The program of the competition consisted of 8 housing units for households that, for an array of reasons, found themselves between two more stable living arrangements. The units would be occupied 6 months at the most by the same family. The Building included single rooms that could be associated with different appartments, so as to cater to different family sizes.

The urban context is rich with contrasts and image-invoking urban elements. The Verboeckhoven circus is a powerful urban shape and a complex traffic node, where different neighbourhoods converge. IThe presence of the railroad tracks at the pit of the roundabout is a fitting metaphor for the competition program.

The site, a plot between two existing buildings, is the last piece to close the roundabout. A small high voltage cabin is all that stands between the new building and the square.

The project

The project is an anchor for the city and forthe families it will harbour. The project travels back and forth between the high symbolic value of its location and the modesty of its allowed size, as well as the comfort of the refuge it must provide for its future inhabitants.

The building is excavated to establish connections. The void on the second floor creates a visual continuity with the roof of the high voltage cabin, givng the building a facade on an otherwise blind wall. On the street level, the stair towards the basement guides onwalkers looks to the otherwise hidden railroad tracks, revealing the valley behind the street.

The interior of the building is simple and economical. The stairway is a progression towards the intimate space, going from public to collective to individual space. On the second floor, where the outdoors terrace opens to the city, a collective room is available to the inhabitants.

The building is a beacon of hope. Shiny now with its copper facade, it will change progressively to a gentler green patine, signifying the passing of time at a different pace than thaot of its dwellers. It will remain luminous, gradually fading into the urban landscape.