OLV hospital site
Urbanism
Concept study for the redevelopment of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw hospital site in Oudenaarde.
Concept studies are projects subsidised by the Flemish Urban Policy Department. They focus on initiatives that are not yet fully defined—such as projects still lacking a clear brief—and therefore require more conceptual research. In 2024, five such studies were awarded funding.
The hospital site in Oudenaarde is one of the two concept studies we were commissioned to deliver with B-city; we were also selected for the concept study of the Grooten Singel urban renewal project in Turnhout. For both assignments, we joined forces with our restoration division, B-juxta, and the landscape practice Omgeving.
Oudenaarde finds itself at a pivotal moment, with strong demographic, economic and cultural ambitions. To strengthen its role as a regional centre and tourist destination, the city is investing in a series of urban renewal projects. The redevelopment of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw hospital site plays a strategic role in this broader agenda. Rich in heritage and located just a stone’s throw from the market square, public amenities and schools, the site has the potential to become a fully fledged gateway to the city.
It offers an exceptional setting for the development of an innovative town hall—one that is much more than an administrative building. The site can evolve into an open, permeable and green urban space where public services, historical identity, social exchange and civic life come together.
The town hall is conceived as an urban platform: a flexible workplace for city staff and a shared space for local organisations and engaged residents. The outcome of this concept study is not a finished design, but a broadly supported project definition presenting a clear vision for the programme, the transformation of the heritage structures, and a spatial framework for landscape and mobility.
Through an intensive process of design-led research and participation, the City of Oudenaarde now has a solid foundation from which to transform this unique site into a vibrant urban hub.
