After the disastrous fire in the St.-Ghislenus church, the city Waarschoot gave the order to build a new church. Together with the new build it was decided to change the traffic flows and improve the liveability in the heart of the city. The new church has been placed right next to the old church alongside the ruin of the nave, thus functioning as a window into the landscape.

Complete transformation
An atmospheric, accessible and quiet city centre has been developed with room for a functional access road for the fire department. The design included grassy plains and benches with led-lighting, lined by trees with an open crown, which filters the sunlight beautifully. The led-lines on the square strengthen the connection between the church ruin and city hall. The old cemetery wall has been elongated up to the parking space and green components from the rectory garden haven been re-integrated in the new design.

Functional public green space
Because of the implementation of functional and attractive urban green spaces, the village centre has now become an pleasant place to stay in. Schrauwen & Zn were responsible for the construction and Nursery Udenhout supplied all planting, such as Prunus avium ‘Landscape Bloom’ and the thornless Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Inermis'. They provide a flower accent in spring and summer, beautiful autumn discolouring and together with their characteristic stem and bark contribute to an enjoyable living environment.