The city center of Arles has evolved into a tourist open-air museum as a result of urban planning from the 1950s. The city needs to rehabilitate to play a proactive role in today's and tomorrow's world. This thesis proposes a spatial intervention at the site of Les Nouvelles Galeries, an early 20th-century store representative of the progressive spirit of the time, now forgotten. For instance, it is one of the first buildings with reinforced concrete by the engineer Hennebique. The material heritage is activated as a mediator between the urban needs of the Arlésiens and sustainable tourism within a global context. Revaluing existing structures ensures continuity and builds upon the core memory of the urban structure (cf. Rossi), while allowing space for contemporary aspects and new developments. The project advocates for a dynamic connection between the city center and local neighborhoods, leveraging vertical interactions within the existing building for layered meaning within the 'bigness' and strengthening horizontal interfaces. This contemporary urban hub, a mental landmark, propels Arles forward into a dynamic future.

The complete master's thesis can be found in the archives of KU Leuven University: 'The Building and the City: A Vertical Walkthrough of Arles', supervisors: Ar. Wim Goes and Ar. Klaas Goris.