51N4E. photos: © Filip Dujardin
The canal area in Brussels is famous for its industrial heritage, but today we are witnessing the integration of housing units within this urban fabric. On the former site of the BPost building, Stephane Beel developed a master plan for a vierdeel. Towards the inside of the plot, the four buildings together form an intimate garden-room recognizable by the typology of an exuberant number of cantilevered terraces. Towards the outside of the plot, however, the approach is different: every building establishes a relationship with its neighbouring environment.
51N4E is responsible for the design of building B along Willebroekkaai. The building seeks to create a strong alliance with the park opposite and especially its potential to be recognized as a more open and attractive park, which is seen as a strong quality for the housing units. The east façade dissociates itself from the busy boulevard through panoramic loggias in a volume shifted back from the main road. The loggias are designed as a third (outdoor) room that creates a buffer zone with the street and a sheltered spot for the residents with a green view on the city park. Through their design and the possibility they offer of being closed off from the street with simple sliding glass panels, these loggias can also function perfectly as valuable winter gardens.
The one-bedroom apartments along the park side are developed as three-room apartments: a living area, a bedroom and a loggia. All three rooms are connected to each other and maximize the use of this small living unit into a generous apartment. The studios on the west side have a shorter depth and are mainly oriented along the length of the façade. All studios have three generous windows that let light enter deeply, but also establish a strong open relationship with the more silent inner courtyard.
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Studio’s (51 m² brut, 43m² netto), one-bedroom apartments (68 m² brut, 59m² netto) and office space.
51N4E partners: Johan Anrys, Freek Persyn
51N4E team: Aline Neirynck, Saar Tilleman, Olivier Cavens, Gerlinde Verhaeghe, Annaïk Deceuninck, Marta Petrov
