Snøhetta adds trio of buildings to Roeselare railway site to "reconnect the city"

Architecture studio Snøhetta has collaborated with local studio B2Ai on a trio of buildings in Roeselare, Belgium, adding housing, offices and shops adjacent to the city's train station.

Built alongside a railway track next to Roeselare Central Station, Snøhetta and B2Ai designed the Roelevard development in Roeselare to reconnect two sides of the city by adding public space to a vacant plot.

The three curving buildings were topped with green roofs and contain 81 apartments and office space with shops on the ground floor.

"With Roelevard, we saw an opportunity to reconnect the city, not just physically, but socially," said Snøhetta cofounder Kjetil Trædal Thorsen.

"By transforming a once-divided railway zone into a vibrant, mixed-use destination, we're helping Roeselare grow into a more cohesive and livable urban environment," he continued.

"By prioritising sustainability, connectivity, and shared spaces, we've created a place where people can live, work, and meet in a way that reflects the city's evolving identity."

Roelevard's three buildings were arranged around a central walkway, which was planed with trees and contains stepped seating.

The largest building stretches alongside the railway line and has a stepped silhouette that rises to 12 storeys at the southern end, nearest the station.

At the northern point of the site, the smallest building rises to four storeys tall, designed to match the scale of the neighbouring residential buildings.

The third building stretches along the western side of the site. Its roof slopes down to the ground, creating stepped access to a restaurant on the upper floor.

Angular metal louvres partly cover the facades, which curve around the central walkway.

Apartments on the upper levels open onto balconies and planted terraces.

"The facades are tailored to their functions: transparent and open at street level for retail, more uniform and inward-facing for offices, and textured and porous for the residential levels above, with generous terraces that encourage social interaction," said Snøhetta.

Snøhetta and B2Ai designed the Roelevard development as a space for social gathering and for people to pause to enjoy the surroundings.

"The combination of high-quality architecture and a contemporary green landscape makes Roelevard a leading example of thoughtful urban development," said the studio.

"Roelevard brings new life to the old railway station of Roeselare, stitching the city back together with architecture that connects, invites, and inspires."

Other recent projects by Snøhetta include a community centre in Sweden with a walkable green roof and an opera house in Shanghai with a spiral staircase leading to the roof, which is nearing completion.

The photography is by Philippe van Gelooven.

The post Snøhetta adds trio of buildings to Roeselare railway site to "reconnect the city" appeared first on Dezeen.