Sint Niklaas stationsomgeving

Large-scale revamp of the station environment in Sint-Niklaas. Along with the restructuring of the Grote Markt, which was also implemented by cepezed, the station environment belongs to the most important urban renewal projects in this Flemish municipality. The area had been increasingly degenerating into a rather alienating zone that displayed scarcely any association between the construction and the public domain. cepezed designed and supervised an architectural blueprint, reorganized the public space, renovated the station building, and designed bicycle parking facilities for the station square. The traffic has been rigorously confined and regulated, and the tunnel has been assigned a clear function within the future urban circular road system. The construction sites for a shopping mall and entertainment centre were shifted, thus preventing the generation of new uncontrollable zones. Space was also created for an extra above-ground car park. The demolition of a number of existing buildings created an open link to the city centre. In the renovation, the station was allocated a transparent extension with a wide view of the station square, so that the building now works much more lucidly. The bicycle parking facilities, an extraordinary construction with large spans, has a transparent roof and offers space for around 700 bikes. It was awarded the Belgian Steel construction prize. An elongated pedestrian and recreation zone has been constructed, acting as the backbone of the renewed area structure. This so-called ‘Esplanade’ combines the entertainment complex, station, and shopping mall, and gently guides visitors to the Stationsstraat and the city centre. Since the restructuring, Sint-Niklaas can boast of a modern, 21st-century station square that harmonizes well with the largely 19th-century construction in the environment. The area is now open, accessible, and inviting. It offers high experiential value and the functions appear self-evident.