Can you already picture yourself? Strolling through the Tour & Taxis Park. Greeting your neighbours, passing some joggers enjoying their runner’s high and some young families during their weekend outing. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Yes, but none of it would have been possible without some thorough landscape planning. So it’s about time we had a little chat with the man behind the design and our green cityscape: Bas Smets, the Brussels-based landscape architect who, together with his team of 17 architects and landscape architects, has realised many projects in more than 12 countries.

Hi Bas! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you get involved in the project of Tour & Taxis?

Bas Smets: “I’ve been running my agency since 2007, which specializes in the design of outdoor spaces. And with that, I mean ALL outdoor spaces, from movie sets and public space design, to landscaping for new construction projects and private outdoor settings. We’ve worked in 12 countries up ‘till now. The question to work on the Tour & Taxis project dates from a couple of years back, in 2009, before Park Lane was even really a part of the story. We contributed to the masterplan for the site, based on the landscape we envisioned. The first phase we tackled was the construction of the park, which we conceived as a new tributary valley, made up of different sequences in a planted grid. The plantation areas of the park open up to two clearances and a water pond.

And just what did that original concept entail?

Bas: “We wanted people to step into a completely new environment. You’re still in the midst of the buzzling city, but you shouldn’t experience that directly when you’re on the site. It’s the same for Park Lane. You’re living IN a park, not just alongside it. That’s why we designed the long lane as the central spine of the residential area. We left the usual structure of a street or lane behind and focused on introducing the airy feeling of nature and overhead foliage into the project. Thus, we ensure a sense of space and views that would give the residents the sense of being enveloped by nature, instead of the big city. I guess you could say the park is the central green artery, which breathes life into the rest of the site”

A beautiful concept, but also quite the challenge, I presume …

Bas: “The biggest challenge was to bring the sensation of being in a park to a densely built historic area. The need for underground parking, for instance, has quite a big impact on our choice of trees. But I must admit that the way we managed to build a new part of this city which is so closely intertwined with the park, is also my biggest pride and joy in this project.”

As it should be! I believe the ponds hold some importance for you as well?

Bas: “Yes, they are the crowning jewel of the park and they mark the change of scenery towards the more corporate area. They bring the whole site together as parts of a puzzle and will soften the whole view.
Actually, all choices we make, represent multiple functions. The trees that were chosen for Park Lane, for example, are deciduous trees with a lot of small leaves which they loose during the winter. This ensures a lot of light during the darker, colder months, but during the summer they’re dense enough to block off some of the harsh sunlight and their leaves filter the light in the most enjoyable way. In the courtyards, we opted for fruit trees, simply to add a more cozy, intimate vibe. These courtyards will serve as the outdoor living rooms for the future residents.”

THE PARK IS THE CENTRAL GREEN ARTERY, WHICH BREATHES LIFE INTO THE REST OF THE SITE