AN INTEGRATED CENTRE FOR DRUG USERS IN BRUSSELS | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PRIZE
Commissioned by the Urban Development Corporation (SAU-MSI), BOGDAN & VAN BROECK and BC architects & studies are designing a much-needed frontline care centre around the canal, on Avenue du Port in Brussels, in coexistence with the continuation of the port activity. A ‘well-oiled machine’ for the Port and a warm architecture for some of society’s most vulnerable people, offering a 24/7 reception paired with maximum privacy. Here, more than ever, architecture becomes an instrument of social justice.
The integrated centre for drug users is a twenty-first-century inn: an urban place comprising temporary residences, spaces dedicated to human well-being and community meetings. Far from being an anonymous institution, the project juxtaposes several ‘houses’. These are autonomous but at the same time well connected. This configuration underlines the domestic character of the project. The project as a whole calls to mind the traditional inn, made up of various multistorey buildings surrounding a large courtyard and connected to the street by a passage.
The project puts an end to the exhausting input and polluting output of materials, energy and water, transforming everything into a local circular model. In addition to the classic vectors of sustainability (emissions, biodiversity, flexibility and longevity of a building), the project focuses on social and sociocultural sustainability, in line with the European concept of ‘Baukultur’. A building that we all love – because it loves us all – lasts longer because it is supported and enjoyed by all.
The centre is being designed as a building that connects us, that puts us in touch with the city and nature, with the park and with the many cultures that characterize Brussels. It offers a versatile and open space on the ground floor with good social control that is active 24/7. At the same time, it is also a place where you can be by yourself without feeling lonely. This project shows that a complex urban function – a badly needed frontline care centre around the canal – can co-exist with ongoing port activity. It meets the major concerns of our time: solidarity and economy.
Selected publications: Architectura, Afasia, BRUZZ, The Brussels Times
14 SOCIAL DWELLINGS, OFFICES, DAYCARE, COMMERCIAL SPACE, PARKING | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, THIRD PLACE
‘Abri & co’ is a multifunctional corner building, which is a part of the general revitalisation programme for the popular neighbourhood Marolles. The Marolles is characterized by two parallel yet intertwined worlds: ‘front-’ and ‘backstage’. Abri & Co responds to the realities, expectations and needs of both of them. Offices, a shop and an entrance to the hospital serve the supralocal users of the ‘frontstage’ and are oriented to the Hoogstraat. Dwellings and a daycare orient themselves to the local residents of the ‘backstage’ and are in close connection with the smaller side street, Abrikozenboomstraat.
The spatial layout is almost naturally derived from a careful reading of the boundary conditions: the site’s strong topography, required connection to the floors of the adjacent office building and the solar orientation. Offices, daycare and dwellings orient themselves both to the lively street side and to the sunny interior of the block, to the ‘frontstage’ and the ‘backstage’. Due to the steep topography, a ‘double’ ground floor is created. Both levels activate public space with a public/commercial facility on the lower corner and the daycare on the upper one.
The architectural expression of Abri & Co derives from the Marolles’ urban fabric, which is composed of two scales, two distinct grains. The main volume of Abri & Co refers to the bigger bodies of the adjacent office buildings. The facade combines the vertical rhythm of the row houses across and the horizontal articulation of these offices into a grid. Volumetric fragmentation and different floor heights divide this grid and volume into fragments on the scale much closer to the myriad row houses which characterize the Hoogstraat.This way Abri & Co becomes a contemporary answer to the needs of a diverse neighbourhood staying truthful to its versatile identity and adding a new layer to its long history.
ADAPTIVE RE-USE FOR 156 DWELLINGS AND 2 LEVELS OF OFFICES IN THE CENTER OF BRUSSELS | INVITED COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PLACE
AWARDS Nominated for the Archdaily 2022 Building of the year Awards | Nominated for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2022 | Nominated for the Prix international de la transformation de bureaux en logements 2021, awarded with the special mention of the jury.
The ‘60s high-rise slab, standing perpendicular to the street, was a rare modernist insertion into the former Brussels’ trading port composed of late XIXth-century warehouses. Originally built as an office block, it suffered years of neglect. The proximity of Brussel’s Canal Zone and North railway station provided the impetus for redeveloping the building’s office spaces into 130 comfortable housing units ranging from compact studio flats to generous three-bedroom apartments higher up, with unique east and west views. At the south-east corner of the site, a new building with 26 dwellings was added to mark the volumetric transition between the high-rise and the neighbouring row of houses. The underground parking connects both buildings and features 170 cycle parking spaces. The project relies on a soft mobility concept to go far beyond regulations and significantly reduce the number of parking spaces from more than 150 to 50.
The design strategy is based on a critical review of the modernist insertion with no direct access to the street, as well as on an analysis of the potential of the existing load-bearing frame. The existing grey façade was removed, exposing the concrete skeleton. Following a rigorous and precise reinforcement of the framework, the building was extended by adding three floors, which emphasises the slim silhouette. The preservation of the existing structure offers unique ceiling heights of more than three metres in all units.
On the west and east façades, from the second floor on, the lightweight secondary steel structure is composed of a grid containing generous balconies. White perforated sliding panels serve as a protection against sun and wind, creating a permanent yet fluctuating play of light and shade that animates the façades that have become a landmark in Brussels’ skyline.
The double‑height access hall provides a visual extension to the exterior space. Two rows of double-height arcades running along the public lower floors define the sheltered pedestrian path crossing the property. Consequently, the entrance of the building is brought to the street, anchoring the building in the urban fabric.
The Cosmopolitan is not only a forerunner of urban renewal in a long-neglected area of Brussels. It also shows that an inventive strategy of targeted adjustments — both in-depth and on the surface — can give a new lease of life to buildings from the post-war building boom era and help improve the quality of life in a densely populated, diverse city.
The original building was designed by architects Charles Verhelle and Henry Profiter, with structural engineering by J.L. Cnops. Developed by the insurance company Assubel—now a part of Allianz—the building served both as their office and a medical-surgery center.
Selected publications: Architectura, ArchDaily, Zeppelin Magazine, De Standaard
STUDENT ROOMS, CONGRESS CENTRE AND OFFICES | OPEN COMPETITION FOR PPP ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT, 1ST PLACE
AWARDS Nominated for the Biennial Architecture Award Ixelles 2014 | Participation in the Day of Architecture 2013
This academic residence on the campus of the Brussels Free University (VUB) fulfills a double function: accommodation for students, guest lecturers and athletes, as well as a representative congress venue combined with facilities for research in the field of sports medicine and physical performance.
The architecture of the building is derived from its implantation in the landscape and its urban context. The bent volume nestles between the curve of the athletics track and the row of trees along a historic bridleway. The new landmark, resting on a transparent base of pilotis, acts as a new gateway towards the university campus: the project takes advantage of its visibility on the Boulevard General Jacques to open and connect a previously introverted site. The office and accommodation spaces are open to the city and the green surroundings. The cantilevered window frames provide shadow for the glazing, ensure a sense of privacy, and frame clear views towards the cityscape.
Selected publications:: Het Nieuwsblad
VISION FOR DENSIFICATION, MIXED-USE AND LIVING QUALITY IN THE EUROPEAN QUARTER IN BRUSSELS
Today Rue Belliard in Brussels functions primarily as an ‘exit-boulevard’ for car traffic. The surrounding European neighbourhood is a mono-functional area containing office buildings of which many are empty. The purpose of this vision is the transformation on one hand of this thoroughfare into a new axis that offers more quality to pedestrians, residents and users, and on the other hand of the wider area into a pleasant and vibrant environment for living and working, supported by an appropriate mix of urban complementary functions. By means of research by design, we looked at: ways to densify the urban tissue and create enough critical mass to carry a rich offer of mixed functions; possibilities of transforming office buildings into housing; new target groups and potential residents; new urban and architectural typologies. The output consists of new forms of legislation and policy designed to combat the vacancy of the buildings and proactively stimulate new evolutions both bottom-up and top-down.
Following this vision, we have developed in collaboration with the Alderman of Urban Planning and Heritage of the City of Brussels, Geoffroy Coomans de Brachène, the guidelines for future projects in the European neighbourhood “Towards een multifunctionele quartier européen”. These guidelines enable the transformation of the current mono-functional office district into a multifunctional urban space supporting new functions such as housing, shops, kindergartens, cultural activities etc.
Aimed towards owners, architects and investors, the document can be downloaded via this link.
CONSTRUCTION OF A MULTIFUNCTIONAL NEIGHBOURHOOD IN THE HEART OF BRUSSELS | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT
The regeneration of Rempart des Moines has to be distinctive and imaginative. At the same time it needs to take into account its place in the City – what we find today and what took place in the past.
We are interested in cities, in how buildings and streets can create cities which are pleasant, vibrant and encourage a sense of ownership and pride. The loose urban conditions that exist on the site today create uncertainty and isolation from the surrounding urban fabric. Patterns of development of this area evolved over time and formed an intimate, compact network following historic routes, land boundaries and geographic features.
We intend to give the site a strong and tangible identity – to utilise the idea of a quarter and form a unique urban space. Heterogeneity and variety are generated by the juxtaposition of different typologies and subtle variations within each of them.
In the ‘Mansion Blocks’ – predominant linear buildings, all apartments have dual aspect. The north-south alignment provides optimal orientation with both views to the east and west and sunlight throughout the whole day. Each home is accessed via an open gallery, which thanks to its generous size, functions as a communal space where neighbours can meet. Private outdoor spaces encourage residents to take ownership of the gallery as a spot to sit or a place for potted plants.
Ground floors open towards the two new squares by being principally occupied by the association and support spaces for residents such as cycle and refuse storage. The elderly day care and sports centre also stay in close relation with public spaces. Dwellings are accessed through a portal into a passage leading to the communal courtyard garden.
The east-west passages connecting Rue du Grand-Serment and Rue du Rempart des Moines are intended to recall the dense streets which characterised the neighbourhood up to 1960’s. Along these passages large family homes are placed providing children with immediate access to outside space where they can play within the pedestrianized lanes, safely overlooked by parents.
At the north and southeast apex of the site stand ‘Sentinels’ – two buildings of a different character. They look outwards the site, signifying the presence of the quarter and giving it particular prominence within the adjoining public spaces: Place Jacques Brel and Place du Jardin aux Fleurs.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE GRANDS MAGASINS DE LA BOURSE | OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT
The former Grands Magasins de la Bourse of Brussels, on Anspach Boulevard, are a witness of the history of the city centre. They constitute an architectural palimpsest which embodies the many changes that occurred in the city overtime, from the canalization of the Senne and the Haussmannian perspective to the more recent pedestrianization of the neighbourhood. The result is a complex collage, only waiting to be revealed. Hence our renovation proposal aims to tell the story, and to add another layer to the history of the building.
This attitude is both reflected in the programmatic infill of the project and the resolution of its materiality. Within the large volume of the the former department store, the new program is organised in 3 main areas. Cultural and commercial activities take place at underground, ground and first levels. They constitute an extension of the public realm and offer visual and physical porosity through the block.
The middle levels host educational functions, such as the Erasmus Hogeschool. They are organised around a large atrium which brings natural light in the depth of the plot.
The project is also home to 78 housing units. They take place around a central patio. The latter constitutes a quiet oasis in the middle of this dynamic urban context.
The envelope of the building consists in the juxtaposition of existing and new features. They compose a subtle collage which, by addition and subtraction, reveals the many chapters of the history of the building.
BRUSSELS COURTHOUSE CONTEST | INTERNATIONAL OPEN COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT
Maybe time, and not space, should be seen as the primary context of architecture. Time involves change. For a building to be alive it must admit to change. As this is valid for all buildings, so it is for monuments. Listing a building is not a kind of taxidermy. Listing a building does not mean we want to keep it just the way it is; it means we want to keep the building alive. Therefore we have to allow it to change in a controlled way.
The Brussels Palace of Justice became a radiant, glorious and sublime absurdity. The cost of maintenance and its inefficiency are as exuberant as its spaces. It embodies everything about justice as it was and allows little margin for justice as it should be: modern, secure, efficient, human and with a low threshold. We are convinced that Brussels, being the capital of the continent, deserves – more than any other region in Belgium – to receive a new contemporary courthouse, very close to the existing one and to all the related juridical and political functions in the neighbourhood. In our publication “International Geographic”, you will find an article on how and where this could be organised.
We do want to save The Palace of Justice. But it became far too expensive to be maintained only with public money. Its lack of efficiency on the other hand will make it difficult to fully privatise it in a profitable way. Therefore we propose one of the biggest Private Public Partnerships ever. The building will be partly public and partly private. The panorama seen from the ring of the cupola will become a tourist attractor. Inside mainly functions that don’t need daylight conditions and that flourish on exuberance and the excess of space are welcomed: large museum halls, luxury hotels, a casino, a shopping mall, a wellness, an auditorium, etc. In the bibliography at the end of the magazine, the caring reader will find many examples of the successful public-private transformation of monuments.
But, a lot more important than the new functions of the building itself, is the condition and the quality of the public space surrounding it. If we want to save this building, alter its perception but limit the changes within the building itself, we must change its position in society and totally rethink its public space. We propose to extend the Poelaert Square not only next to the building but also inside: public space is transformed into one continuous park, a flow of semi-mineral and semi-green spaces, closely related to new cafés, restaurants, shops and the other new functions. Parts of the building are to be kept, others to be changed or demolished. Of course we keep the central core, the “Salle des Pas Perdus” and the dome; we keep the volumes along the perimeter and the beautiful spatial internal sequence of the stairs going down to the Marolles. But it will be inevitable to also un-list parts of the building to allow for a new life, for new conditions, for more public space with bigger green courtyards and inner gardens. This way, the building will transform into a high quality city fragment that never sleeps. We believe it is a noble cause to activate the market and stimulate it to help the government to save our cultural heritage in an ambitious, contemporary, durable, culturally meaningful and metropolitan way. We are also convinced that this is what Europe stands for in relation to other large markets on the planet: a careful and very human balance between the free market and government intervention. This is the international mission statement that might emanate from this building that speaks to the whole world. Because the scale of the building is that big that its geography is not local, nor national, but international – which explains the title of the magazine “International Geographic”.
We felt compelled to look for an answer for the future of the Palace of Justice, because monuments today force us to deal in the best possible way with inevitable accelerated change and ongoing globalization. Beyond the question of the monument itself, we are challenged to reflect on who we are and what is our position concerning evolution and cultural fusion on a planetary scale. The content of this challenge is amplified by the basic questions about survival and sustainability. Maybe, in order to preserve all that we love, we will need the courage to change everything…