In November 2019, the new community centre ‘De Roende’ opened its doors in Kortemark. The building, designed by Architectuuratelier Dertien12, serves as a hub for municipal services, such as the service centre, the social services office (OCMW), the civil affairs department and a Kind en Gezin advice centre. Built on the site of the former retirement home, the building forms a link between the village’s sports facilities and its care centre.

The architects drew inspiration from the image of a bench under a lime tree ‘where important village decisions used to be made’. This poetic vision translates spatially into a circular building with a central patio, where space has been left for a tree. A corridor runs around the tree, channelling the building’s circulation and providing access to its diverse programme of facilities. As each department required a waiting area, this corridor was designed to be particularly spacious, so that it can serve as a shared waiting area and a meeting zone. The long, curved wooden bench adjacent to the patio invites visitors to take a seat and interact with one another. In collaboration with textile designer Ester Goris, a curtain was later added, designed based on the sun’s position.

Structurally, the building was conceived as a large concrete table with a central cut-out for the patio, visibly supported by V-shaped concrete pillars. Centrally, the concrete slab rests on three wooden, steel-reinforced window frames of the curved glazing in the patio. Both the exterior and interior are dominated by a palette of concrete and wood. A natural stone floor, which flows seamlessly from inside to outside, reinforces the building’s open, accessible character. Inside, each department has its own interior: whilst the office spaces are neutral, the Kind en Gezin section is characterised by colourful illustrations by Eva Mouton and a soft, yellow linoleum floor.