Gouvernementsplein

Gouvernementsplein (Government Square) is located in the historic inner city of Bergen op Zoom. The square has seen many forms: initially a chapel stood there; later it was a garden belonging to the Government Building. As in most historic Dutch cities, the layout of streets and squares in Bergen op Zoom comprises a system of overlapping spaces, usually without a formal limitation. This spatial organisation, the overlapping of spaces, meanings, and conditions, is one of the starting points of the design. Gouvernementsplein is not a garden, plaza, building, or street, but rather a space born out of these urban components.

The square is structured by a single spatial intervention, namely, the ‘folding’ of its ground level. A clear path emerges along the facades: seating in the sun, space for terraces, and a stage. By adding two grassy surfaces here, like in the historical situation with the garden, a direct orientation towards the Government Building materialises once more. Construction of the square was begun directly following the design sketch. With a team consisting of a designer, builder, manufacturer, and client, the final design was ultimately realised in a dynamic process. This resulted in new ways of reusing materials, new construction techniques, and in situ experiments and prototypes.