Renovation/Construction of 13 dwellings + commercial areas

This building in downtown Brussels was commissioned by a real estate developer. The building is part of an ensemble of 3 existing building with very different characteristics and is situated between 3 streets. The surrounding existing buildings are very motley, regarding heights, functions, typologies. Diversity is also part of the building we designed and the appartments included existing characteristics of the site: structure, volume, light, hierarchies...

The height of the B building was changed by adding 2 floors in order to integrate the volume of the surrounding buildings. This volume has been added onto the roof of a neoclassic building wich has no great intrinsic qualities. It’s a dark and abstract volume wich reminds the new building at the opposite side of the complex and the new extension on the central building). Actually, all the new parts are characterized by one color (black) so, they can be clearly identified. They can been read as grafted elements with different sizes and scales. The new building on the corner offers an articulated / disarticulated volume which forms the hinge between the various levels.

Surface : 9.520 m² (housing) + 500 m² (commercial areas)

This is a renovation of an existing building, wich used to be a factory, within a streetblock. Now, there are one artist studio, two flats and a large parking space.
The project also boasts two outdoor residual spaces. The first one (front side) was though like a courtyard and a garden was designed into the second one (back side).
The difficulty was to bring naturel light inside this long construction with blind party walls. That's why there is a rupture in the middle of the building wich was litteraly cut to create a three levels patio all around the existing staircase.
The second challenge was to deal with the direct views to the neighboring properties. It was therefore necessary to protect the back facade with a white perforated metal sheet. By giving it a slight movement terraces have been created.
The parking space is in the basement. The ground floor is devoted to the studio as well as a part of the first floor wich is a mezzanine. This configuration frees up a large glazed surface and allows the light to come into the studio. The other part of the first level and the attic space of the second level contain the two flats measuring respectively 140 and 220 sqm.