Square Dance: Namur has gained a new heart by transforming the main square from a dull car park to what has been described as 'an urban beach', a place to be enjoyed by all the citizens.

Namur is in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, and since it became regional capital, it has been under great development pressure; its old centre became degraded by traffic and neglect. In 1996, the council decided to improve the quality of the public spaces in the centre of the city, and to set up a proper link with Jambes, the town over the river.

Atelier 4D's winning scheme was deceptively simple. The architects decided to remove as many extraneous accretions as possible to emphasize the spaces and the buildings. The main square, the Place d'Armes, had become a shabby car park, and it was clear to everyone that the vehicles must be removed. But the masterstroke was the new treatment of the surface. The whole centre of the space has been covered by a low and most elegantly detailed platform of lpe, a sustainable tropical hardwood, which is highly resistant to rot and wear. Three square stone fountains and half a dozen lpe benches are the only fixed furniture, but the timber plateau is used for exhibitions, events and markets. According to critic Frederic Saliez, whenever the sun comes out the place turns into 'a kind of urban beach', with people lounging, sitting and lazing on the warm wood. In wet weather, the wood is not slippery because stainless-steel strips have been inserted between each pair of planks.

The huge timber plane, which is surrounded by cobbled strips so that surrounding buildings can be serviced, emphasizes the main thrust of the Place d'Armes south towards the rue du Pont, which connects to Jambes, and is to be the second phase of the Project. In the first phase, besides the Place d'Armes, the surrounding streets and the Place du Theatre have also been cleaned up, repaved, simplified and freed from parking. But the focus is rightly on the main square. All existing buildings surrounding the spaces, even the dullest ones, have been enhanced by the new treatment, and the life of the old city has been much enhanced.

The jury was impressed by the unforced clarity of the project (clearly achieved with much careful thought), the elegance of the detailing and by the way in which it had plainly transformed the area.