Bruges in Belgium is on the eve of a remarkable project that will profoundly change the city’s entrance by redesigning the railway station and surrounding area. Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer and the municipality of Bruges will change the station environment over the coming years to create a green gateway to the city. One exceptional design feature is transforming the station square into a green Station Park, with an eye-catching fountain called ‘het Brugse Ei’ (the Bruges Egg).
Livability and quality
“We want to make the station environment near the ring-road more liveable as a whole and especially safer for all road users. We also want to improve the spatial quality of this gateway to the historic city centre.”
Dirk De fauw, mayor of Bruges
A safer and more pleasant station area
The project will significantly improve the traffic situation around Bruges train station over the next few years, providing safe ways for cyclists and pedestrians to cross the R30 ring road. The crossing points on the ring, the station square, and the surrounding areas will be redeveloped so that this gateway to Bruges becomes an attractive, safe, and pleasant environment.
A Station Park as a green gateway to the city
The Vesten Passage, carefully designed for pedestrians and cyclists, will cross under the ring-road to form a direct connection between the station square and the city centre. The harmonious integration of this passageway with the Vesten, the historic city ramparts, reinforces the unique power of attraction of the station environment and contributes to the green experience of this renovated gateway to the city.
“As a result of the redesign of the station square to become the Station Park and the addition of the new passageway, the station will naturally become connected to the historic centre of town via the Vesten. The fact that we are working in a UNESCO World Heritage site means the implementation must be meticulous. We also pay a lot of attention to sustainability and climate adaptation.
Stijn Koole, partner and landscape architect at BoschSlabbers
Brugge railway station
Location: Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium
Architect: ZJA
Landscape Architect: BOSCHSLABBERS
Construction: BOSKALIS
Images Credit: © ZJA, BoschSlabbers;
