Roelevard
New life to the old railway station of Roeselare
2017–2024
Introduction
Roelevard, a union of Roeselare and the word boulevard, is the name of the new construction project that aims to transform the old railway station area in the historic city of Roeselare. In 2017, Snøhetta was commissioned by the Belgian project developers ION and Steenoven to design a mixed-use building that would recreate the area into a new work and living environment.
Technical details
ION, Steenoven
Images: Nanopixel
Improving the urban space
Roelevard is a mixed-used project in the center of Roeselare, adjacent to the central train station. A foundational ambition of this project is to develop the site in a manner that fits into and improves the larger social and urban space. In this regard, the project is conceived to enhance connections between the city divided by an above-grade rail line with few crossing points. By prioritizing shared urban areas on the site through a design of open, intuitively accessed, and well-appointed urban plazas, Roelevard will help to create a more fluid movement of the public across the dividing rail line.
Destination-worthy amenities
Furthermore, Roelevard's urban plazas are invested in providing destination-worthy amenities for the public, including a generous amphitheater leading to a second-floor restaurant and café that overlooks the city center. An equal part of planting to hardscape, including two groves of trees with accompanying built-in seating, supports public use in addition to passage. Also, more than half of the ground floor building area is given to retail to enhance public services further.
The mixed-use building itself is formed to frame the above-described urban improvements. Retail, offices, and residential units are located on the periphery of the site in two separate buildings to open up the center of the site to public passage and use. Following the planning regulations, these two buildings are shaped to be in harmony with the urban topography: the south building includes the tallest portion of Roelevard with 13 floors on the most urban edge of the site, nearest the central train station; the north building reaches only 8 floors to match its immediate less urban residential neighbors; both buildings are dramatically stepped in form to minimize mass and bulk, especially as they define the central urban plazas.
Minimizing mass and bulk
Lastly, the bulding facades and interior planning are organized and designed to further minimize mass and bulk by varying the façade treatment according to the rational division of retail, office and residential areas: the ground level retail emphasizes glass to create transparency to the urban plazas; the office are rendered opaque and uniform in response to its inward work oriented focus; the residentail floors on top are textured and porous with generous and visible terraces to promote mutual connections between residents and the larger social and urban space of Roeselare.
On schedule to be completed in the summer of 2024, Roelevard will support more access and vitality to the center of Roeselare.
