SHAPE 2020 : inauguration of the first houses
This Tuesday, October 19, the inauguration of the first houses of the SHAPE 2020 project in Mons took place, in the presence of the Belgian Ministers of Finance and Defence. This large-scale project was carried out in collaboration with the general contractor BPC, the architects Archiwind, Axi(h)ome, Atelier MA+P, and the design offices Agora, BEL, ATS and Genie Tec.
Located north of downtown Mons, the SHAPE site includes, in addition to the NATO forces headquarters, 600 housing units built in 1967 and inhabited by soldiers of 30 different nationalities. SHAPE 2020 offers them and their families a new "village" in a green setting.
The architecture and landscape of Shape Village have been designed to give it its own identity. The design of the 600 units required the creation of a diverse range of housing typologies, which are cleverly assembled. A constant interplay of architectural elements on the facade, as well as a variation of materials, offer a rich and varied landscape allowing each resident to affirm: "At SHAPE, I know where I live."
One of the main challenges of the operation, involving an ingenious and complex phasing, is the operational maintenance on site of the 600 existing housing units during this impressive reconstruction site.
