Dumon Square, Brussels

Refurbishment of a square and adjacent streets in Woluwe-St. Pierre, Brussels

The question: how can Dumon Square again become a central meeting place in the Brussels municipality of Woluwe-St. Pierre? The situation: the square is densely populated on market days, but used as a car park on other days.

Artgineering interprets this urban space as an interaction between meeting and lingering, traffic and commerce. This intervention aims to balance these uses. Strengthening the square’s spatial quality and atmosphere has, therefore, been the most important consideration.

The loop of the tram’s route is what formed the square’s oval shape. A wide, surrounding concrete bench accents Dumon Square’s characteristic form. The square inside the oval is dedicated to diverse public applications. A generous tree plan provides this location’s greening and connects to the neighbourhood’s existing tree planting.

Dumon Square becomes a shared space. Tram, car, and bicycle routes continue around the oval, but pedestrians have priority. Short-stay parking is possible outside the oval; and, during a transition phase, at the request of the square’s shopkeepers within the oval. The redevelopment advocates the varieties of use (lingering, traffic, commerce) are mutually inclusive.

Place: Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Belgium
Client: Municipality of Sint-Pieters-Woluwe
Partners: H+N+S, ECTV, ARA, UTIL
Year: 2013 (implementation 2017)