Hart voor Ten Aard Geel
The project in Ten Aard, Geel renews the village centre while respecting its local character. Sweco used diversity as a key design principle to create a lively and coherent whole. Public spaces and layered architecture give the area a recognisable and future-proof identity, enhancing the village square and the surrounding landscape for residents and visitors alike.
- Client
- City of Geel
- Location
- Geel
- Sweco scope
- Master planning, spatial quality plan
A coherent village centre with room for diversity
The Hart voor Ten Aard project shapes a new village centre that will define the future character and experience of the area. The masterplan builds on the existing scale, grain and identity of the village and seeks a coherent spatial image that retains a distinctly village-like feel. Diversity is deliberately used as a design tool, allowing new developments to connect with the organically grown character of Ten Aard and avoiding a monolithic outcome.
Public spaces as carriers of village life
The village centre is structured around a series of recognisable public spaces that together form a clear and legible whole. The new village square along Vaartstraat functions as the beating heart of the village, while the Bloemenpark around the former flower factory introduces a quiet, enclosed park garden in the centre. Along the canal, a serene quay landscape creates a strong relationship between water, heritage and the village core, with the repurposed Bloemmolens acting as meaningful anchor points.
Spatial quality from village entrance to canal edge
The spatial quality is further refined through a layered architectural approach with a varied roofscape, human scale and carefully designed transitions between public and private space. The Bermlichaam, combined with housing and facilities, forms an inviting village entrance, while heritage, landscape and new architecture reinforce one another to create a recognisable and future-proof whole that gives the village a clear identity.
