les balcons | BEL

What would be the best way to transform and exploit a monolithic 80s office building along the Avenue Marcel Thiry into a pleasant living space that meets all the contemporary criteria for comfort while facing the sustainable goals of tomorrow?

Located in the heart of an urban fabric, the conversion of this young heritage from the eighties into housing and retail space shows that it is quite possible to combine performance with elegance.

Les Balcons is a project that is part of the ongoing process of reassigning unoccupied buildings in order to meet the growing needs for housing and the purposeful development in Brussels.

This transformation project serves its residential function by deploying 85 housing units spread over a total of 8 levels on the main building and 6 levels on the new building. Ground floors are activated with shops and office areas. The first extension allowed the main building to stretch into the west, and benefited from a deep renovation required to achieve the passive house standard. The second extension led to the creation of an entirely new building.

Awarded in 2012 as an Exemplary Building (BATEX), Les Balcons is also an example of façades that were sculpted by natural light. Wishing to maximize openings and exterior views while providing sun protection in the summer, wooden triangular profiles forming the ceilings and metal structures dressing sides of terraces were specially designed and placed between floors and homes. Such is the way in which all apartments receive both optimal daylight and optimized visual perspectives on the surrounding environment.

Program

residential, renovation

Client

DBF Red

Collaboration

ELD, Nico Terryn, BuroGroen

Surface

9 854 m² / 106 067 ft²

Performance

Passive House, Exemplary Building Award

Location

Brussels (BEL)

Status

completed

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