thomas schmidt
design portfolio
![Saint Gilles Bird's Eye View](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fbe32_c5849889d65346f189a7ea7524ce3adf~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_606,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fbe32_c5849889d65346f189a7ea7524ce3adf~mv2.jpg)
![View from Market](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fbe32_4500bbc80b1b4d94891d5b0ca55f525a~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_635,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fbe32_4500bbc80b1b4d94891d5b0ca55f525a~mv2.png)
Looking east from the nearby market into the new central park and gathering space of Saint Gilles, Bruxelles.
![Hammock and Ampitheater Pods](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fbe32_95708c9fcea54c62999581681e707d9b~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_633,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fbe32_95708c9fcea54c62999581681e707d9b~mv2.jpg)
View of some of the many pods of spaces that make up the park space.
![Saint Gilles Bird's Eye View](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fbe32_c5849889d65346f189a7ea7524ce3adf~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_606,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fbe32_c5849889d65346f189a7ea7524ce3adf~mv2.jpg)
brussels
urban design
spring abroad 2016
For three months in the beginning of 2016 I was fortunate to be able to study abroad in Brussels, Belgium at the School of Architecture Universite Catholique de Louvain. While there, a group of four from my class were assigned an urban design project in the Brussels suburb of Saint Gilles. The site currently is a decrepit park that people would rather avoid than spend any time in. My group decided to transform it into the new city center for Saint Gilles.
We created a new public park with active "pods" of space that each serve a different function for any sort of person to enjoy. The center of the site has a 5-story building comprised of office space and a Language Learning Center to serve the residents of Saint Gilles who speak upwards of 5 different languages. Surrounding the center building is a V of residential apartments at efficient and affordable sizes to better serve the typically low income residents of Saint Gilles. The residential buildings' facades take a liking of the surrounding Brussels row houses which are so common in the area and are each designed in a unique and fitting fashion.