STEKENE

Dries Dupré - Zacharias Hatziloukas

---

STEKENE

The site is located in the north-east part of East Flanders, about 4 m north of the small town of Stekene. It is surrounded by a historic forest ‘Den Bekaf’ where visitors can walk on paved and unpaved paths. The wider area is together with the forest part of a hiking and biking network provided by the Flemish government. The forest is divided into many different properties and facilities, which make the natural area peculiarly busy. This unexpected bustle contrasts with the atmosphere of desolation in the abandoned quarry. This place where earth was formerly mined, now houses different types of fauna and flora that form a special ecosystem there.

It is our intention not to disturb this atmosphere, on the contrary we want to create a place to observe the occurring transformation of the landscape. In order to respect the wild birds on site, a large part of the quarry is kept inaccessible and we approach the watchtower along an existing path on the western border next to the dense forest. The watchtower is integrated into this wood and consists of a base of wooden columns topped with a viewing platform with rammed earth walls. In this way we become invisible spectators.