The word is out. Casino Knokke and Kitsch Club will reopen in a brand-new location. Napoleon Sports & Casino competed to run the new casino in Knokke and asked us to draw up a design proposal. They played when feeling lucky, for the next thing we heard they won. We are very excited to be part of this project and look forward to the realization of these exciting plans.

The entire location at the Canada Square in Knokke-Heist receives a full facelift that includes features like a bar and an amphitheater. Via an awning across the current casino or ‘Kursaal’ you are drawn underground, where a large playroom is built. A new night club and parking are also found below ground. The new square should be finished by 2021, when the new playroom is taken into use.

For this project, we drew inspiration from the surroundings of Knokke-Heist. There are parallels between the migration of the birds in the adjacent nature reserve ‘Het Zwin’ and the waves of tourists and their variations in the winter and summer seasons. The shape of the building is derived from the movement that a migratory bird makes with its wings during takeoff. The line of the wingtip movement is projected onto the square and by lifting and lowering parts of it, a landscape of ‘wings of rolling dunes’ is created, defining different functions and zones within the square.

The biggest challenge was the creation of a link between the space above ground, intended to appeal to both residents and tourists of Knokke, and the space below, which should attract casino guests and clubbers. That link was created by designing a pleasant square with volumes that rise and fall in and below the surface, connecting the square environment to the life in the casino and club below. Instead of opting for typical screaming neon advertising, used in so many classical casinos, curiosity is triggered in a stylish way.

Although the Canada Square has a large surface, it will have a cozy look because of the different zones. The roof of the bar, for example, is magically transformed into an amphitheater. By adding lots of greenery and integrating plant roofs, the square is nicely blooming all throughout the year. The purpose of the new location is to attract everyone. Kids can play, bon vivants will appreciate the terraces, others might just enjoy their surroundings.

By placing the entry to the parking lot at the Koningin Elizabethlaan, the area remains a low traffic zone. Within the underground car park you are guided toward ‘The Arrival’, best described as an underground square. The Arrival connects the parking lot, the entrance to the casino, the bar and the Kitsch club. This way it plays a fundamental role in connecting the different areas.