0602_METAL
refurbishment of a tire workshop in evening school, sports hall and housing
- Location :
- Saint-Gilles, Brussels
- Client :
- Commune of Saint-Gilles
- Cost :
- 1.301.211,00 EUR excl VAT
- Surface :
- 1606 m2
- Team :
- AgwA + Ferrière Architectes
- Subcontractors :
- JZH & Partners
- Planning :
- 2009
- Category :
- Completed
The building, which has preserved the qualities of space and light of its construction era, now houses a sports hall, an after-school homework program, and three low-rent apartments. This mixed development meets the requirements set out in the «neighborhood agreement» urban-regeneration project for the Métal-Monnaie district.
We decided to preserve as much as possible of the powerful modernist architectural structure. The two apartments are conceived as a totally independent structure hanging over the roof. As the existing apartments were already designed as a bridge-structure, the new ensemble induces a horizontal stratification of heterogeneous parts contrasting strongly with the surrounding houses.
In order to reinforce this contrast, and also to match sharp financial criteria, facade cladding of the new apartments is built in transparent polycarbonate, which is also used in the large glass roofs and façades.
The project focuses on structure and skin topics : archeological preservation, transformation, and resonance of new structural elements with the older ones. These structural strategies are all ruled by the understanding of the structural behavior, instead of the structural design. In consequence, a coherent diversity is made possible in appearances and materiality.
The project was nominated for the Belgian Award for Architecture and Energy in 2012 and received a sustainability award at Bisbeurs in Ghent in 2011. It was presented in numerous publications and exhibitions.
pictures © Marie-Françoise Plissart & Filip Dujardin
We decided to preserve as much as possible of the powerful modernist architectural structure. The two apartments are conceived as a totally independent structure hanging over the roof. As the existing apartments were already designed as a bridge-structure, the new ensemble induces a horizontal stratification of heterogeneous parts contrasting strongly with the surrounding houses.
In order to reinforce this contrast, and also to match sharp financial criteria, facade cladding of the new apartments is built in transparent polycarbonate, which is also used in the large glass roofs and façades.
The project focuses on structure and skin topics : archeological preservation, transformation, and resonance of new structural elements with the older ones. These structural strategies are all ruled by the understanding of the structural behavior, instead of the structural design. In consequence, a coherent diversity is made possible in appearances and materiality.
The project was nominated for the Belgian Award for Architecture and Energy in 2012 and received a sustainability award at Bisbeurs in Ghent in 2011. It was presented in numerous publications and exhibitions.
pictures © Marie-Françoise Plissart & Filip Dujardin
