Public Space
Grote Markt Sint-Niklaas: a climate-resilient heart for the city
Belgium’s largest market square evolved from a paved thoroughfare into a green meeting place where climate adaptation, water management, accessibility and urban experience come together. Sweco combined mobility, public space and technical engineering in one integrated approach.
- Expertise:
- Water, Climate resilience & nature, Liveable cities, Transport & Mobility
- Client
- City of Sint-Niklaas
- Location
- Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
- Services
- Design development, technical engineering, tender documentation, project supervision, urban planning and public space, landscape architecture, climate adaptation, water management, sustainable mobility and circular design
- Partners
- Artgineering, LAMA Landscape Architects
From paved square to green meeting place
For centuries, the Grote Markt has been the beating heart of Sint-Niklaas. Covering four hectares, it is Belgium’s largest market square and the setting for the weekly Thursday market, the Peace Festival, fairs and other city events. At the same time, the square was heavily paved, fragmented by level differences and primarily designed for through traffic. Outside event days, it therefore offered little shade, cooling or inviting space to stay.
The design team — Artgineering, LAMA and Sweco — brought together urban design, landscape and engineering. Sweco translated the winning concept into a feasible project, from design development and technical studies to tender documentation and on-site supervision. Major events, underground infrastructure, water management, greening and day-to-day accessibility were not treated as separate challenges, but as parts of one coherent urban project.
De Groene Markt comes to life
With the ‘De Groene Markt’ concept, the design team moved beyond the traditional opposition between an open event square and a green urban park. The central, flexible space remained the city centre’s main stage. Around it, a green residential edge was created with flower gardens, seating, large terraces and water. Thresholds and obstacles disappeared, while grass zones were also integrated into the central area. The same place now serves as a market square on Thursdays and offers space to play, picnic, barbecue or meet on other days.
A climate-resilient city square with sustainable water management
The square gained 130 new trees, 25,000 perennials and ornamental grasses, 600 shrubs and 9,000 flower bulbs. The Grote Markt also received a lawn of more than 2,000 m². Together with the broad green edge, these interventions provide shade and cooling without compromising the open character or sightlines. The varied planting enhances biodiversity and brings colour and structure throughout the seasons. It also creates a pleasant transition between the central field and the shops, cafés, restaurants and homes around the square.
Rainwater plays a central role in the way the Grote Markt functions. Beneath the square is a technical chamber containing pumps, filters and control systems. The city, the design team and the contractor carefully coordinated the installation so that water buffering, purification, irrigation and the water features operate as one system. The blue-green edge also supports natural purification. This allows the square to absorb peak rainfall more effectively, provide cooling on hot days and minimise the use of drinking water.
A low-traffic Grote Markt creates room to breathe
A major alteration to the underground car park made the renewed square layout possible. The open walls on the north, east and south sides previously formed physical barriers. Closing them completely reconnected the central square with the surrounding building frontages. Thresholds and obstacles were removed from the public space. At the same time, traffic infrastructure was significantly reduced: access is now limited to local traffic and vehicles heading to the car park. This created a calmer, safer and more accessible environment with more room for pedestrians, cyclists, events, greenery and lively edges around the square.
Circular redevelopment through the reuse of clay pavers
Material choices started from what was already present. More than 60% of the former square’s 1.2 million clay pavers were reused in the new project, particularly around the edges and where the square connects to the surrounding streets. The stones were lifted by hand, sorted and stacked on pallets. Bus shelters and lighting columns were given a second life elsewhere in the city, while hardwood boards from the former boardwalk were reused as façade cladding for the Cocon buildings.
A multifunctional events square
The central open space remains equipped for the Thursday market, the Peace Festival, fairs and other large-scale activities. The green edge and open field were designed to accommodate set-up, logistics and visitor flows. Water zones can be temporarily drained for events, and facilities for occasions such as the balloon festival are integrated into the design. Sint-Niklaas therefore did not have to choose between a green square and a lively events venue.
Strengthening climate resilience and quality of life
The renewed Grote Markt demonstrates how a public space can be both robust and inviting. By connecting climate adaptation, water management, mobility, accessibility, circularity and event logistics from the outset, the city gained a square that adds value every day. Sint-Niklaas now has not only a greener cityscape, but also a resilient and flexible urban heart prepared for a warmer and wetter climate.