Program

The purpose of the competition was to transform the building of Hallemans breweries in 30-35 housing units for artists, including an in-house workspace. On top of the transformation, a new construction was necessary to provide the needed surfaces.

Situation

The building closing the site on its northern side is demolished to make place for a compact, tall construction, creating space and views in the courtyard. The new construction shelters the elevator, which reaches all the units in the complex via footbridges over the courtyard. All distribution is outdoors, in direct relation to the court.

To improve natural lighting, the upper part of new building is withdrawn from the property limit, to allow a façade with the benefits of northern light.

A neighbourhood in search of new breath

The insertion of the project in its urban environment can be summarized in two words: openness and visual presence.

Since the site is in between two public spaces (a street and a square), both of them have an entrance to the building, making a visual connection between the two spaces.

The combination of the old an the new building, both much higher than the industrial halls along the canal, is seen from the right bank of the Canal, participating in the Molenbeek skyline.

A new life for industrial inheritance.

The project seeks to integrate as much as possible all the structural and architectural elements that are characteristic of the old brewery. On this inheritance background, the necessary interventions for contemporary living will be clearly identifiable, creating a dialogue with the existing building, never imitating it.

As for the new building, it will be clearly different from the old brewery, both by its contemporary architecture as by its zinc facade.

Spatial configurations

19 of the final 31 units are interlocking duplexes, which permits better natural lighting (double heights), and views on both sides of the building, as well as privatising the apartments by separating one of the floors from the distribution (which is then reduced). The bathroom blocks are concentrated in compact modules, gathered around a minimum number of vertical descents. The apartments will be delivered without internal partitions, so to allow the maximum flexibility for the users.

The question of inheritance