TRANS, from Latin (“through”,"across,“beyond”)
In the heart of Ghent, between the town hall, the Church of San Nicolas and the bell tower, was built the Market Hall in 2012. This building gives renewed impetus to the cultural center, neglected for many years.
During the middle age, there were buildings which separated the space into three small places, according to the three surrounding monuments. Those were destroyed to form a single square. This large empty space was used as parking before becoming a free public space in 2012. The Market hall has a fundamental role in the city because it brings together several ancient monuments in a place accessible from everywhere. The volume has similar proportions to the surrounding buildings, however it uses wood which is a humbler material than the stone present in the historical center. Despite its large size, this building is welcoming and hosts different events such as concerts, demonstrations, markets, etc. It creates an urban interior as it is fully open at the bottom and protected by a large roof perforated by 1600 windows. This one is supported by a metallic structure hidden by the wooden cladding.
This building can be seen as unconventional, however it is composed with the typical elements of the house archetype which are the garden, the floor, the wall (pillars), the windows, the sloping roof and the chimney. All these vernacular elements are characteristic of the traditional houses of the region. Indeed, the architect was directly inspired by the urban environment, which can be seen with the inclination of the roof. It gives us the feeling of two conjoined houses whose roofs have merged into one. Each of these "houses" has a fireplace used as an oven during the municipal festivities. The chimneys are situated in two of the concrete pillars, the others host the vertical circulation which connects the upper part to the underground. At this level there is a café with a terrace facing the The Green, that can be interpreted as the "garden of the house".
In conclusion, under the appearance of a traditional Ghent house, the Market Hall modernizes and revitalizes the historical center.
+ Links
https://arcspace.com/feature/ghent-market-hall/
http://www.robbrechtendaem.com/projects/urban-space/market-hall
https://www.dezeen.com/2013/04/19/market-hall-by-robbrecht-en-daem-architecten-and-marie-jose-van-hee-architecten/