8 HOUSING UNITS, SPORT INFRASTRUCTURES, KINDERGARTEN, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THE FORMER ATHÉNÉE RABELAIS IN IXELLES | OPEN CALL ORGANISED BY THE CLIENT
In the heart of Ixelles, an ambitious mix of functions calls for an in-depth reorganisation of the former Athénée Rabelais. A radical – yet precise and limited – intervention clears up the existing implantation in order to create a generous outdoor passage connecting the Chaussée d’Ixelles with the rue de l’Athénée, improving the organisation and the readability of the site.
Three additional outdoor spaces complement this passage. Together, they qualify the four programmatic poles of the project: the housing, the kindergarten, the primary school and the secondary school. On the rue Jules Bouillon, eight apartments unfold around a sunny patio. Well oriented, it concentrates user flows and living spaces, while offering an intimate breath from urban life and conditions for social life. Within the block, the kindergarten is structured around a generous cloister that becomes the natural extension of the classrooms and facilitates interactions between children and their environment. The existing courtyard unifies the primary school. It constitutes a protected and magnificent place where children of all ages are free to learn, discover and grow autonomously. The new passage forms the central courtyard of the secondary school. It is a space of appropriation that respond to the need for new pedagogies while opening up the school towards its neighbourhood.
Periodically functioning as a street, this courtyard offers endless opportunities. In a natural way, all public or collective functions open generously towards this new “street”, giving direct access to various polyvalent rooms, sport premises, the main courtyard and the Agora after school hours. These exceptional spaces can therefore be used by local inhabitants or associations and make the Athénée Rabelais a beating heart for the local community.