source of the picture: PICTURES BEACH
New beach walkway in Ostend. Belgium
Location: Ostend, Belgium
CLIENT: THE CITY OF OSTEND
Date: 2016
Status: Competition. 1st phase
Budget: –
Area: –
TEAM: TOMEU DURAN, CARLES F. BAEZA, JORGE GIMÉNEZ, KENNETH VON FREYHOLD, HELENA GUINJOAN
PROPOSAL
The Belgian coast is roughly 69 km long, approximately the same length as the coastline of the island of Formentera. But, while the first one basically consists in sand beaches and estuaries, the coast of the small Mediterranean island has cliffs, sand, rock and pebble beaches, saltwater lagoons, bays, coves…
Could these geographic features be introduced in the Ostend coast to enrich it? Can the new walkway generate, somehow, such geographic diversity?
Concept map showing how the experience is configured by the relationship between actors on the beach scene.
According to the competition rules, the main problem of Ostend beach is the shadow that the frontline buildings project on it:
The main problem of the beach can be used as the morphogenesis of the solution. The shadows on the december solstice at noon will define the position of the new walkway:
Nevertheless, it won’t be only by means of design that Ostend’s waterfront lack of use in winter will be solved, but, mostly, through the research and application of new uses and activities:
Sistemes Operatius 