2208_TOISON D'OR
Renovations of offices for the SLRB, Talent.Brussels and SASLS
- Location :
- Saint-Gilles, Brussels
- Client :
- SLRB, Talent.Brussels and SASLS
- Team :
- AgwA+Matador
- Subcontractors :
- JZH&Partners, Codives
- Planning :
- 2022
- Category :
- Ongoing
During the development of the project, an almost ideological position emerged: reducing new constructions or volumetric additions to almost nothing, and meticulously deconstructing certain elements to generate a new structuring of the premises which will be clear, legible, and qualitative.
This approach is particularly relevant in the specific context of this project: it answers to the specificities of the site, of the program, and to the development process of the project proposed by the client. Moreover, this approach is part of a broader logic of sustainability and circularity that is intended to be exemplary.
The site is made up of two buildings with a strong formal and spatial identity that address different streets with very contrasting characters. The current density and the complex arrangement of the built spaces in the interior of the block make it difficult to create an easy connection between the two buildings and strongly limit the relations to the outside. The area located in the heart of the block is primarily made of a large, shared, mostly obsolete car park.
The project is mainly focused on redefining the base: a new, collective and varied program and the purpose of connecting the two existing structures.
Based on the existing structural logic, the project works by subtraction: cutting into the existing building to recreate clarity and rebuilding only very sparingly. For the office floors, it is a question of preserving the existing structures and enhancing the character of the "large floors" by removing or moving certain partitions.
For the base, the idea is to create a new spatial figure by relying on the existing structural framework and by removing certain slabs to create a double-height gallery that links the two buildings, the two entrance halls and the two streets. Its roof, laid out as a terrace, creates an additional, open-air crossing between the two buildings. It also allows for the addition of common programs at the edges and ends of this gallery. These exterior and interior spaces have a strong spatial identity: garden, patios, cafeteria, auditorium, HUB, exhibition room, etc. They are treated as "architectural pieces" that find their place in the proposed general structure.
(extracts from the competition proposal)
This approach is particularly relevant in the specific context of this project: it answers to the specificities of the site, of the program, and to the development process of the project proposed by the client. Moreover, this approach is part of a broader logic of sustainability and circularity that is intended to be exemplary.
The site is made up of two buildings with a strong formal and spatial identity that address different streets with very contrasting characters. The current density and the complex arrangement of the built spaces in the interior of the block make it difficult to create an easy connection between the two buildings and strongly limit the relations to the outside. The area located in the heart of the block is primarily made of a large, shared, mostly obsolete car park.
The project is mainly focused on redefining the base: a new, collective and varied program and the purpose of connecting the two existing structures.
Based on the existing structural logic, the project works by subtraction: cutting into the existing building to recreate clarity and rebuilding only very sparingly. For the office floors, it is a question of preserving the existing structures and enhancing the character of the "large floors" by removing or moving certain partitions.
For the base, the idea is to create a new spatial figure by relying on the existing structural framework and by removing certain slabs to create a double-height gallery that links the two buildings, the two entrance halls and the two streets. Its roof, laid out as a terrace, creates an additional, open-air crossing between the two buildings. It also allows for the addition of common programs at the edges and ends of this gallery. These exterior and interior spaces have a strong spatial identity: garden, patios, cafeteria, auditorium, HUB, exhibition room, etc. They are treated as "architectural pieces" that find their place in the proposed general structure.
(extracts from the competition proposal)
