Redesign station area, Bruges

Meticulous and sustainable

Three crossings of the R30 ring road for slow traffic, the station square and the surrounding area will all be freshly laid out, ensuring that this gateway to Bruges becomes an attractive, safe and pleasant environment. The design improves safety and makes the entrance to the town centre more comfortable and convenient for pedestrians and cyclists, while taking account of the city’s past and its many historical buildings, and of the old park on the Vesten.

The design anticipates future flooding, while also involving the planting of trees and the expansion of green zones to combat heat stress and drought. The result is a meticulous intervention that connects the station area logically and safely with historic Bruges.

Station environment and Vesten Passage

The area around the station will be given a greener character, with green elements around a new fountain, giving it all the appeal of a park. From here, visitors will have a delightful view of the town and the three tallest historical buildings of Bruges. A broad greenway that slopes gently downwards leads to the wide Vesten Passage under the ring road, which has been designed in polished concrete and yellow brick. This underpass presents an open and inviting view that includes the park beyond, which is clearly visible as a result of the slope and the width of the path, at more than nine metres. The proportions, the curved retaining walls and the traditional Bruges brickwork evoke associations with a gatehouse.

The Vesten Passage also functions as a connecting element for flora and fauna, linking them with the spacious green zone to the north, which is planted with species suited to the damp, shady environment. There is plenty of space for cyclists and pedestrians to enter Bruges through this gateway.

To relieve the Oostmeers, where the sheer number of visitors making their way to the town centre causes inconvenience, and to lead visitors straight into the heart of the historic city, the route has been moved eastwards. Instead of along the Oostmeers, they will walk through the park, where two slim bridges will take them over the Vesten. These have been designed to merge as far as possible into the landscape, with minimal abutments, modest columns and parapets made of Corten steel. They have been carefully positioned in the park to spare the existing mature trees.

The Unesco roundabout and bicycle underpass at the Vaartdijk

Just to the north of the station square is the Unesco roundabout on the R30. Here too the design includes a path under the ring road for cyclists and pedestrians. Although narrower and simpler than the Vesten Passage, it too offers a comfortable route to the city centre. With its curved retaining walls allowing for maximum visibility, its Bruges brickwork and its bright, light design, this underpass is clearly related to the Vesten Passage.

Where it crosses the Vaartdijk, the R30 forms a bottleneck on the F6 cycle highway between Brugge and Ghent. The cycle highway is interrupted here at the transition to the centre of town. To solve this problem, an underpass for cyclists has been designed. The cycle path turns under the ring road and emerges on the town side in parkland with green buffers. It is a sober, bright cycle connection laid out in a way that maximizes comfort and public safety.

The design for the station area in Bruges by ZJA, BoschSlabbers and Boskalis is a richly layered project intended to increase safety and to make access to the centre of town for pedestrians and cyclists clearer and more comfortable.