The Design & Build team consisting of Debuild, Democo, dbv architecten (architectural design), ae plus (engineering & EPB study bureau), ab associates (stability study bureau) and Stefaan Thiers (landscape design) emerged as the winner of the competition held by the Province of Limburg.

PLOT will serve as a provincial education and training centre for the many civil servants (police) and security services (emergency ambulance and fire service personnel) of Limburg and Flanders. It will be the landmark of the security site being built on the former site of the Zwartberg Coal Mine.

The grid-based design covers about 5,000m² and houses around a central auditorium various training rooms for both traditional knowledge transfer and virtual reality training, a restaurant, workplaces and staff rooms. Surrounding training areas will be laid out for outdoor training and will be connected to the existing training hall. The landscape will be restored according to the same "re-nature" principle as the neighbouring LA BIOMISTA.

Elevated above the solid plinth, the open layout of the floors plays a crucial role to achieve maximum interaction between the interior and the landscape in a safe way. The expandable and future-proof design is made amenable to a sustainable and circular approach through the frequent use of prefabricated and modular façade construction. PLOT thus forms a symbiosis of architecture and nature, of function and construction, and of past, present and future.

Besides Debuild and Democo, our colleagues from AEW and Vandenbriele will also collaborate on this project.