In the old industrial area for paper production of Rixensart, a lively mixed use neighborhood is emerging. The project AA8 is accommodating 20 apartments of diverse sizes and qualities- from 1 to 4 bedrooms and varying between 70m² and 192m². The public façade is occupied by 2 offices of 100m² each at ground floor.
Convinced that a strong architectural identity is needed for this site, we derived our design as a game between the built and the void. The maximum permitted volume has been reduced at the 2 rooftop floors to make space for terraces and to create interesting setbacks. The technical services are collected on the inside of the building to free up the facades. The living areas of all the apartments with more than 2 bedrooms benefit from minimum 2 orientations, to provide them with sunshine and interesting views.
The project has been designed in order to offer every flat private exterior space - garden, terrace or balcony. The apartments at the ground floor possess private gardens located on the more intimate side of the site.
The material strategy employed is based on clay bricks, which are the original material used for the construction of the paper factories, located previously on the site. By recalling the materiality of some of these still existing structures, a coherent architectural ensemble is achieved.
The windows are set back from the brick façade to give relief and depth to the building. They are of similar heights but different widths, and create a rhythm that is regular towards the middle of the facades, but often more articulated towards the corners, in order to underline the formal expression.
This composition of rather traditional materials and colors, the simple general volumetry of the building, and the dynamic piercing of the openings are elements that allow the building to be integrated into the landscape of the whole site by proposing a contemporary and aesthetic architecture. The projects responds to the socio-economic and ecological challenges of today by offering smart use of space, possibility for future transformation and achieving qualitative energetic performance.