Library for a Garden

Library with Day Care Center Moorkensplein logically completes the south side of an existing building block, but takes a firm step back to provide space for a large, well-arranged, green neighbourhood park. The triangular shape of the park-like square links up with the squares in the area. Conversely, it gives space to the building to make itself known as a public institution. The building, which consists of two volumes that can be divided flexibly, matches the height of the neighbors on the left and right. The library is located in the western part and the day care center in the eastern part. The day care center will accommodate a hundred children and will work together in a symbiosis with the library. This encourages reading from a young age. There will also be a language point for non-Dutch speaking parents. The core of the entry is a private courtyard garden that is made accessible to the public during the day by means of two passages from the street. An oasis of tranquility is created with this green inner garden, which together with the roof gardens contribute to the cooling that city and urban life will increasingly need. This new connection through the inner garden follows on from the Antwerp tradition of meandering routes. The building, which will also have an entrance on the garden side in addition to the main entrance on the park side, connects the square, park, garden and city. The layout of the inner garden is designed by Wirtz International. During an information session for the neighbourhood, the first ideas were shown and the local residents were able to express their wishes.