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2005_WIELS
Rehabilitation of the Wielemans Ceuppens buildings into community facilities

Location :
Forest, Brussels
Client :
Forest Municipality
Category :
Competition
From the outset, the project concentrates the program on the corner building, a beautiful existing structure full of character. The compact and rational organization frees up the entire neighboring parcel. Once covered by a beautiful greenhouse, the generous plot of the neighbouring house becomes the biggest asset of the program. It is the advertisement of the gardens, all the way to the street. It presents an open and luminous face to the city, in the middle of the north-facing facades.

The corner building gains a new front here, overlooking the vertical circulation, whose wide landings are new spaces to be appropriated. It is a free, generous, and informal place. On the ground floor, the reception desk sits in a strategic spot, while on the upper floors, the work or meeting rooms are adjacent to balconies that anyone can enjoy.

The commercial space is located on the corner. This is obviously the best possible location for a business, visible from both avenues.

The cafeteria is housed in the walls of the old house, and opens onto the garden at the back, to the south. New openings in the old walls accompany the existing ones. A glass roof replaces the old annexes that cluttered the back. It is a lively place, sheltering different ambiances.

By connecting the gardens through selected openings, an evolving system of differentiated atmospheres and activities is created. The first garden borders the cafeteria. The plot of the adjacent housing could be made public while maintaining a terrace on the first landing. A playground or a vegetable garden can be installed further away. The Red Cross could also be offered to open their walls, as well as other neighbors. Gardens can be added as opportunities arise.

The Attic, full of potential, could house a multipurpose room. A beautiful height, a vast space, the possibility of a terrace on the roof, and of course the view onto a magnificent building nearby, on the other side of the intersection. A beautiful and promising location for the multipurpose hall, a little away from the hustle and bustle.

(Extracts from the Competition Proposal)