The house is located in a street lined with typical 19th century twin worker houses. A local regulation requires that any new construction has to take over the traditional typology of small houses with pitched roof.
Atelier Kempe Thill has recently won the European tender for the transformation of two apartment blocks in the Brussels district of Jette. In the closed competition five teams were involved.
The two apartment blocks are located in a hilly park – alike setting in a green urban part of the Brussels agglomeration next to sports facilities.
One of the major challenges of the project was to combine at the ground floor level the required flexibility for a multifunctional and public space, and allowing at the same time the possibility to locate 30.000 books of the library. The system proposed to solve this issue was a three-dimensional version of the Cervantes Institute Logo. Orthogal geometries created by thick red lines which limit undefined spaces. One can move between this lines full of books and spend some time sitting on the benches located on the hallways or going out to wider spaces to enjoy the lecture at the café. The books work also as a storefront background. The activities allocated in this floor are visible from the street as a way to highlight its public essence. A domestic library, a coffee hall, a multifunctional space with stands or the information displayed on the monitors.
Today the Astro Tower in Brussels (Belgium) is presented, which after its renovation—led by Estudio Lamela and its Belgianpartners Altiplan Architects—becomes Europe’s tallest green building in terms of energy consumption and savings. The project represents theprofoundrefurbishment of an icon of the city to respond to the requirements of sustainability required by a 21st century city. At the same time, it renews the skyline of the city. “When we won the contest in 2010, we opted forcompletely rehabilitating the building from the original structure and preserving its essence. To do this, we replaced the facades with others that provide more luminosity and, more importantly, we gained the energy control of the tower,“affirms Carlos Lamela, director of Estudio Lamela.
The building is located in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, a multicultural and dense municipality situated in the north part of Brussels, Belgium
The assignment for the competition was to transform an industrial site into a local city-hall branch including a waiting room, 12 counters and administration offices. The existing building used to be part of a complex for the production of cigarettes, which has been largely demolished in the past decades. Nowadays only two volumes remain along the rue Charles Malis.
1. TOUR ET TAXIS: TOWARDS A MIXED-USE ECO-NEIGHBORHOOD
Whereas most developing countries can write their future starting from a blank slate, European cities face the challenge of transforming their built heritage to secure their energy, social and economic transition towards post-carbon, circular and interdependent urban living.
It means being determined to act as forward thinkers, and to bring our new project “Tour & Taxis” into the 21st century in terms of uses, technological progress, social innovation, and sustainable building principles. Today’s architecture is capable of implementing “energy solidarity” between a piece of architectural heritage — industrial in this case — and a contemporary project. The latter provides the necessary energy to the former by integrating renewable energies, thus limiting carbon emissions as recommended by the COP 21.
By transforming a former office in Brussels into a homely loft, Dutch interior and furniture designer Robert Kolenik shows how a spaciously set up industrial apartment can be decorated as a warm, comfortable home.
Thus the rising star among designers, known for his sustainable interiors, adds a new chapter to his portfolio of challenging, high-profile designs. Robert Kolenik garnered international renown when he designed a kitchen counter featuring a large aquarium, and a carport with built-in solar panels for recharging electric cars. He is also responsible for the interior design of various restaurants and hotels, such as the iconic round hotel beside the A2 in Amsterdam. Kolenik is known for his unique Eco Chic style, for which he uses natural and sustainable materials.
Article source: Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS architects & engineers
As a consequence of 2004 European enlargement, the Justus Lipsius building becomes too small for the council of the European1 (hereafter named the Council). According to the treaty of Nice, adopted in 2001, all European Council2 sessions are held in Brussels, which also generates new real estate needs. In order to respond to those, the Belgian State offered the Council to cede block A from the complex “Residence Palace” to make it the future seat of both the European Council and the Council, once this building renovated and adapted to its future owners’ needs.
Tags: Belgium, Brussels Comments Off on The European Council and Council of the European Union in Brussels, Belgium by Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS architects & engineers
The 6 buildings in the Minimes neighbourhood were designed in 1954 by architects and urban planners from the Alpha group. The architectural composition of these social housing units is elegant and the buildings were erected with great care.
Still, time has left its mark. The thermal insulation needs improving, and it is also important to equip all units with decent sanitary facilities.
Special care has been taken to respect the great simplicity and harmony of the existing buildings.
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