Text description provided by the architects. By order of NV Codic, BURO II built a new shopping centre north of Bruges. Some fifteen retail chains are located there.
This retail park is situated on an axis that runs straight onto the de Blankenbergsesteenweg, which clearly defines two zones: the developed zone that sits shoulder to shoulder with the industrial zone and the open space of the parking lot that is the transition into the green landscape of the ‘De Blauwe Toren' crematorium.
An awning makes for a transition from the building to the parking lot. This awning assures the unity and recognisability of the site through a new skyline, but at the same time, it creates opportunities for advertising and profiling for the different retail chains that will be located there.
The clean rhythm of the parking bays is completed with a patchwork of various elements that determine the character of this space. The integration of the green elements on the parking lot determines the view, but the same goes also for the water surfaces that function as buffers for the draining of rainwater. The multifunctional boxes for shopping trolleys and the bicycle stalls complete this view together with the lighting elements.
