The local authority of Zandhoven wants to build a new leisure centre that is intended to house a new library and a community and youth centre. The site is in the centre of Zandhoven and is among other things characterised by several classified village views around a square of cultural and historical value.

The heart of the leisure centre is the library, which is to meet contemporary requirements in the areas of literature, the acquisition of knowledge, encounter and culture. A library nowadays is more than a collection of books that can be read on the spot or borrowed: it is a place for a cultural experience and the sharing of knowledge.

The present site, which recently became the property of Zandhoven local authority, was in the past used by a parish and community centre. Clubs were able to engage in small-scale activities there. Zandhoven local authority wants to retain this community function and to provide a multifunctional space for it.

At the same time, the local authority wants to review its facilities for the young and develop a youth centre on the same site. This centre is to include a youth club, where the existing activities can be accommodated, combined with a space with facilities where the young can be creative and can meet together outside the activities of the youth club. Considering its central location at the heart of the district, special attention is to be paid to the limitation of nuisance (noise and other) to neighbouring residents.

Considering its position in the centre, with its unique cultural and historical elements, the new building must preserve and enhance the serenity and monumentality of the site. The building should also connect with the garden behind it.

The new leisure centre will cover about 800 m² in a maximum of three storeys, one of which may be below ground. The desire is for an open but warm meeting place where everyone feels welcome. This vision should inform the architecture. In addition, the new leisure centre must have a well-thought-out logistical concept, whereby the various functions are closely linked to each other while still retaining their individual character when necessary (e.g. separate entrances at different times). Lastly, the interior organisation of the centre must be flexible and constantly able to be adapted to the needs of the moment