Le Nouveau Blue: An Exploration of the Transition Between Different Worlds
E.C. Franke (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
E.I. Ronner – Mentor (TU Delft - Situated Architecture)
J.W. Lafeber – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / AE+T)
Leeke Reinders – Mentor (TU Delft - Situated Architecture)
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Abstract
As part of the Urban Architecture Graduation Studio, this project explores the transition and its sequences when moving from inner-city Brussels to urban greenery, focusing on Josaphat Friche—"the last green in town." In response, Le Nouveau Blue was designed. Using water as both a thematic and spatial medium, an old warehouse was transformed into a spa and Olympic pool, embodying the interplay and transition between contrasting elements: urban & natural, dry & wet, warm & cold, and old & new. The adaptive reuse approach preserves the existing concrete structure while integrating new structural elements, creating a dynamic architectural dialogue. The design and research balance preservation and innovation, ultimately connecting the neighborhood’s new development to its biodiverse landscape.