. These temporary elements are provided by a toolbox of spatial elements which accompanies the wall.

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