Orleanstoren - Field

Perched on a hill, the Aurelianus Tower rises 40 metres above Aarschot and the river Demer. A landmark of the old city walls, it still anchors the town in its landscape, visible from far away and rooted in the terrain it was built to watch over.

The restoration of the Orleanstoren is part of a larger landscape plan in which opening up the nature reserve and restoring ecologically valuable green space take centre stage. The plan was developed in a co-creative way, through workshops organised under the name “Werplaats Aarschot”. This urban lab was set up in the centre of Aarschot as a collaboration between a2o-field, UHasselt and Buro Landschap.

The choice is resolutely for “more green in the city”. The next phase of the urban project does exactly that: a green path leads from the city centre, through the new landscape park, to the “forgotten” Orleanstoren. This fresh green lung offers recreation, education and relaxation in a beautiful spot on the edge of the city.

The cherry on the cake is the Orleanstoren itself, where nature, architecture and heritage come together. Its restoration uses the concept of “soft-topping”, in which a layer of vegetation is deliberately planted on top of the ruin’s walls. The plants form a natural protective layer that shields the historic masonry from water infiltration and frost damage, and the result is also very attractive to look at.