Set Foot in Sittard

Hospitality

The competition Set Foot in Sittard asked for a vision for the reactivation of its center. Our entry focuses on the former hospital terrain, which by now transformed into a park around the only remaining building: the monastery. With the reallocation of the hospital towards a site outside the center, the constant flow of the hospital’s visitors and employees disappeared.

Our proposal shows that this location can become a place of hospitality again. Refugees and starters could build their own houses, starting with one level, but having the possibility to grow up to three floors in the future. This intervention would reactivate the place and intensify the route along the site, connecting the railway station with the historic center. The center of Sittard will be activated by bringing in new inhabitants.

The park at the former location of the hospital slowly transforms into a neighborhood of self-built houses, intended for refugees and starters. The character of the park remains, but urban squares are added to intensify the activity along the routes through the center.