Asylon Maastricht is an asylum-seekers' centre set in Randwyck-noord, an urban area in the making on the south side of Maastricht in Limburg. Its parallelogram-shaped mass derives from the contours stipulated in the structural concept for this part of the town. Twin sources of inspiration are the potential of the site and the wish to express architecturally the issues of receiving and accommodating asylum-seekers. Approached from Randwyck station the Asylon registers as a hook-shaped wall. Erected from rough ashlar from the Ardennes, this wall is 2.7 metres thick and 18.4 metres high. It articulates the concept 'asylon', to take into protection. Behind the wall is a five-storey corner development 272 units strong. A void separating the flexibly subdivisible rooms from the wall contains entrances, sanitary capsules and kitchens. A low, broad opening in the wall leads into a spacious internal courtyard. This is bisected diagonally by a historical route incorporated into the scheme as an informal variant. In the part east of the diagonal is a triangular timber-clad plinth 3.6 metres high housing a multifunctional space where asylum-seekers can come at all times for religious purposes. There are also tiers of seats set in the plinth to cater to sports and cultural events. The general accessibility of these functions lifts the asylum-seekers' centre out of its would-be anonymity. Linking the Asylon's public and private sections is a bridge 8 metres wide and 68 metres long, with a bridgemaster to ensure the safety of the inhabitants. Institution: Amsterdam Tutors: Theo Teeken, Joop Slangen, Jo Janssen, Jos Kramer & Lorenzo Viti Specialization: architecture