Description
This project (whose original architect is unknown) is located on the left bank of the canal. It is the result of the conversion of the former Hallemans breweries. The original L-shaped building has been complemented by a new construction to the east. Together, they form an inner courtyard accessible from the Rue du Cheval Noir and the Place Brunfaut.
The new and higher building is easily seen from the right bank of the canal. The project accommodates 31 artists’ apartments combined with workshops, an innovative programme for Brussels. The vertical circulation core is located on the west side of the new building and is accessible from the inner courtyard. From that single circulation core, a series of exterior landings and footbridges leads to the apartments. All dwellings have views both to the courtyard and to the outside and most of them are arranged as duplexes, which prevents privacy problems on the ground floor and reduces the collective circulation space. The sanitary facilities are concentrated in the centre of the dwellings around a minimum number of vertical ducts. The brick façades of the old building have been preserved, with a series of local interventions such as round windows with concrete frames. The new building shows a higher, twisted volume, coated in zinc.
Exterior view
Interior view
Originally published in: Gérald Ledent, Alessandro Porotto, Brussels Housing. Atlas of Residential Building Types, Birkhäuser, 2023.