Latz + Partner win the first prize together with TV Bureau voor urbanisme, Leuven (BE) and ARA & IDEACONSULT (BE) in an international competition and get commissioned to redesign the Nieuwstraat in Brussels. For a new face of Brussels’ main commercial street the town has initiated a redevelopment program with two objectives. A master plan should work out the strategies for a mixed identity of the district with an emphasis on diversifying the trade program and increasing multifunctional use such as the connection of residential space and its surroundings. In a second step the Nieuwstraat and its side streets will be renewed completely on basis of the master plan. The award-winning concept develops an open multifunctional space with robust surfaces, unobtrusive equipment and a well-coordinated lighting design. Edges of streets and squares as well as lines of view and motion will be emphasized by trees, benches and water features. The characteristic element will be the paving: Belgian bluestone with different surface treatment will be sorted by dark and light stones and brought in linearly in north-south direction, expanding the space of the Nieuwstraat into the byroads.

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