Euregional Building Culture

 

Comparative study to determine building culture parameters with influence on the shape of architectuur and city in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine.

Subject

The influence of country- or region-specific, building-cultural planning parameters on urban and architectural design in the case of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine is to be investigated. The Euregio comprises three countries (Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium), five regions (the provinces of Aachen, Belgian and Dutch Limburg, Liège and the German-speaking Community of Belgium) and three language areas (German, Dutch and French). Despite cultural-historical similarities, landscape continuity, shared language areas, the building culture in the different countries has developed very differently, which is clearly reflected in the appearance of the built environment.
In the case of Belgium, there is also the complexity of the linguistic division between Flanders and Wallonia, which corresponds to separate policies, each of which entails its own urban planning and architectural regulations.

Method

First, the building cultural parameters that influence architectural design choices will be examined separately for each of the three countries. The challenge of determining these parameters already arises here, since they can differ considerably from one country and region to another, both in terms of their nature and their influence on planning and design. Subsequently, the results will be compared.

Aim and benefits

In addition to the building law parameters, which are in the foreground, the related cultural-historical, socio-economic, process-related factors, which have led to the development of a country- and region-specific building culture, are to be considered. The research work aims to identify the differences and similarities in the building culture of the three neighboring countries in order to promote cross-border thinking, planning and building.