The Geelhandplaats has been transformed from a dark inner courtyard into a colourful town carpet. The Geelhandplaats lies in the Stuivenberg District of Antwerp. The introduction of a new carpet is intended to provide both young and old with a good-quality outside space. The floor is slightly sloping which creates an enclosed space surrounded by multifunctional peripheral areas on which it is possible to sit, lie and play. The slope also means that the design provides an area for young children at the front, an area for bigger children in the middle and a pétanque area behind the new town bench.
The colourful carpet forms part of a rubber whole and the colours are redolent of the different backgrounds of the residents of this colourful neighbourhood. The rubber floor also provides various opportunities for play activities: there is a gradual line of play facilities for tiny balancing exercises for the very youngest children to a real climbing challenge for the slightly older children. Lastly, the use of rubber also has a positive effect on the acoustics of the internal space.
In addition to the play and rest aspect, the internal space obviously remains an area of access to various kinds of accommodation. For this reason, a clay paved area has been incorporated into the design around the central carpet. As a result of the clever incorporation of various items of street furniture, the design provides sufficient functional, but user friendly benches, bicycle sheds and dustbins.
Landscape Architecture: OMGEVING
Location: Antwerp/Belgium
Street: Geelhandplaats 1-35
Design year: 2007
Year of construction: 2010
Area: 2.500 m²
Budget: 680.000 EUR
Image credits: Jan Liégeois
Developed by: Flemish Social Housing Company, Department of Subsidised Infrastructure
Designers: OMGEVING Landscape Architecture /
