Apartment Building La Magnanerie

Gérald Ledent

Description

This modernist building is located in a park of almost 2 hectares in upper Forest commune. Its boomerang shape was designed to provide the dwellings with the best possible sunlight and views. At the rear of the building there are 170 garages and a petrol station. On the park side, the building has a double-height walkway, extended westwards by a sculptural staircase leading to the avenue below. This gallery serves 14 shops and 10 residential entrances, each leading to 32 apartments. The first floor includes general service rooms and flats attached to the shops. The 18-floor building comprises 341 units, divided into 14 different types, from one-bedroom apartments to duplexes with double-height living rooms, four bedrooms, and large terraces on the top floors. All dwellings have balconies in front of each main room. The standard apartment has a large living room extended by a full-width terrace with a broad view to the city. To the rear, two bedrooms and a kitchen are shown, also with their own terraces. A central core accommodates a toilet and a bathroom. The differences between façades to the east – made of a light concrete frame – and the west – featuring horizontal balconies – indicate it was constructed in two phases. The colours range from white to light yellow, and the gable walls are covered with natural stone slabs.

This browser does not support PDFs.Unit plan, 1:100
This browser does not support PDFs.Cross section, 1:500
This browser does not support PDFs.Roof floor, 1:500
This browser does not support PDFs.Typical floor, 1:500
This browser does not support PDFs.First floor, 1:500
This browser does not support PDFs.Ground floor, 1:500
Exterior view
Exterior view

Originally published in: Gérald Ledent, Alessandro Porotto, Brussels Housing. Atlas of Residential Building Types, Birkhäuser, 2023.

Building Type Housing

Morphological Type Slab/Super-Block

Urban Context Modernist Urban Fabric, Suburbia

Architect Claude Laurens, Jacques Cuisinier

Year Two phases (1957 and 1961)

Location Brussels

Country Belgium

Geometric Organization Linear

Floor Area 108 m² + terraces 22 m²

Number of Units 341

Height High-Rise (8 levels and more)

Load-Bearing Structure Column-and-Slab

Access Type Vertical Core

Layout Corridor/Hallway, Inserted Cores, Living Room as Circulation Center

Outdoor Space of Apartment Balcony, Roof Terrace

New Building, Refurbishment or Extension New Building

Address Minervalaan 3–39 avenue Minerve, 1190 Brussels

Map Link to Map