Kasterlee, in the heart of the Kempen, is a village with a typical rural layout: a compact centre with a ragged, fan-shaped outskirts. Dierendonckblancke architects built a community centre there and tied the loose ends together to create a new form of urbanity.

Kasterlee is a village where the church takes centre stage. It stands on the market square, alongside the town hall, just as it should. And yet Kasterlee has no proper centre. A wide access road (the N19) cuts right through the market square, just in front of the church porch, and isolates the church. Behind the town hall, the continuous development of the village centre immediately gives way to a residential estate. Historic buildings and high-quality green spaces are scattered around the Binnenpadplein, the undefined open space between the supermarket car park and the gardens of the detached houses.