Site Van Oost

The very public project will be integrated into the inner side of a building block composed by traditional Brussels single-family houses. Previously occupied by the former brewery, Roelants, the site is anchored in collective urban memory. The bel-étage houses on rue Van Oost are restored and transformed into independent functioning apartments. The former entry to the brewery will give access to the schools and sports hall. A second entry is situated on rue Navez, where the new school complex lends a new identity to a ‘gap’ in the existing building front. The colourful entries stand out, giving a first glimpse of the playful world of the school lying behind.

Combining school, community and housing facilities, the Site Van Oost project hosts functions with different programmatic, circulation and privacy needs, destined for a diverse public. The specific layout of the site was an initial constraint for the location of the different functions and building dimensions. Building dimensions are adjusted to provide the specific levels of sound, light and sight comfort needed for each function and to minimise the impact on the surrounding buildings. The patios in the school buildings at the same time reduce the closed view on the railway and function as small ‘green oases’ within a very inorganic environment.

At the inner side of the building block, all facades are dynamic and composed by a large variety of textures and vivid colours, offering a pleasant and colourful environment for the children. In the meanwhile, they are all adapted to their specific orientation and relation with the exterior space. The site’s entries and circulation zones are designed to cope with the function’s public/private character while creating a highly readable environment for all the users of the complex.

All new buildings are designed to fulfil to the most recent passive construction criteria (Brussels Capital Region). The building shapes are optimised to achieve compactness, while the envelope’s insulation is highly efficient, to provide thermal consistency. Windows and solar protection are positioned according to the orientation, using passive strategies to maximize internal comfort and allow natural light into the building. Green roofs contribute to the optimisation of insulation, in order to enhance energy performances. Heat recovery strategies are applied to the building’s ventilation system, rooftop rainwater is harvested to supply toilets and solar panels provide hot water to the sports hall and electricity.