This autumn, a new multipurpose building was opened in the fashionable Sint-Martens-Latem, which houses the local library, among other things. The simple yet unruly structure was designed by Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen and was created in response to an Open Call in 2016. The design is both specific and general. It relates explicitly to its context and the programme, but also to the oeuvre of Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen.

The new volume is perfectly circular and has no explicit front or back. Instead, the façade is, in a sense, the same on all sides. The circular plan is paradoxically finished with a gable roof. An abstract plan-shaped gesture thus merges with an almost vernacular and context-bound gesture to form a complex whole that vaguely evokes associations with a marquee. A large rectangular patio has been carved out of the round volume, a secluded reading garden, which effortlessly organises the various programme components inside. This outdoor space also brings abundant light into the fairly closed volume and promotes visual relationships between the different spaces.