The Citadel of Tides

Abstract

The project site is situated at the seafront of Ostend. The city is struggling with infrastructural problems due to the rising sea level. But the sea also opens up perspectives for an increasing amount of refugees. The citadel of tides unites the cultural and pragmatic necessary aspects. It is our responsibility to open up the eyes to the mutual benefits. This building is a linear interference in the existing landscape. The alternating walls and columns rise up from the ground. Due to the rising sea level the flood risk after a storm increases tremendously. Therefore buffer basins are integrated in the thickness of the walls. The space in between the walls is empty. Emptiness stimulates creativity. What if a refugee gets the opportunity to play the main role in a new metro pole of subcultures? As the sand blows trough the openings, the building is permanently in alteration. The hollowness is filled by sand, as the refugees gently continue their travel. Before summer arrives we use the captured sand to reconstruct the Belgian beaches.