Art Basics for Children, Brussels (B).
Historic wash house becomes incubator for young artists.
An old factory site is converted into an art centre and academy for children. Key elements of the design are an accessible approach as well as maximum integration with the surrounds both from a social and spatial perspective. The budget is low and the existing, raw structure and spaces are of value to the client as a backdrop to the dynamic programme centred on art and creativity. The general strategy therefore consists in stripping the entire edifice and bring the brick facade and concrete structure back to their essence. This low-key approach is complemented by special architectural interventions at key positions.
At the entrance to the site, for instance, a pavilion is constructed, forging a connection between the building and the adjacent square. This pavilion comprises a public kitchen on the ground floor and a dance studio above offering views over the Brussels-North business district. A rather dramatic atrium is created in the existing factory, connecting the central workshop, filmstudio, library, crèche, café and amphitheatre. The result is an enfilade of bright, spacious studios and smaller, more intimate rooms. In time, a more organic ensemble will take form, one that is both structured and flexible enough to accommodate the ever-changing programme within the building.
Bureau Bouwtechniek, BAS, D’hondt ingenieurs
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The weathered structures and spaces are valuable to the client, which is why the each of them was stripped down and the brick facades and the concrete structure reduced to their essence.
