Description

This project (whose original architect is unknown) is located in the heart of Brussels. It results from the restructuring of the former Heymans soap factory, with some buildings dating back to the 18th century. The project accommodates 42 social-housing units, a caretaker’s lodge, a communal lounge, a laundry room, and a children’s day-care centre. The buildings are organised around three large outdoor spaces: a tree-planted garden, a large paved courtyard, and a park-playground arranged around the concrete structure of a 1950s building. A great variety of dwelling typologies is found in the project, reflecting the variety of buildings on the site, ranging from new to renovated structures: studios, oneto six-bedroom apartments, lofts, duplexes, and three-storey houses. The smaller dwellings are located on the street side, while the larger units occupy the interior of the block. One of the characteristic elements of the project are the glass-enclosed bioclimatic loggias that create both an acoustic barrier, particularly towards the Rue d’Anderlecht, and greater thermal inertia for the dwellings. Most of the historical elements of the site have been preserved, such as the industrial chimney that is used to ventilate the underground car park.

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