In Langemark, West Flanders, Studio Thys Vermeulen has added an extension to the town hall that enhances the existing context in every respect. Not only the town hall but also the surrounding open town centre with its park are given a new character, both inside and out.

As early as 2008, Wilfried Wang lamented the increasing irrelevance of context in Oase 76. According to the German architect, this irrelevance is attributable to the development and steady refinement of all human activities towards a certain autonomy, whereby the outward forms of such autonomy become increasingly detached from their place of origin. Wang was undoubtedly referring here to the self-referential architecture of international ‘star architects’. Yet this problem persists, including in the arduous search for a distinct identity within the context of rural and fragile village centres in Flanders. Under the guise of infill projects, these centres are at risk of being built up with new central functions and apartments in a generic architectural language.