353VHO
Program
Collective housing
Location
Koekelberg
Date
2020 - 2027
Themes
Urban, Renovation, Public
Phase
Ongoing
Surfaces
3555 m²
Team
BESP, MK Engineering
Client
Log'iris
Budget
€ 6 000 000
Renovation of a 35-unit apartment building on Van Hoegaerde Street
A little history
To the north-west of Brussels, the Koekelberg area has developed along the Paruck, a tributary of the Senne. It was in this low-lying area, along the axis of what are now the Rue Autrique and Rue Schmitz streets, that Koekelberg Castle and its adjacent ponds once stood – the very site of the project today.
From the second half of the 18th century onwards, the presence of water and the arrival of road and rail links spurred the industrialisation of the area. The manorial hamlet gave way to the Van Hoegaerde spinning mill and then to the imposing De Boeck brewery, built in 1877, which eventually occupied the entire block. The project’s building still stands alongside the original home of the brewers’ family today.
A little plan
In the 1960s, the ‘Foyer Koekelbergeois’ built the Residence G. Vanderveken at No. 28. This modest apartment block, situated in a rather unusual location, was initially a standalone building, before becoming part of a larger lot comprising three blocks, which was subsequently incorporated into a P.P.A.(S) in the 1980s.
A little modern heritage
The original building exhibited a number of established construction qualities: its facing brickwork and architectural concrete were well preserved, while its compactness suggested relatively good structural and thermal performance. However, its location on a narrow plot confined the majority of residents to outdated layouts, with no genuinely usable outdoor spaces.
The specifications called for a two-stage renovation: 2/3 of the budget was to be allocated to renovating the flats and communal areas, with the remaining 1/3 devoted to a traditional external building envelope. We proposed the opposite strategy: limiting the interior intervention to a refresh and allocating the majority of the budget to timber extensions in order to improve a broader range of aspects of the building: social, regulatory, spatial, and cultural.
An innovative and rational solution
By extending the façades as far as possible, pushing against the boundaries of the plot, and thereby ‘expanding’ the interior spaces, we were able to enhance the building’s existing qualities. This expansion allows most of the existing layouts to be retained, whilst enlarging, in turn, the living rooms, kitchens or bedrooms, depending on the specific layout under consideration. Set within these new facades, between the living spaces, are spacious loggias, providing every flat with access to an outdoor space. Finally, the redevelopment of the surrounding areas creates new opportunities for the use and enjoyment of the residential complex’s gardens.
